The Development Bureau today invited the market to submit expressions of interest (EOI) within two months for post-secondary student hostel development at three commercial sites in Kai Tak, Siu Lek Yuen (Shatin) and Tung Chung East.

In July 2025, the Development Bureau and the Education Bureau jointly launched the Hostels in the City Scheme. By relaxing some development controls, it has facilitated private developers/operators in converting commercial buildings into student hostels to meet the needs of post-secondary students.

Subsequently, it was announced in the 2025 Policy Address that the scheme would be expanded to also cover new hostel developments.

The scheme has been met with an encouraging response, with 24 applications received involving around 5,000 beds in total, most of which were in urban areas.

Apart from two applications that concern new student hostel development on private land, all applications were for the conversion of existing buildings, the majority of which involved wholesale conversion.

Out of the 24 applications received, 22 have been confirmed to have complied with the eligibility criteria as laid down under the scheme, with the remaining two under processing.

Proponents of these 22 cases are starting to apply for development approvals under relaxed development controls, while the relevant government departments are processing at full steam the planning applications and the building plans received.

The Development Bureau said that the 2025 Policy Address has recommended that suitable sites for student hostel development be put up through land sale, besides facilitating the market in converting existing commercial buildings and building hostels on existing private land. This would be the first time for the bureau to use land disposal in the open market to encourage the development of student hostels.

All three sites included in this EOI exercise are located in urban or extended urban areas with better traffic accessibility and more mature community and commercial facilities in the vicinity. These sites are zoned commercial on the respective outline zoning plans, meaning developing student hostels according to the scheme would not require further planning applications. The relevant land has already been formed with basic infrastructure.

The Development Bureau said that the three sites are all readily developable land where zoning and development parameters are suitable for student hostel developments. Those who are awarded the sites through tender could promptly develop these sites into student hostels and help respond to the demand for post-secondary hostel accommodation.

Subject to the response received from this EOI exercise, the Government can make available one or more of the three sites supporting student hostel development for land sale through open tender in 2026-27 at the earliest.

The Government's preliminary estimate is that around 4,500 beds can be provided in total on the three sites, but the actual bed numbers will depend on the design of the project proponents.

The invitation documents for EOI have been uploaded onto the Development Bureau's website. Interested parties should submit a soft copy of their EOI by midnight on March 20.