Vacant School Premises (VSP) Sites Reviewed under the Central Clearing House Mechanism - Frequently Asked Questions

Paying heed to the principle of optimising the utilisation of land resources, the Government strives to make the gainful use of VSP sites.  In an efficient and coordinated manner, the Government has established the Central Clearing House Mechanism to review the VSP sites that are no longer required for school use as confirmed by the Education Bureau (EDB) and to recommend suitable long-term uses for these sites for follow-up actions by the bureaux / departments concerned.

In accordance with the Central Clearing House Mechanism, when EDB confirms that a VSP site is no longer required for school use, EDB will inform the Planning Department (PlanD) and other relevant departments (such as the Lands Department (LandsD) and the Housing Department (HD)).  PlanD will conduct review under the Central Clearing House Mechanism, and recommend suitable long-term uses (e.g. Government, Institution or Community (G/IC), residential or other uses) for the VSP site concerned.  Upon confirmation on the long-term use of the VSP site concerned, PlanD will inform the departments concerned (e.g. LandsD, HD, etc.) of the recommendations for taking follow-up actions as appropriate.

Management and utilisation of VSP sites do not fall within the purview of PlanD under the Central Clearing House Mechanism.  At present, except for those VSP sites located on private land, or those VSP sites allocated for long-term or short-term uses which are under the management of the concerned departments / licensees / tenants, the remaining VSP sites located on government land are mainly managed by LandsD and HD.

In reviewing the long-term uses of VSP sites, PlanD will take into account various planning factors, including the planning intention of these sites and the land uses and environment in the vicinity, etc.  PlanD will also consult relevant bureaux and departments in accordance with the established practice.  Whether a VSP site is suitable for higher density development, such as residential development, depends on its size, location, compatibility with the surrounding land uses, development or technical constraints and development needs of respective districts, etc.

For those VSP sites located on government land, relevant bureaux or departments will coordinate and implement as appropriate the recommended long-term use under the Central Clearing House Mechanism.  To optimise land resources, pending implementation of the recommended long-term use, individual VSP site could be used for short-term community or other non-profit making uses.

For VSP sites that are reviewed under the Central Clearing House Mechanism and located on government land, if any organisation/institution wishes to use these sites for long-term or short-term community or other non-profit making uses, interested parties (such as government departments or non-government organisations) can make enquiries on the application procedures and submit application to the managing party of the sites concerned (e.g. LandsD or HD).  Support from the relevant policy bureau(x) should be obtained before making an application with the managing party.

To make VSP fit for use, the Government launched a funding scheme in 2019 to subsidise NGOs in carrying out restoration works on vacant government sites (including VSPs on government land) for short-term community, institutional or non-profit making uses.  For application procedures and other details, please contact the Development Bureau (DEVB) (plbenq@devb.gov.hk) or visit the DEVB website.

Generally speaking, for VSP sites located on private land, unless relevant land leases contain a cessation/diminution of user clause, land owners concerned can make use of the VSP sites at their own discretion, only that the uses of the sites shall conform to the requirements of the relevant statutory Outline Zoning Plans, lease conditions, and any other relevant legislations, etc.  In case the use concerned is not permitted under the relevant requirements, the land owner should make an application to the relevant departments.

For VSP sites located partly on private land and partly on government land, LandsD may decide whether the government land portion can be used for other long-term or short-term purposes, taking the actual situation of individual sites into account.  For details, please contact LandsD and check the list of VSP sites available for application for short-term uses on the “GeoInfo Map” website.

The information as disseminated by LandsD on its “GeoInfo Map” website is a list of vacant government sites (including VSP sites) managed by LandsD which are available for application by the NGOs / social enterprises for community, institutional or non-profit making purposes on a short-term basis.  The list of VSP sites as published on PlanD’s website includes those sites reviewed under the Central Clearing House Mechanism with their recommended long-term uses.  Not all VSP sites on government land on PlanD’s website are available for use, as some of them are already deployed for long-term/short-term uses, or that applications for long-term/short-term uses are under consideration or processing, etc.