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 2023 review, PlanD has successively reviewed a total of 259 VSP sites.  About 74% (193 sites) have been recommended for retaining for Government, Institution or Community (G/IC) use, and about 16% (41 sites) have been recommended for residential use.  The remaining 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 210 sites wholly on government land (including private land to be surrendered to the Government) or partly on government land that can be separately utilized, which are categorized in accordance with the status of their utilisation (as at December 2023) as follows –

• Category 1: 110 sites (52%) 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: 47 sites (22%) will be put to long-term uses in line with the recommendation under the CCH mechanism (Category 2(a)), or have short-term uses under consideration / processing pending implementation of the long-term uses (Category 2(b));
• Category 3: 52 sites (25%) are available for short-term uses by non-government organisations or social enterprises before implementation of the long-term uses; and
• Category 4: 1 site (1%) is currently not suitable or available for uses.

There are 49 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 utilization status of VSP sites is as of December 2023 and subject to change from time to time.  Please approach the relevant managing party (e.g. Lands Department (LandsD) or Housing Department (HD)) for the latest information on the status and availability of the VSP sites.  The above information 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 community, institutional or non-profit making uses by non-government organisations or social enterprises.  Organisations may also refer to the “GeoInfo Map” website which sets out the list of vacant government sites (including VSP) currently managed by LandsD that can be used for community, institutional or non-profit making purposes.  Relevant application guidelines and procedures are available on LandsD’s website.  Support from the relevant bureau(x) must be obtained before making an application with the managing party for using the VSP.

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 relevant managing party directly (e.g. LandsD or HD).