Hong Kong to start demolishing Sha Tau Kok checkpoint on Friday for upgrade plan

Hong Kong’s Sha Tau Kok Control Point will undergo demolition from Friday as part of redevelopment works, a lawmaker has revealed, while suggesting authorities should include travel and commercial facilities on the city’s side of the new complex.

Lawmaker Edward Lau Kwok-fan, who represents New Territories North, on Wednesday said the redevelopment was initially expected to be finished in 2031, but Shenzhen authorities had expressed wishes that works be completed in 2029.

“The current building will be demolished from August, and it will take about three to four months. They may start doing some construction next year, such as on the foundation or excavation, as well as some tendering process,” he told a radio programme.

“The entire building will actually be designed to span a river, extending from the mainland side to the Hong Kong side. The design will be a single building.”

The government earlier said Sha Tau Kok Control Point’s facilities were “ageing”, adding that it wished to enhance clearance efficiency and promote the area’s development.

Passenger services at the control point have ceased since 2020, initially in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with cargo services suspended in 2022.