Education Sector Urges Careful Study of Empty School Uses to Avoid Repeated Planning Changes and Rising Costs

Peter Cheung, honorary chairman of the Primary School Heads Association, urged the Education Bureau to carefully assess the educational uses and value of vacant school premises beyond schooling; otherwise, once land use changes, the cost of resuming the sites for educational use would rise substantially. He noted that Hanova International School has yet to take over the premises allocated to it by the authorities, reflecting that obtaining vacant school premises is "not as easy as imagined" and requires facing district opinions. Vacant school premises may increase in future due to school mergers or closures.