Lawmakers suggest government amend lift modernisation scheme application requirements
發佈日期: 2026-03-10 21:21
TVB News
Since the government rolled out its lift modernisation subsidy scheme seven years ago,enhancement work was only performed on around 1,000 lifts as of October last year.
Some lawmakers suggested that authorities could adjust requirements for relevant applications, which could incentivise more property owners to participate in the programme.
Mrs Kan, a resident of a 7-storey building on Chun Yeung Street in North Point since 1976, has been using the same lift for half a century.
Some local residents have raised concerns about the lift's outdated design and state of deterioration.
Mrs Kan said she's worried the lift would breakdown, forcing her to use the stairs.
She noted that the building's contractors are still unsure how to repair the aged facility, adding that the original manufacturer of the lift doesn't even exist anymore.
According to the Legislative Council's latest estimates,there are currently more than 73,000 lifts in the city.
Among these lifts, some 30,000 of them have been in service for over 30 years.
The largest share is on Hong Kong Island numbering over 10,800, while 9,900 are in Kowloon and another 9,000 are in the New Territories.
The government had rolled out its lift modernisation subsidy scheme seven years ago, which allocated 4.5 billion dollars to the measure.
The initial goal was to improve or replace 8,000 older lifts by March this year.
But as of October last year, the government only accepted 5,700 applications, with only 1,120 or so lifts having been enhanced or replaced.
Under the latest Budget, authorities allocated another 1 billion dollars for the continuation of the project.
The measure requires owners' corporations or collective property owners to submit an application, which could grant a maximum of 500,000 dollars in subsidies.
But some lawmakers believe some adjustments should be made regarding application requirements.
Lawmaker Elaine Chik from the Hong Kong Island East constituency said owners' corporations are almost non-existent in many old buildings, which complicates the requirement for having property owners reach a consensus.
She added that authorities can consider raising the subsidy limit to around 600,000 dollars, given that it takes around 1 million dollars for each lift to be replaced or repaired.
