Hong Kong leader calls for stronger construction oversight amid One Stanley case

Hong Kong will strengthen its regulatory regime and impose stiffer penalties to ensure strong deterrence against building violations, the city leader has pledged, following a series of substandard construction scandals including the latest controversy involving a luxury residential development in Stanley.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu vowed to safeguard the high professional standards of the city’s construction industry on Tuesday in the wake of a debacle involving a house at One Stanley, where the number of steel bars reportedly fell short of the figure in approved building plans by as much as 75 per cent.

The owner reportedly bought the property in 2024 for about HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) and discovered quality issues when he started renovations in August last year.

While declining to comment on details of the latest incident amid an ongoing investigation by the Buildings Department, Lee highlighted such issues concerned professional standards, quality and safety of Hong Kong’s construction works.

Lee said on Tuesday that he was concerned as to whether those involved in the works had discharged their duties properly, and whether the contractor had carried out the works in breach of requirements.

“I have asked the Development Bureau to monitor the investigation of this case and construction work standards as a whole, to raise the regulatory regime and penalties under the law, to ensure strong deterrence and to severely punish those involved in any violations,” he said.

The Buildings Department said over the weekend that it had launched an investigation into the One Stanley project in Stanley, one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in Southern district, and had requested information from the developer, contractor and relevant professionals.

The probe began in the wake of a report by property news platform WuChatProp, which alleged that an on-site inspection of the house had found that insufficient steel bars had been used.

In September, the Housing Authority found issues with concrete samples from three public housing blocks under construction in Tung Chung, prompting further review and testing.

A month earlier, 24 of the 28 lifts in Queen Mary Hospital’s new clinical block were deemed unfit for use. The widespread installation defects delayed the full commissioning of the Pok Fu Lam hospital’s new HK$13.5 billion (US$1.7 billion) block by up to a year.

Lee earlier vowed to pursue accountability for that case as well.

The city leader said on Tuesday that the Development Bureau would proceed “at full steam” to submit a proposed amendment to the Buildings Ordinance this year to strengthen regulation, enhance the penalty and punishment for malpractice and substandard performance.

“We must safeguard the high professional standards, quality and safety of Hong Kong’s construction works,” he said.