Hong Kong social enterprise for needy unable to set up new shop after government error

A Hong Kong social enterprise known for serving underprivileged residents has seen its comeback derailed by a technical error from housing authorities in the tendering process for shop space.The owner of Agape Garden, a restaurant that was forced to close in July last year due to an abrupt government decision to reclaim the space, submitted a tender for a shop in Shek Kip Mei Estate last November.However, the Housing Authority cancelled the tender exercise a month later after identifying an error in power supply specifications provided to bidders, and despite collecting a HK$25,000 (US$3,200) deposit from them.The manager of Agape Garden, surnamed Lam, said the tender had not reopened since, a decision that had stymied the business.“We decided to start a retail business instead because we wanted to stay in the neighbourhood, to continue hiring and serving the underprivileged,” he said.“If we had secured the tender for that round, we could have opened the shop in January, but now our hopes have been dashed.”