XN000022-1990-05-08 — Page 8

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 1990

SURVEY HELPS PLAN FUTURE OFFICE NEEDS

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A CONSULTANCY SURVEY COMMISSIONED LAST YEAR BY THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ON THE LAND AND FACILITY REQUIREMENTS OF COMMERCIAL OFFICES HAS RECENTLY BEEN COMPLETED.

ITS AIM IS TO IDENTIFY, FROM THE CONSUMERS' POINT OF VIEW, THE NEEDS OF BUSINESS COMPANIES IN TERMS OF OFFICE SPACE AND CONDITIONS, OFFICE LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES SUCH AS PARKING SPACES, BANKS AND EATING PLACES.

THE SURVEY, WHICH WAS CARRIED OUT BY A PRIVATE MARKET RESEARCH FIRM, WILL HELP THE GOVERNMENT IN THE PLANNING OF FUTURE OFFICE LAND ALLOCATION AND PROVISION OF RELATED FACILITIES AND SERVICES.

THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY WILL ALSO BE MADE USE OF

UP FINAL PROPOSALS FOR THE METROPLAN.

IN DRAWING

THE SURVEY, IN WHICH MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL OF ABOUT 1,830 COMMERCIAL FIRMS WERE SUCCESSFULLY INTERVIEWED, SHOWED THAT, AMONG OTHER THINGS, MANY OFFICE OCCUPIERS (66 PER CENT) WERE RECEPTIVE ΤΟ THE IDEA OF ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT/REDEVELOPMENT OF OFFICE BUILDINGS IN AREAS NEAR MTR AND KCR STATIONS.

THE WEST KOWLOON RECLAMATION AND HUNG HOM BAY RECLAMATION WERE ALSO CONSIDERED TO BE GOOD AREAS FOR OFFICE DEVELOPMENT.

HOWEVER, OFFICE OCCUPIERS WERE, IN GENERAL, LESS RECEPTIVE то THE IDEA OF DEVELOPING OFFICE BUILDINGS AT GREEN ISLAND, TSUEN WAN AND OTHER NEW TOWNS

BEING ONLY PREFERRED BY COMPANIES ALREADY

LOCATED IN THESE PERIPHERAL AREAS.

ON THE OCCUPANCY STATUS OF OFFICE PREMISES, THE SURVEY RESULTS INDICATED THAT SOME 70 PER CENT OF THE PREMISES SURVEYED ARE RENTED WITH THE COMMON LEASE TERM OF ABOUT TWO TO THREE YEARS.

ONLY A SMALL PROPORTION OF THE COMMERCIAL FIRMS (12 PER CENT) ENVISAGED THAT THEY WOULD MOVE WHEN THEIR LEASE EXPIRED OR WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS FOR OWNER OCCUPIERS.

INADEQUACY OF THE PRESENT OFFICE SPACE TO CATER FOR EXISTING OR FUTURE NEEDS AND THE COST OF OFFICE SPACE WERE THE MAIN PUSH FACTORS QUOTED BY THESE FIRMS.

GOOD ACCESSIBILITY BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT (26 PER CENT) AND REASONABLE OFFICE RENT/PRICE (25 PER CENT) WERE THE MAIN REASONS FOR NOT MOVING GIVEN BY THOSE WHO WOULD STAY IN EXISTING OFFICES.

THE SURVEY FOUND THAT THOSE WHO ARE LIKELY TO MOVE ARE MAINLY LEASE HOLDERS.

OTHER MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY WITH RESPECT то LOCATIONS, BUILDING TYPES, FACILITIES IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD AND SPACE REQUIREMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

/OFFICE LOCATIONS

OFFICE

OFFICE