Four owners fined $1.18m for illegal Kwun Tong alterations

Six industrial units on Hoi Bun Road were altered without approval.

​Four owners were convicted and fined $1.18m at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts on 6 October for failing to comply with removal orders and repair orders issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO).

Of the total fine, $1.06m was for the number of days that the offence continued, the government reported.

The case involved six units in an industrial building on Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong, which had been altered into mini-storage units without prior approval from the Buildings Department (BD).

The alterations also obstructed escape routes and access needed for firefighting and rescue operations, in breach of the Building (Planning) Regulations.

The owners were previously prosecuted and fined for failing to comply with six removal orders and six repair orders under the BO, but continued to disregard the orders, resulting in a second prosecution.

A BD spokesman said the department would continue to take enforcement action and prosecute owners who persistently fail to comply with removal and repair orders to safeguard building and public safety.

Failure to comply with a removal order without a reasonable excuse carries a maximum fine of $200,000 and up to one year in prison, plus a further fine of up to $20,000 for each day the offence continues, the government reported.

For repair orders, the maximum penalty is a $50,000 fine and up to one year in prison, plus a further fine of up to $5,000 for each day the offence continues.