Mild adjustments to HA car park charges next year
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
The Commercial Properties Committee (CPC) of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) today (November 18) approved a mild increase in the HA's car park charges with effect from January 1, 2025.
"Market surveys conducted by the HA indicate that there has been a general increase in monthly charges of comparable car parks, while the HA's current monthly charges for various types of parking spaces are generally lower than the charges for car parks in comparable sectors. To bring the HA's car park charges comparable to the market levels and to maintain the HA's financial stability, theCPC endorsed a mild increase in the monthly car park charges for all types of parking spaces in 2025," a spokesman for the HA said.
The adjustments in monthly charges for open and covered parking spaces with effect from January 1, 2025, are as follows:
Parking spaces |
Open parking spaces |
Covered parking spaces |
Adjustments |
Adjusted
Monthly Charges |
Adjustments |
Adjusted
Monthly Charges |
Private car (PC) |
+$140 |
$1,710 - $2,750 |
+$160 |
$2,060 - $3,310 |
Light goods vehicle (LGV) |
+$170 |
$2,810 |
+$190 |
$3,590 |
Coach/bus (C/B)
medium/heavy goods vehicle |
+$180 |
$3,460 |
+$200 |
$4,550 |
Motorcycle (MC) |
+$50 |
$530 |
+$60 |
$690 |
The HA's monthly charges for PC parking spaces are subject to a three-tier charging system with different discounts based on occupancy rates (i.e. Tier 1 for occupancy rates at 90 per cent or above without a discount, Tier 2 for occupancy rates at 50 per cent to below 90 per cent with a 10 per cent discount, and Tier 3 for occupancy rates below 50 per cent with a 15 per cent discount). The tier to be adopted for the charges of individual car parks in 2025 will be based on their respective occupancy rates of PC parking spaces from August to October 2024. Accordingly, the current discounts for the monthly charges for PC parking spaces at individual car parks may be adjusted with effect from January 1, 2025. Subsequently, if the occupancy rate of PC parking spaces in a car park falls to a lower tier for three consecutive months during 2025, the discount for the lower tier will apply.
On hourly rates, the CPC endorsed increasing the hourly rates by $1 for PC, LGV and MC parking spaces, and increasing the Day Pass and 24-hour Pass charges for PC parking spaces by $10 and $20 respectively, for all regions in 2025.
To attract patronage to the HA's retail provisions and encourage local consumption, the HA has been providing free parking for its retail facilities with car parks. The HA understands that local catering businesses and wet market trades are facing great challenges under the current business environment. In order to stimulate consumer spending in these businesses, additional free parking will be offered to shoppers who spend a designated amount at the restaurants and wet markets in the HA's retail facilities in 2025. Further, Domain Club members will be able to use their Domain Club redemption points for free parking and electric vehicle (EV) charging services.
Also, to tie in with the Government's initiative to marketise EV charging services and hence promote its sustainable development in the long run, fee-paying EV charging services at hourly parking spaces in the HA's car parks have been implemented from April 1, 2024, subject to annual review. In view of market evidence, the CPC endorsed the following EV charging fees and other related charges at the HA's hourly parking spaces for 2025.
EV Charging Fees |
Overtime Penalty Charge |
Standard Chargers |
Free charging |
-- |
Medium Chargers |
$10 per 30 minutes |
-- |
Quick Chargers
(with output power of 100 kilowatts) |
$90 per 15 minutes |
$5 per minute, upon the lapse of a grace period of 10 minutes after completion of EV charging |
The HA reviews its car park charges annually, and the approved charges will take effect from January 1 of the following year. In reviewing its car park charges, the HA makes reference to the current market levels, including car park charges of other public bodies and comparable private sector car parks.
As at the end of September 2024, therewere about 34 500 parking spaces in 198 car parks of the HA, which mainly serve local residents subject to monthly charges. A total of about 3 800 parking spaces (about 11 per cent) are made available for visitors on hourly charges.
Sixth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Legal Departments Joint Conference promotes "soft connectivity" of dispute resolution services among three places
The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, today (November 18) attended the sixth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Legal Departments Joint Conference in Zhongshan to meet with representatives from legal departments of Guangdong and Macao on promoting the flow of legal talent among the three places, taking forward the interface of regulatory frameworks and the establishment of a diversified dispute resolution mechanism in the GBA to provide legal support for the development of a world-class Bay Area.
The conference also made good progress in the area of "soft connectivity" of talent.
Firstly, on the interface of mediation professionals, the three parties agreed to complete the work on the GBA mediators' accreditation as soon as possible and submit the proposed list of GBA mediators to the Joint Conference for confirmation, with a view to jointly announcing a consolidated panel of GBA mediators within this year.
Dr Cheung expressed his gratitude in particular to the Guangdong and Macao authorities for their strong support for the first GBA Mediator Training Course of Hong Kong held earlier by the Department of Justice, as well as their assistance in arranging mediation experts from Guangdong and Macao to share in the Course their practical experiences, enhancing Hong Kong mediators' understanding of the mediation systems in Guangdong and Macao.
On the interface of arbitration professionals, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have considered and endorsed the Working Guidelines on the Panel of GBA Arbitrators and reached consensus on the detailed arrangements for the mechanism of setting up a panel of arbitrators. The three places will commence their respective nominations of local arbitrators and selection procedures next year, endeavouring to announce the first batch of GBA arbitrators within next year.
Dr Cheung said, "Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will announce a consolidated panel of GBA mediators and endorse the Working Guidelines on the Panel of GBA Arbitrators, both of which are important deliverables achieved by the three places in jointly taking forward the interfaces of regulatory frameworks and talent in the GBA, thereby facilitating the 'soft connectivity' of the non-litigation dispute resolution mechanism in the GBA."
Regarding the practice of GBA lawyers, Dr Cheung reflected at the meeting that the Hong Kong legal sector looks forward to participating in more practical training and explore further expansion of the scope of practice of GBA lawyers. He stressed that the Department of Justice is positively responding to the suggestions of the sector and will strive to establish a dedicated platform for GBA lawyers as soon as possible. The Department will also continue to support the sector in deepening professional co-operation with Guangdong and Macao counterparts and to support the sustainable development of GBA lawyers, contributing to the construction of foreign-related rule of law of the country.
On nurturing talent, Dr Cheung said that the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy, formally launched in early November, will proactively commence capacity-building programmes and conduct training projects, and also co-ordinate and collaborate with relevant ministries and institutions in the GBA to nurture legal talent.
Dr Cheung said that the full co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao under the Joint Conference has yielded fruitful results, bringing forth stronger collaboration and synergistic development among the legal sectors of the three places, and promoting the development of the rule of law in the GBA.
This Joint Conference was hosted by the Director-General of the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province, Mr Chen Xudong, and attended by the Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Mr Cheong Weng Chon, and other representatives.
