1st February 2026 – (Hong Kong) Residents at the near 42-year-old Eightland Gardens on On Chee Road in Tai Po have overturned plans for a major renovation priced at more than HK$140 million, despite the estate not being subject to any mandatory building inspection order. The scheme, proposed by the owners’ corporation and costed by an appointed engineering consultant, would have left households contributing between HK$200,000 and HK$300,000 each, prompting a grassroots pushback.
At a special general meeting on 1 February, attendance from 371 of the estate’s 528 flats was recorded, including 295 in person and 76 by proxy. After on-site counting and weighting by ownership shares, 95.92% supported cancelling the large-scale works. A subsequent vote saw 97.8% back the termination of the consultant’s appointment. Some residents said they wanted more options and time, noting the estate has not received a compulsory order and that new government policies, in the wake of a separate housing estate fire, may lead to tighter oversight.
The meeting drew several hundred attendees, with the interim chair of the owners’ body, representatives from the management company, the consultant, the estate’s lawyer and district officials all present. Tensions flared during exchanges over whether tender documents and costings could be revised, before voting proceeded.
Eightland Gardens, occupied since April 1984, was not under an enforcement notice requiring inspection. In 2022, the owners’ body used an urban renewal tender support scheme to hire a consultant for HK$580,000. Last November, the consultant provided estimates suggesting a maximum outlay of HK$1.48 billion, translating to HK$200,000 to HK$300,000 per flat, though a pared-back option was said to cost about HK$54 million, or roughly HK$75,000 to HK$115,000 per household. An independent review commissioned by the urban renewal authority reportedly flagged issues in elements such as fire safety and lobby works, and found some items — like window and water system works — priced well above its benchmarks.
Leadership of the owners’ corporation has changed hands over the past year and remains interim pending a March by-election. The estate shares the same property manager as another high-profile housing complex, whose fatal fire last November has intensified scrutiny of ageing buildings and refurbishment governance. The manager has previously said that any major repair spending is separate from management fees and that it does not derive extra charges from capital works, while advising clients without compulsory orders to await updated tender support arrangements.
