Vacant School Premises Sites Reviewed under the Central Clearing House Mechanism
From the implementation of the Central Clearing House (CCH) mechanism in 2011 to the 2022 review, PlanD has successively reviewed a total of 256 VSP sites. About 74% (191 sites) have been recommended for retaining the Government, Institution or Community (G/IC) use, and about 16% (40 sites) have been recommended for residential use. The remaining about 10% (25 sites), which are former village schools located within village areas in the New Territories, have been recommended for retaining their uses as village type development, rural use and open space, etc.
There are 209 sites wholly on government land (including private land to be surrendered to the Government) or partially on government land that can be separately utilized, which are categorized in accordance with the status of their utilisation as follows –
- Category 1: 104 sites (50%) have already been put to long-term uses in line with the recommendation under the CCH mechanism (Category 1(a)), or have already been put to short-term uses pending implementation of long-term uses (Category 1(b));
- Category 2: 60 sites (29%) will be put to long-term uses in line with the recommendation under the CCH mechanism (Category 2(a)), or will be put to short-term uses pending implementation of the long-term uses (Category 2(b));
- Category 3: 43 sites (20%) are available for applications for short-term uses by non-governmental organisations or social enterprises; and
- Category 4: 2 sites (1%) are currently not suitable or available for uses.
There are 47 sites wholly or mostly on private land. Their utilization generally depends on private land owners’ initiative having regard to the applicable uses in statutory planning terms and lease conditions.
The above information is as of December 2022 and may be subject to change from time to time. It only covers VSP sites reviewed under the CCH mechanism and does not include those currently retained by the Education Bureau for school use.
Application for use of VSP sites
To optimise the use of land resources, pending implementation of the long-term uses for individual VSP sites, relevant departments may arrange these sites for short-term uses or make these sites available for applications for uses by non-governmental organisations or social enterprises. Support from the relevant bureau(x) must be obtained before making an application with the managing department for using the VSP for G/IC use.
Organisations may also refer to the “GeoInfo Map” website compiling and setting out the list of vacant government sites (including VSP) which are currently managed by the Lands Department (LandsD) and can be used for community, institutional or non-profit-making purposes. Relevant application guidelines and procedures are available on LandsD’s website.
Enquiries
For general enquiries, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions or contact the Housing and Office Land Supply Section of PlanD at hols@pland.gov.hk. For enquiries on specific VSP sites, please contact the managing department of the sites concerned directly (e.g. LandsD or the Housing Department).
