A lawmaker on Wednesday called on the government to conduct on-site inspections of old buildings after more concrete from a building fell onto the streets, this time in Sai Wan Ho.

The concrete fell from the 2nd floor of the 58-year-old Lai Wan Building onto Shau Kei Wan Road at around 6.30pm and hit a man on the head. He was taken to hospital in a conscious state after the incident.

DAB lawmaker Edward Leung, who visited the site after the incident, quoted the building's owners' corporation as saying that a mandatory inspection notice was received a few years ago but it had been unable to hold a meeting due to the pandemic.

It said this resulted in a delayed inspection.

The corporation was also quoted as saying that the inspection work was completed over the last six months, and that it had submitted a report to relevant government departments. Leung added that it was waiting for a response on whether repairs were needed.

The lawmaker noted there are more than 8,000 buildings in Hong Kong that are over half a century old, and more than 4,800 of them have not been inspected or repaired.

He urged the government to conduct on-site inspections of those buildings within the next three months.

The Buildings Department confirmed in a late-night statement that it had previously issued a statutory notice under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme. It said it would ask the owners' corporation to submit a programme of works to correct the flaws found.

It said firefighters had inspected the building and found no obvious danger to its overall structure. The owners would arrange temporary protective measures and remove any further loose concrete.

Leung also urged officials to allocate more resources to expedite follow-up work, adding that many buildings have received repair orders, but such works have been delayed by the pandemic.
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Last updated: 2023-07-20 HKT 01:06