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News
Latest approvals and updates
14 August 2026
Masterplan Submits Views on Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan
Masterplan Limited has submitted its views on the public consultation for Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan. Drawing on more than three decades of experience in planning and development consultancy, the submission highlights key considerations relating to the Northern Metropolis, urban renewal, regional cooperation, culture, sports, tourism, green living and climate resilience. We invite you to read the full submission to learn more about our recommendations for Hong Kong’s future development.
31 July 2026
SCMP Article: Hong Kong's Five-Year Plan
Our Managing Director, Ian Brownlee, has contributed a new opinion piece to the South China Morning Post. Published on 31 July 2026, “How Hong Kong’s five-year plan could get the ball rolling on an Olympic bid” considers how the proposed five-year plan could advance Hong Kong’s sporting ambitions and establish a foundation for a potential Olympic bid. Read the full article
24 July 2026
A Major Planning Milestone Achieved for Quarry Bay's Waterfront Development
We are pleased to share that the Metro Planning Committee has partially accepted the Section 12A Application for the Hoi Yu Street waterfront site in Quarry Bay, representing a significant step towards unlocking the development potential of this long-vacant harbourfront site.
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A key outcome is the inclusion of "Flat" use under Column 2 of the "OU (Cultural and/or Commercial, Leisure and Tourism Related Uses)" zone, creating a pathway for residential use to be considered as part of a future mixed-use scheme. This added planning flexibility is crucial to achieving the site's planning intention as a cultural, leisure and tourism destination while also ensuring the development is financially viable and deliverable.
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The proposal includes a Conceptual Scheme, designed by Foster + Partners, which seeks to transform the site into a vibrant waterfront destination with a cultural facility purpose-built for immersive experiences as the centrepiece, supported by complementary residential use. The scheme will activate the harbourfront through features such as alfresco dining, harbour steps and generous public open space, while strengthening connections between the hinterland and the waterfront, including integration with the East Coast Boardwalk.
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The success of this S.12A application is an important milestone in realising a landmark waterfront destination that will enhance Hong Kong's harbourfront and tourism offering for years to come.
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Congratulations to everyone involved in reaching this milestone. As lead planning consultants on the project, we are proud to have helped shape a vision that balances economic viability, placemaking, urban design excellence and public benefit. We look forward to supporting the next phases of the project.
10 January 2026
Northern Metropolis SCMP Article
We are pleased to announce the publication of the column written by the Managing Director of Masterplan Limited. Featured in South China Morning Post on 10 January 2026, this article examines some of the changes taking place through the implementation of the Northern Metropolis and comments on economic growth. We invite you to read the full article.
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9 January 2026
HKIP 46th Anniversary Dinner cum Awards Presentation
Masterplan Limited proudly participated in the 46th Hong Kong Institute of Planners Annual Dinner held on January 9, 2026. The event was remarkable, allowing us to connect with industry experts, fellow professionals, and friends.
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We would like to express our sincere appreciation to HKIP for organizing such an inspiring event. The evening provided invaluable insights from the guest speakers, who shared their expertise on the core values of urban planning, under the theme of “Cherishing our Past, Empowering the Future”.
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We are especially proud to announce that we received a Silver Award for our Well-Being Design Guide, a city wide public engagement exercise for the Housing Authority, which we contributed our professional expertise and collaborated with a mutli-disciplinary team. The Well-Being Design Guide is aimed at enhancing the quality of the living environment of public housing residents, advancing the sustainable development of public housing estates.
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As we look forward to the new year, we wish everyone a successful and prosperous 2026! May this year bring new opportunities and continued collaboration with all of you.
19 November 2025
S12A Application for Proposed Harbourfront Revitalisation: A New Cultural Entertainment Destination
A S.12A Application has been recently submitted to the Town Planning Board relating to a waterfront site in Quarry Bay zoned “Other Specified Uses (1)” annotated “Cultural and/or Commercial, Leisure and Tourism Related Uses” (“OU(1)”) that has been left idle for nearly two decades.
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The site has a long planning history with approved proposals that were never implemented due to lack of compatibility with the waterfront and/or lack of commercial viability. As such, the objective of this S.12A application is to expand the permitted uses to include “Flat” in Column 2 to enable a commercially viable scheme that achieves the planning intention of the “OU(1)” zone. It also seeks to relax the building height restriction from 35mPD to 47mPD to enable a well-designed scheme that would maintain compatibility with its harboufront context.
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It is envisaged that the proposed development will transform this unique and important site into a state-of-the-art cultural tourism hub that offers a multitude of public benefits to Hong Kong as a whole.
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To achieve the abovementioned objectives and vision for the site, a Conceptual Scheme supporting the application has been carefully designed and formulated, taking into consideration Harbour Planning Principles established by the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee. Designed by Foster + Partners, the scheme is anchored by a world-class cultural venue purpose-built for immersive exhibitions and cultural programming. It will also integrate residential, retail, and dining spaces, creating a vibrant new waterfront destination for residents and visitors. Highlights of the Conceptual Scheme include:
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Iconic design and architecture for the cultural venue as the centrepiece;
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Visually interesting building forms that are innovative, unique and compatible with its surrounding environment;
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Extensive publicly accessible areas and open space, including a central piazza, amphitheatre-like steps with harbour views, and open areas for alfresco dining and shops. These will be integrated with a continuous waterfront promenade and landscaped harbour steps.
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​Extensive publicly accessible areas and open space, including a central piazza, amphitheatre-like steps with harbour views, and open areas for alfresco dining and shops. These will be integrated with a continuous waterfront promenade and landscaped harbour steps.
The proposal was recently presented to the Harbourfront Commission. The S.12A application is currently being processed by the Government, and is expected to be considered by the Town Planning Board in early 2026
7 November 2025
S12A Rezoning Approved for increasing plot ratio of Comprehensive Development with Wetland Restoration Area at Wo Shang Wai, Yuen Long
The application site, has been zoned as “Other Specified Uses (Comprehensive Development to include Wetland Restoration Area)” in the 1990s. This zoning intends residential use with requirements to phase out undesirable brownfield uses, and that a portion of the site be developed into a managed wetland with long-term ecological benefits.
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In light of the strategic development context of the Northern Metropolis at the San Tin Technopole, this rezoning application proposes amending the Notes on the OZP to relax the plot ratio from 0.4 to 1.3, and the building height restriction from 6 storeys (including carpark) to 10 storeys (excluding 1 basement storey for carpark). As one of Hong Kong’s first developments of this kind, we also assisted the client in voluntarily fulfilling requirements related to the Environment Conservation Fund with the Environmental Protection Department.
Project Achievements
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One of the first public-private initiatives committing to the restored wetland with long-term ecological benefits, aligning with the overarching trend of "co-existence of development and conservation."
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Contribution to private housing supply with 3,562 flats, a 100-place Residential Care Home for the Elderly (RCHE), and a managed wetland covering 47,400 square metres.
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Offering communal open spaces, landscape gardens and ponds with recreational walk / nature trail, private gardens and wildlife viewing points.
12 September 2025
Participation at ReThink HK Forum 2025
Masterplan Limited is proud to be the first ESG-certified town planning consultancy firm in Hong Kong.
In September 2025, Masterplan is honored to have been invited by our ESG partner, Dun & Bradstreet Hong Kong, at the ReThink HK Forum, to promote our values & beliefs in building a sustainable city through our ESG framework.
We also took the chance to show the public how ESG could be incorporated in the urban design process, e.g. create more community leisure spaces in the Office Towers design at West Kowloon, maximize the walkability of the vibrant business hub at Taikoo Place, improve the livability of public housing design in Hong Kong, etc.
Furthermore, the Well-being Design Guide for public housing developments recently received the highest category award in The Hong Kong Institute of Planners Awards 2025.
Our dedicated and professional team will continue to work with our partners and Clients to improve our living environment, where development and transformation of spaces are carried out sustainably.
4 JULY 2025
S16 Application Approved for Residential Development and Pedestrian Footbridges at West Kowloon Cultural District
The As part of the mixed-use context of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD), a residential component has always been included in the
Approved WKCD Development Plan (DP) but requires specific approval from the Town Planning Board. Masterplan Limited led a Section 16 planning application for a proposed scheme with residential development and Retail, Dining and Entertainment (RDE) facilities in Zone 2 of the WKCD. The application applied for relaxation of maximum Gross Floor Area, Building Height and Non-Building Area restrictions within the "OU(MU)" zones. We demonstrated that the proposed development will adhere to the planning of WKCD without changing the development mix for the district stipulated under DP, in which no more than 20% of the total permissible GFA of the whole district is for residential use.
We demonstrated that major planning and design principles of WKCD, including provision of Arts and Cultural Facilities (ACF), open space, and connectivity with neighbouring areas, are also maintained in the proposal. This included a reshuffling of GFA to allow greater flexibility for future design, such as increased provision of open space and ancillary facilities, improved connectivity, increased frontages offering more harbourfront views, and increased provision of building setback.
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Project Achievements
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The proposed scheme allows greater flexibility for future design, such as increased provision of open space and ancillary facilities, improved connectivity, increased frontages offering more harbourfront views, and increased provision of building setback.
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The proposed multi-level pedestrian connections will enhance connectivity with neighbouring areas and improve the user experience through diverse routes within WKCD.
