The Buildings Department (BD) will prioritise its follow-up actions and enhance enforcement efforts in regards to buildings that have not complied with the mandatory building inspection notices, the Development Bureau announced today.

The bureau said it is highly concerned about the recent series of incidents involving fallen concrete or rendering from external walls of buildings as well as the problem of non-compliance with statutory notices under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS) as revealed.

Expressing equal concern, the BD has completed reviewing the list of buildings that have not complied with the MBIS notices in respect of the common parts.

The bureau and BD have devised action strategies against 2,700 buildings with expired MBIS notices that have not been complied with.

If one’s progress is unsatisfactory without reasonable excuse, depending on the circumstances, the BD will issue a warning letter, and instigate prosecution proceedings to the owners’ corporations (OCs) or relevant owners by the end of this year.

Among the actions to be taken, the BD will assess the risk of the relevant buildings and arrange manpower to use drones to conduct a special survey on the external walls of buildings with higher risks, so as to verify their conditions promptly.

It will also work with the Urban Renewal Authority and the Home Affairs Department to strengthen the support for OCs or owners.

Apart from organising district briefings, the three parties will contact the OCs and property management companies of the buildings that have not yet appointed registered inspectors to provide information, co-ordination, and technical and financial support. 

The bureau and the BD will closely monitor the progress and effectiveness of the abovementioned actions and review their strategy.

Concerning the July 19 incident where some concrete had fallen off from Lai Wan Building on 33-35 Shau Kei Wan Road, the BD said it immediately conducted a site inspection and noted no obvious danger to the overall building structure.

The staff found that a piece of concrete/rendering, measuring about 600mm by 600mm, had fallen off from the bottom of the 58-year-old building’s second floor above the pavement on Shau Kei Wan Road.

As directed by the BD staff, the building’s OC immediately arranged for a contractor to erect temporary protective measures, and will remove, within the next few days, the remaining parts that may come loose.

The BD added that it will continue to follow up on the matter.