An independent Hong Kong bookstore has been accused of illegally occupying a space outside the shop, and have until the end of the month to stop using the area.
Mount Zero posted a photo of a document stating that the bookstore had until September 29 to cease its “illegal occupation” of the land on its Instagram account on Tuesday. An inspection of the Sheung Wan shop was conducted on August 21, according to the document.
Outside Mount Zero is a small tiled area. The bookstore, located at the end of Tai Ping Shan Road, sometimes functions as a community space where events such as small concerts, film sharing sessions, and art exhibitions are held.
Those events sometimes spill out onto the road, which is a dead end for vehicles.
Illegal occupation
The Lands Department told local media that the tiled platform outside the bookstore was built on the pavement, which amounted to an illegal occupation of government land. The occupants must cease its occupation before September 29, by which time the department will follow up and take enforcement action.
Under the law, occupants who are found to have illegally occupied government land may face a HK$500,000 fine and imprisonment for up to 6 months. Further fines of HK50,000 may be incurred for each day that the land is illegally occupied.
HKFP has reached out to the department for comment.
The news of the department’s order came as authorities confirmed that two properties at Redhill Peninsula – a luxury housing estate that saw landslides after torrential rains hit the city from Thursday night – were found to have illegally occupied government land.
Chief Executive John Lee told reporters at a press conference that the government would “take action in accordance with the law,” including prosecuting and claiming costs from those responsible if they were found to have broken the law.
Community space
The bookstore’s Instagram post read: “The moment I opened the letter, it somehow felt unreal. Turns out that such a thing could really happen.”
The post explained that a platform had already been built on the pavement before the bookstore moved into the Tai Ping Shan Street address.
“It was uneven, and I was worried about safety, so I got a workman to smooth it out. He recommended using cement, but I wanted it to look nice, and ended up laying down tiles that were 1.5 cm thick,” the statement read.
It went on to recount exhibitions held at the space and the “countless” visitors who sat on the tiled platform to read. “The grandpas and grannies in the community, as well as the kids who just got off school would rest there every day.”
“What makes a good community is the links between people,” the post read.
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