Senior counsel Alan Hoo has applied to the High Court for a judicial review after building authorities rejected his constitutional arguments against an order to remove alleged illegal structures from his home.
The 74-year-old barrister received the Buildings Department order on January 23, 2025. It required him to rectify alterations at his Seascape property near Pok Fu Lam within 60 days. The structures include additions on a staircase hood roof, three on the main roof, and one on a ground-floor planter.
Hoo’s lawyers argued that the Appeal Tribunal (Buildings Ordinance) should consider whether the order violates his rights to home protection and privacy under Article 29 of the Basic Law and Article 14 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights. The works have existed since Hoo bought the house in 1979 and pose no immediate safety risk.
The order would require Hoo to leave his home for six months while he recovers from a bacterial infection that has left him paralysed and using a wheelchair since March 2025.
