# HONG KONG | Public Housing Projects



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*HK$110m refit, not the wreckers' ball, for old Aberdeen estate, home to 27,000 *
21 June 2008
South China Morning Post




































































































The Housing Department has decided to renovate a big public housing estate on a prime site in Southern District after inspectors found it was structurally sound.

Repairs to the Wah Fu Estate, where some buildings are more than 40 years old, will cost HK$110 million. The inspectors said the repairs would extend the estate's life by 15 years.

Critics accused the department of forcing tenants to live in poor conditions, but some elderly tenants said they would prefer to stay than move out, even though the estate was old.

The 5.7 hectare estate, built in phases between 1967 and 1978, comprises 18 blocks and is home to 27,000 people. It stands on an Aberdeen hillside overlooking Waterfall Bay and is just 500 metres from the luxury Bel-Air development at Cyberport.

A property analyst said if the estate were demolished, developers would pay HK$70 billion to HK$90 billion for the site.

The department said inspectors had found all the blocks at Wah Fu were safe, but structural repairs and improvement works were needed.

"It is more economically sustainable to retain the buildings by carrying out repair works than demolishing them for redevelopment," a spokesman said.

Improvement works, including the installation of lifts and escalators, would also be carried out to improve the living environment for tenants.

The spokesman said the works were expected to cost "slightly over HK$12,000" per flat. There are 9,147 flats on the estate.

Former Housing Authority member and veteran housing affairs critic Wong Kwun said: "The department is forcing tenants to live in poor condition by refusing to redevelop."

Water seepage and erosion of external walls were common complaints, he said.

He doubted the repairs would be cost-effective.

"Obviously, the department has tried to avoid redevelopment because it may not be able to find other places nearby to rehouse the tenants," said Mr Wong, who is chairman of the Federation of Public Housing Estates.

Yeung Sin-hung, a member of the authority's subsidised housing committee, said: "It would be more cost-effective and efficient to tear down the blocks and build new ones. Some of the blocks, especially those facing the sea, suffer serious sea-water erosion."

Southern District councillor Chai Man-hon said: "The younger tenants want redevelopment because they can move to newer flats. But the older tenants want to stay because they can keep their social network here."

Lau Chun-kong, international director of property agents Jones Lang LaSalle, estimated the site could sell for up to HK$10,000 per sq ft.

He agreed with Mr Wong that "the government may have some concerns over rehousing so many people, given the lack of public flats on the island".


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## eddie88 (Apr 3, 2007)

nice and colorful tower blocks


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## pedrovitoria (Dec 27, 2007)

The towers are bad, but the colors are good.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Interim housing block faces wrecker's ball*
2 August 2008
South China Morning Post










An interim housing block that has stood for 36 years has been earmarked for demolition in 2010 to make way for public housing.

Concrete surfaces and reinforcement bars in parts of Block 12 of Kwai Shing East Estate, which is 76 per cent vacant, have been found to be seriously corroded upon inspection by the Housing Authority.

Although experts concluded it was structurally safe, the maintenance costs to sustain the block for a further 15 years were estimated at about HK$40 million, making repairs financially unfeasible.

The authority's commercial properties committee and subsidised housing committee yesterday discussed clearance arrangements for 197 households still living in the 824-unit block.

An authority spokesman said most would be offered public housing and others were expected to be rehoused in other interim housing flats. The affected tenants would be given 18 months for rehousing and granted a removal allowance of HK$2,907 to HK$10,276, depending on the size of the household.

"Members at the meeting agreed that deserving households with special grounds and justifications, including recommendations by the Social Welfare Department, may be considered on their individual merits for rehousing in public rental housing flats," the spokesman said.

The authority came under fire for high vacancy rates in four interim blocks, including the Kwai Shing East one, from the Audit Commission in October 2006. It recommended converting the Kwai Shing East block for "other beneficial uses".

The Kwai Shing East block had been used for public housing, but was converted into interim housing in 1995 for people who were cleared from squats and ineligible for public housing.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Legco hopefuls lock horns over housing *
5 August 2008
Hong Kong Standard

Kowloon West election hopefuls fought over government provision of public housing at the first public election forum yesterday.

The forum at the Jade Market, organized by the Society For Community Organization, also saw eight Legislative Council election candidates visit residents in cubicle dwellings in Sham Shui Po.

Liberal Party candidate Michael Tien Puk-sun came under fire from other candidates over his stance on public housing, since his party had disapproved of building Home Ownership Scheme flats and other benefits for poor residents such as rent control.

Tien said a balance should be struck in calling on the government to build public housing and HOS flats to make good use of resources. ``In the long run, the government, to increase the supply of housing, should build more public rental housing to shorten the waiting time for cubicle dwelling residents,'' he said.

But the government should help nongovernment organizations provide interim housing facilities as short-term relief.

Democratic Party incumbent lawmaker James To Kun-sun said the HOS was important too as it was a way for public housing residents to vacate their flats in favor of those in greater need.

He called on the government to review the seven-year residence rule to allow families with half of their members who are not permanent residents to move into public housing.

Independent candidate Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, a cubicle dweller when she was a toddler, described the living environment as ``humiliating.'' More public housing should be built to allow dwellers to move in within a year, she said.

After the forum, Tien said he understood some supermarkets are willing to accept food coupons issued by the government, if there is a system to verify that only those in need will get vouchers.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Kwai Chung Estate goes green *
18 August 2008
Hong Kong Standard




























One of Hong Kong's oldest public estates has been transformed into a green model for others.

Kwai Chung Estate, built in the 1960s with rudimentary amenities, is now the greenest and largest public estate after a HK$2.4 billion redevelopment, which was completed in April this year.

Housing Department chief architect (procurement) Irene Cheng said landscape design is based on the concept of a ``hill town oasis.''

The 7.5 hectares of open space have been divided into four major areas offering different styles of active and passive open space for different age groups. A site for tai chi practice is surrounded by a complementary bamboo garden. The estate is 30 percent green with 160,000 plants and 100 mature trees.

Cheng said the Housing Authority will continue to grow more plants on rooftops, podiums and walkways. Greening will also be extended vertically next to roads with heavy traffic while the blocks are positioned to allow air to ventilate throughout the estate and provide shade.

The color green is also widely used for decoration to give more freshness to the estate. Some of the 13,742 flats are purpose- built for residents with special needs, including tactile guide paths.

For the blind, there are six multisensory maps at the main access points, with names of buildings in both Chinese and English.


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## EricIsHim (Jun 16, 2003)

^^ I hope nobody is going to chop the tree branches off because of stupid reasons and maintain the estate green.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Redevelopment of Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate 
9/7


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*3,300 surplus HOS flats to go up for sale in September *
26 July 2008
South China Morning Post

Flats in the fourth batch of surplus stock from the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) will be priced from HK$450,000 to HK$2.91 million when they go on sale in September, a source said.

The Housing Authority plans to sell about 3,300 flats in September, leaving only 4,100 units unsold under a government plan to sell off the 16,000 leftover HOS flats. The source said that all surplus flats would be sold by next year.

Among the flats in the fourth batch will be 640 in Tung Tao Court, Shau Kei Wan, at an average price of HK$2,870 a square foot; 344 flats in King Hin Court, Wong Tai Sin, at HK$2,290; and 1,284 in Kam Fung Court, Ma On Shan, at HK$1,950.

Some of the Wong Tai Sin flats were temporary hostels for Hospital Authority staff during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003, but the source said they had been restored and disinfected.

The source said 953 resale units, including 877 flats in Tin Fu Court, Tin Shui Wai, would also be up for sale.

The cheapest flat is a single-person unit of just over 200 sq ft in Kwun Hei Court, Kowloon City, going for about HK$450,000.

The source said the government had proposed the price range after taking property transactions in the second quarter of this year into account. She added that rising market prices had been reflected in the proposed prices, with increases averaging a few percentage points.

Flats in Tung Tao Court, near the MTR's Sai Wan Ho and Shau Kei Wan stations, have been priced 5 per cent higher than in a similar selling exercise earlier this year.

The Shau Kei Wan estate also has the most expensive unit of all. The top-priced unit, which has a sea view, has a proposed selling price of HK$2.91 million.

The fourth batch of flats, which constitute 21 per cent of the 16,000 flats left over when the HOS was mothballed in 2002, will be sold amid mounting calls for the scheme to be revived because rising property prices are squeezing lower-income buyers out of the market.

But the government has said it will not be resumed, arguing that private flats remain affordable.

Some property agents said the price of the latest batch looked cheap.

Kenny Yu Chi-man, Centaline's district manager for Ma On Shan, said the proposed low prices could affect the resale market for HOS flats. But he added that there would not be much impact on the rest of the market.

Mike Wong Wai-chun, a branch manager at a Centaline branch in Shau Kei Wan, said he expected the latest batch of flats in Tung Tao Court would receive positive feedback from eligible buyers because of the sea views.

The proposal will be discussed by a Housing Authority committee next Friday.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*STH Visits Kwai Tsing Public Housing Estates *
(Friday, 17 October 2008)
http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/aboutus/news/pressreleases/0,,2-0-18431--0,00.html

The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, visited Kwai Tsing District today (October 17) to look at the Housing Department's (HD) plans to improve the pedestrian environment in public housing estates.

The Chief Executive announced in his 2008-09 Policy Address on Wednesday (October 15) that the HD would study the feasibility of installing lifts and escalators connecting common areas in hillside public housing estates, as well as lifts in walk-up, low-rise public housing blocks to facilitate resident access.

Accompanied by Housing Authority Member Mr Shih Wing-ching and the Permanent Secretary for Transport and Housing (Housing), Mr Thomas Chan, Ms Cheng first visited Cheung Hong Estate where a lift tower project is in the planning stage.

She was briefed on how the lift tower would eventually connect housing blocks in the lower platform to a commercial complex at a higher level. A detailed feasibility study for this project and a similar one in Cheung Ching Estate is being carried out and, subject to the study, works are scheduled for completion at the end of 2011.

Ms Cheng's next stop was Kwai Shing East Estate, a public rental housing estate built on a sloping site. Tenants will be provided with a lift tower near Shing Kwok House that would link existing escalators, covered walkway and the shopping centre in the estate.

While in Kwai Shing East Estate, Ms Cheng paid a home visit to an elderly couple, the husband of whom has difficulty in walking uphill after suffering a stroke several years ago. The couple were pleased to hear that the lift tower project in the estate was making good progress and would be completed in mid-2009.

Ms Cheng then visited Kwai Chung Estate ¡V an award-winning and the largest public rental housing estate, currently accommodating a population of 39 000 in about 13 700 flats.

Ms Cheng saw that to improve tenants¡¦ uphill access and connection between the estate and the nearby Tai Wo Hau MTR station, a 36-metre-high lift tower at Phase 5 and a 60-metre-long footbridge had been constructed and had opened for use last month (September).

To perfect the pedestrian access system for the residents between the lift tower and MTR station, more improvement works including walkway widening works would come on stream in Tai Wo Hau Estate. These works, together with the lift tower and the footbridge, cost about $52 million.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Kwai Chung Estate redevelopment project receives Quality Building Award *
HA Article

The Housing Authority's project at the Kwai Chung Estate Phases 3, 4 and 5 redevelopment sites has recently received a merit award under the residential category of the Quality Building Award (QBA) 2008.

The QBA is a biennial event organised by various professional bodies of the building and construction industry. It gives recognitions to quality construction projects while promoting professionalism and teamwork among industry practitioners.

The theme for this year's Award was "Set no boundary for Quality Buildings". Entries under the residential category were subject to stringent judging criteria, which included the vision for quality and teamwork; design and innovation; project management and cost control; environmental considerations such as sustainability, safety and hygiene; users' comments, customer-satisfaction level, day-to-day operations and maintenance; etc.

Speaking at the QBA 2008 conference, Mrs Irene Cheng, Chief Architect (Procurement) of the Housing Department noted that despite public housing projects were often developed with limited resources, building quality could not be compromised. She stressed the importance of meeting the needs of the community and thriving with the times through innovation. She also elaborated how the project team of Kwai Chung Estate worked closely together throughout the 15-year redevelopment process and strived to honour the Housing Authority's pledges in the areas of planning, design, construction, maintenance and management.

Ms Ada Fung, Deputy Director of Housing (Development and Construction) was glad to see the Kwai Chung Estate redevelopment project winning a well-deserved recognition in the QBA 2008. Quoting Aristotle's saying "Quality is not an act, it is a habit", she commended the project team and encouraged colleagues to achieve an even higher quality standard of work while upholding the "customer care" principle. "In this way, we can even contribute to promoting a quality culture in the construction industry," she said.

Last revision date: 1 August 2008


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Landscape Improvement Works in Estates *
26 September 2008
HA Article

The Housing Department's Horticulture Team has recently completed two landscaping projects to improve the environment in Ping Shek Estate and Shek Yam East Estate. 










In Ping Shek Estate, the Team has converted the base of a staircase at a podium into an area with aesthetic landscaping. Various species of seasonal flowers and foliage were planted in the flower beds located in some open areas in Shek Yam East Estate so that tenants can enjoy a greener environment.










More landscape improvement works will be carried out in other estates to create a healthier living environment for tenants.


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## Eric Offereins (Jan 1, 2004)

100M for a lifespan of 15 years is a lot. Then you will still face the prospect of relocating these 27000 people
and demolition.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Eric Offereins said:


> 100M for a lifespan of 15 years is a lot. Then you will still face the prospect of relocating these 27000 people
> and demolition.


Hong Kong is in a constant state of renewal, so it's very likely new units will be able to accomodate existing residents in estates slated for demolition.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*空置街市活化變大學教室 舊屋邨人流低 房署擬改設施用途 *
10月20日 星期一 05:05

- high vacancy rates at markets in older housing estates are prompting ideas for use changes
- City University is planning to use some of these empty stores for school functions

【明報專訊】舊式屋邨街市面對人口老化和競爭，面臨被淘汰命運，空置率高企亦令房屋署被人詬病，但其遍佈各區的地利卻成活化契機。房署正陸續改建全港11個空置街市和停車場，其中有25年歷史的澤安邨街市，原有八成空置，已吸引鄰近的城市大學斥資數百萬元改作多用途活動室，以節省擴建大學開支；空置的「冬菇亭」則會改為供居民唱戲和弈棋的小型社區中心。

房署多年來奉行一屋邨一商場（街市）策略，有25年歷史的深水埗澤安邨，雖然只有4500人居住，但亦有一座有30個檔位的街市，還有一個俗稱「冬菇亭」的大牌檔。然而，隨着區內海麗邨和富昌邨等新型屋邨近年落成，吸引大批年輕居民遷出，加上連鎖超市和區內街市競爭，導致老街市經營陷入困境。

鄰近地鐵站具發展潛力

房署高級房屋事務經理胡栢霖接受訪問時說，澤安街市於3年前起出現空置高企問題，僅得五金和報紙檔等6間店舖繼續營業，房署遂於06年開始研究改變街市用途。他稱，當年署方透過市場調查，發現該街市鄰近石硤尾地鐵站，租金亦較私人商場廉宜，因此有潛力改作課室或辦公室。

房署去年重新招租後，即被份屬「鄰居」的城市大學看中，租用作教學發展用途，以低廉租金紓緩擴建壓力，租期至2013年。胡栢霖表示，整個街市樓面近9500平方呎，城大正斥資數百萬元改建，加建電力和消防設施，使之成為多用途室，供學校舉行各式活動，和另設辦公室和印刷等後勤設施。

冬菇亭變小型社區中心

胡栢霖又稱，改建工程最困難在於安置原來6個商戶，最終房署打通原來公屋大廈地下街舖，加設照明和鐵閘等成為小型「購物廊」，讓原來商戶繼續經營。另外，昔日冬菇亭則改裝成圖書閣、自修室、唱戲曲和棋藝室，成為「四合一」小型社區設施，為街坊增添聚腳點。他說﹕「以前街坊要在路邊唱曲，不時被指聲浪過大，現時街坊可在室內冬菇亭唱曲，減少對附近滋擾。」

胡稱，屋邨空置商場最大優勢在於遍佈各區，亦有一定人流支持市場需求，即使放棄經營街市亦可另覓發展，如南山邨和彩虹邨停車場亦準備租予教育機構作課室；香港郵政亦看中麗瑤邨及鯉魚門邨兩個市區車場，計劃租用改裝成特快專遞樞紐，配合中環郵政總署搬遷需要。現時屋邨商場空置率已由高峰期10％減至4.24%，低於7％目標，停車場空置率亦由高峰期38％降至三成。

明報記者 賴偉家


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*公屋建築成本第二季創新高，工程界料建材價急漲對私樓影響有限 *
經濟通
8月25日 星期一 08:41

- inflation has pushed raw materials costs for public housing construction up 42% in Q2 vs. prev year
- cost rise in the past 2-3 years is primarily affected by rising fuel costs and RMB appreciation
- developments in Macau and Middle East are also pushing up raw materials prices

物價上升，建築材料價格亦大幅上漲，本港今年第二季的公營房屋建築成本，創下有紀錄以來最高水平，較去年同期急升４２％。

房委會消息人士指出，近月已把工程招標預算調高３０％，但不會削減建屋量。有工程界人士認為，建材價急漲對私樓的影響有限，不會刺激樓價上揚。

反映房委會建造公屋成本的「新建工程投標價格指數」，最新數據顯示今年第二季升至９６０，是自７０年有紀錄以來最高，比０７年同期的６７５，上升了４２％。

若以房委會每年建築開支平均約５５億元計算，有關支出因此增加約２３億元。

消息人士表示，過去２、３年察覺到建材價有上升的趨勢，主要受燃油價格上升及人民幣升值影響，致石屎及鋼材等原材料價格急升，加上澳門和中東等地區近年急劇發展，令公屋建屋成本顯著上升。

消息人士又謂，房委會在建屋成本控制方面，一直做了大量工作，坦言再下調的空間有限：「公共房屋已用「美而廉」物料及實而不華的設計，人手亦已「瘦無可瘦」，但最重要興建公屋是房委會的責任，不可能因成本上升便建少些！」


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*LCQ18: Installing air-conditioning systems in public markets *
Government Press Release
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Following is a question by the Hon Lau Kong-wah and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (October 22):

Question:

Concerning the installation of air-conditioning systems in public markets under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Hong Kong Housing Authority, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the names of the public markets not yet installed with such systems and the districts in which these markets are located, as well as the reasons for not yet installing such systems;

(b) whether the authorities concerned will review the current criteria for installing such systems in public markets and whether such systems will be installed in all public markets in Hong Kong; if there will be no review or such systems will not be installed, of the reasons for that; and

(c) whether the authorities concerned have evaluated the impact of not having such systems installed in public markets on their competitiveness against private superstores, and whether the room for survival of public markets will be reduced indirectly?

Reply:

President,

Whilst the project costs for installing air-conditioning systems in the existing public / public housing estate markets are borne by the Government or the Housing Authority (HA), the market tenants are responsible for paying the subsequent recurrent costs such as electricity charges and maintenance fees. Besides, full cooperation from market tenants during the construction period is also needed as partial closure of the market may be required during the installation works. Therefore, the installation of air-conditioning systems in public / public housing estate markets is not only due to technical feasibility, but also support from the majority of market tenants and their agreement to bear the recurrent expenditure.

Our reply to the three-part question raised by Hon Lau Kong-wah is as follows:

(a) At present, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) manages a total of 80 public markets, of which 60 are not provided with air-conditioning. Of the 40 public markets with built-in cooked food centres (CFCs), 19 are not provided with air-conditioning. As for the 19 public housing estate markets managed by the HA, 16 are not provided with air-conditioning. Details are at Annex.

Most of the public / public housing estate markets with no air-conditioning were built in the 1970s and 1980s, and air-conditioning systems or supporting facilities for installing such systems were not included in the original market design. For some markets, proposals to install air-conditioning systems were not supported by the majority of market tenants.

(b) The Administration will review from time to time whether the existing policy on installing air-conditioning systems in public markets remains appropriate. As mentioned above, the project costs for installing air-conditioning systems in the existing public markets are borne by the Government or HA. The project costs are also quite substantial. Take public markets under FEHD as an example, depending on the size of the market and complexity of the installation works, the installation works for each market can cost tens of millions. In fact, there are divergent views in the community on whether air-conditioning systems should be installed in public markets. Some opine that installing air-conditioning systems would enhance the attractiveness of public markets. However, some market tenants are of the view that installing air-conditioning systems would increase their operating cost. In view of the huge amount of project costs involved, when the Legislative Council considered proposals in the past to install air-conditioning systems in public markets and CFCs, there were comments that due care should be exercised when considering such proposals in view of the substantial amount of public money involved in installing air-conditioning systems. 

(c) The viability of public markets is affected by a myriad of factors, including the location of the market, demographic mix in the district, competition from fresh provision shops in the vicinity, the price and quality of the products offered for sale, and the varieties of products available in the markets, etc. As pointed out in Report No. 41 by the Director of Audit, evidence indicating that the retrofitting of air-conditioning systems can improve the viability of a public market has yet to be found. As a matter of fact, the market stall vacancy rates of some public markets retrofitted with air-conditioning systems remain high.

The FEHD and the HA have been keeping in view the viability of public / public housing estate markets and will continue to carry out improvement works to enhance their attractiveness. Such improvement works include enhancing the effectiveness of the ventilation and lighting system, improving drainage system, modifying the design and sizes of market stalls, renovation of ceiling, provision of new signage, renovation of market toilets, upgrading of fire services installations and replacement of wall / floor tiles, etc.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Redevelopment of Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate 
10/25


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Tin Shui Wai Public Housing Projects - Tin Yuet Station


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*新公屋研裝隔音預製組件*
星島
10月27日 星期一 05:30

本港不少公屋用地也是坐落於高速公路或鐵路旁邊，房署最近開始在內地研製具有隔音功能的預製組件，改善未來公屋設計，不用再因為避開道路噪音，而要浪費開揚景觀。房署計畫率先將新的隔音組件應用於地形狹細的新公屋地盤。據了解，在個別測試之中，隔音預製組件成功將噪音降低五分貝，足以令部分位於馬路旁的公屋用地，單位噪音「達標」。

規劃建屋 可擇近車路

過去，房署為避免居民「面」向馬路噪音，往往在規劃建屋設計時，就作出遷就，如將廁所、走廊等部分面向開揚景觀的路面，但就犧牲了單位內的大廳或房間，要因此失去美麗「靚景」。房署近年在興建公屋時，積極使用預製組件，為解決問題，最近再嘗試在組件中加入隔音功能，部分房委會委員曾到位於東莞的生產廠房參觀研製及測試過程。

消息人士解釋，可供房委會興建公屋的地皮近年買少見少，加上社會對環保訴求有所提升，需要為鄰近車路或鐵路的建築地盤，研究如何減低噪音。他坦言：「房署的公屋不能如私樓一樣，可以通過『贈送』冷氣機來解決噪音問題。」

據了解，正在研製中的隔音預製組件，外形猶如一個小型「騎樓」，融入至公屋單位之中，除了使用透明玻璃纖維等吸音物料，單位外牆兩旁亦會採用稍微傾斜的「翼牆」設計，方便阻隔地面的車流噪音；在個別測試之中，新設計的預製組件成功將噪音減低五分貝以上。消息人士稱：「不要少看這五分貝，在部分公屋地盤之中，這足以通過環保署 的噪音規定。」

仍待測試 設計須相融

他指出，近年分配給房署建公屋的地盤狹細，難以單憑改變設計規劃去解決噪音問題，若非引入隔音設施，部分地盤根本難以用作興建公屋；故已物色一些細小地盤，研究率先引入有關設施，「引入可隔音設施，難免須增加成本，但卻避免浪費珍貴的土地資源。」

不過，有關隔音預製組件仍須作進一步測試，始能作實際應用，房署希望能盡量優化組件的設計，視覺上既可融入至公屋大廈的設計，組件的「凸出」部分也不會帶來額外的清潔維修問題。

屯門區過去就有不少屋邨均採用「單向式」座向設計，降低噪音水平。該區區議員陳雲生指出，計畫於屯門第十八區興建的其中一幢公屋大廈，就是夾於兩條高速公路之間。他認為，引入具隔音功能的預製組件，構想是好，但由於環保設施始終會佔用單位面積，擔心影響可建公屋單位數目。記者 歐志軍


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Hung Hom Estate Phase 2 Redevelopment
7/24


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*HOS flat owners back in heaven*
The Standard
Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Home Ownership Scheme flat owners are the happiest among the gamut of property owners, a survey has found.

Respondents weren't asked the exact reason for their happiness, but there are some fairly obvious explanations.

Some believe the fact HOS flats were bought at discounts of up to 40 percent, with many of them located in urban areas, may have something to do with their owners' positive state of mind, as they shoulder lighter mortgage payments.

In contrast, public housing tenants have to pay rent indefinitely, and higher rents if their income rises.

Another possible reason is that HOS flats are subject to land premium repayment if they change hands.

And as most of the units have two or three bedrooms, providing adequate living space, many owners don't need to consider trading up for bigger flats in the private market - leaving them with more disposable income.

Still another plausible explanation is that after the government suspended the scheme in 2003, HOS flats became a rare commodity, attracting both green form and other buyers, and their values are rising faster than properties in the private market.

Naturally, this is also conducive to their owners' contentment.

This is true even for owners of HOS flats in West Kowloon, who bought at high prices, and saw their homes turn into negative assets, or were foreclosed on when the market slumped.

But as West Kowloon has become a hot area, with property values in the private market soaring, the prices of HOS
flats are going along for the merry ride.

This well surpassed the expectations of owners when they were struggling in a depressed market a few years back.

The value of HOS flats goes up and down with the overall property market. In 1998, when supply exceeded demand, the property market plunged, and HOS flat owners were worse off, as the units are subject to selling restrictions.

But the government's subsequent move to halt HOS construction has brought the owners back to heaven from hell. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*On the march for living space*
The Standard
Monday, August 15, 2011

About 500 people defied the heat to march against high living costs and to demand more public housing.

Protesters who rallied at the government headquarters in Central said leaders have done little to help people fight inflation and flat prices are too high.

The action was organized by the New Territories Association of Societies.

The protest took place as a survey of 100 subdivided flats showed increased rents make hard living even harder.

The survey by the Society for Community Organization between June and July revealed an average rent increase of 23.3 percent for subdivided flats.

It found the average flat to be about eight square meters with a rent of HK$2,300. But the average income of residents is HK$7,000 a month. And more than 60 percent of respondents said their pay has not risen for three years.

Organization director Ho Hei-wah, who pointed to more than 100,000 people living in subdivided units, said 30-40 percent of respondents' income goes on rent and utility bills, leaving little for food and their children.

He called for a monthly subsidy of HK$1,000 for those in so-called "cage homes," and urged the government to build more public housing for the ever-increasing number that need it.

At present, the government provides 15,000 public housing units every year, and Ho said this needs to be 35,000.

The government, he added, makes money selling land to developers and overlooks the need for public housing.

Cheung Mei-lai, 69, lives in a subdivided unit of 7sqm in Tai Kwok Tsui. She pays HK$1,600 a month in rent, but this is rising to HK$2,000. Her only income is social security assistance of HK$3,800 "and I have to buy food," she said yesterday. "What can I do?"

Gary Sin Siu-sung, 47, and his wife and two children have 8sqm of a subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po. He pays HK$4,000 for rent and utilities but makes only HK$7,000 a month.

"We have to eat less and we don't have much money for our children," he said. "They stay home at weekends."


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## BrumBoo (Aug 15, 2011)

sabrán que en chile es el cobre??


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*HOS plan takes radio hit*
The Standard
Friday, October 14, 2011

People have started picking holes in housing initiatives, saying new policies heavily favor families seeking flats under the Home Ownership Scheme.

Callers to a radio program yesterday highlighted a major deficiency that they say allows homeowners to speculate.

Under the HOS plan, the Housing Authority subsidy is deemed a loan, which owners must repay before selling a property.

Owners may repay the subsidy and pocket the difference if they attract a higher price in the open market. This would mean they stand to benefit from public subsidizes for a first home.

Some callers suggested that owners be prohibited from selling for 10 years.

On Wednesday, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, said the housing policies aim to aid first-time buyers.

Transport and Housing Secretary Eva Cheng Yu-wah advised against premature observations. "I hope you don't jump to conclusions on fairness too soon," she said, as affordability was a consideration.

And the Housing Authority will consider public opinion and draft conditions for resales.

Even industry professionals noted weaknesses in the plan.

A member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Stephen Chan Jing-yan, said new buyers "can probably benefit more" than existing owners.

Real Estate Developers Association executive committee chairman Steward Leung Chi-kin said HOS flats may not meet immediate demand considering the number that has been proposed.

Thomas Lam Tat-man, general manager of the sales department at Henderson Land (0012), said the HOS broadens choices rather than being an unfavorable factor. "The HOS is not likely to bring competition to the private market, and it should not have any impact on property prices," he said.

Meanwhile, six plots were designated for the first batch of HOS units. Three are in Sha Tin and the rest in Tsuen Wan, Tsing Yi and Yuen Long. These plots may provide 2,500 HOS flats by 2016.

Flats in Sha Tin would be the most attractive, said Ringo Lam Chun-chiu, a director of AG Wilkinson & Associates. If the flat were to be sold in the private market, he said, "prices could reach HK$7,000-HK$8,000 per square foot. People can now buy them for about HK$4,000 psf."

HOS flats at the three other sites could cost HK$3,000-HK$4,800 per buildable square foot, with sale prices between HK$5,000 and HK$7,000 psf.

New HOS flats will be restricted to families who have not owned any property in the 10 years before applying.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Tang, Leung dispute tall order on public housing*
The Standard
Monday, October 17, 2011

The two expected chief executive contestants set out their housing vision yesterday at separate venues in Sham Shui Po, one of the SAR's poorest districts.

Former Executive Council convener Leung Chun-ying said the government should build 35,000 public housing flats a year - more than double its annual target of 15,000 units.

"That target would be all right for the first two to three years ... This will not affect the property market," Leung said.

Meanwhile, former chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen declined to comment on whether Leung's target is "unrealistic," or one made without careful thought. He said a concrete figure should be reached after more public discussion.

"If more are built, can we shorten [the average waiting time for public housing of] three years to two years? Should it be cut to two years, how many public housing flats should be built?" Tang asked.

"So the discussion should be whether we are aiming to shorten it from three years to two. If yes, how many flats should be [built]?"

In 1997, Leung came under fire for being behind the government's plan to build at least 85,000 public and private flats a year as a major plank in then-chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's policy address.

Tang now says the biggest challenge is to source land for housing.

"We must be innovative and use new perspectives in order to produce more land more quickly [with help from] the Town Planning Board and district councils for building more public housing, the Home Ownership Scheme, and private flats," Tang said.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng Yu-wah earlier stressed that families and the elderly should be assigned public flats first, while young people should seek opportunities to move upward in society, and should not deem themselves in need of public housing so soon.

On public calls for an universal retirement protection scheme, Leung said the retirement system should be reviewed, while Tang sidestepped the question.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Return to sale of public housing rejected*
The Standard
Friday, October 28, 2011

The housing chief has rejected calls for the relaunch of a government scheme to sell public housing flats to tenants.

During the motion-of-thanks debate on the chief executive's final policy address, Eva Cheng Yu-wah said the recovery of public housing units is crucial to keep up supply. "If such flats are sold to tenants, they can never be allocated to those on the waiting list," she said.

"This will affect both circulation and supply. We have no plans to resume the Tenants Purchase Scheme at this stage."

In his October 12 address, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the Housing Authority plans to build 75,000 flats over the next five years, or 15,000 each year.

Amid calls to further boost supply, Cheng stressed that "an average of 15,000 new flats is not a strict index."

She said: "Our goal is to maintain the average waiting time of around three years for public housing applicants. The authority will review its five-year public- housing construction plan every year.

"If needed, it will adjust the number of flats to be built and increase supply to maintain the three-year average."

Facing criticism over proposed resale practices under the newly revised Home Ownership Scheme, Cheng said the authority will consider fairness and public acceptance when drawing up the details of the new mechanism.

She also dismissed fears that the proposed new way of calculating premium payable by a flat owner during resale may spur property speculation.

"The new HOS is to serve as a buffer by providing supply in addition to public and private housing. This scheme of increasing supply is definitely not meant to encourage property speculation."


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*LCQ6: Provision of public housing to grassroots*
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Lee Wing-tat and an oral reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, in the Legislative Council today (November 2):

Question：

It has been reported that when the Chief Executive attended a radio programme on October 19 this year, he said that the 2011-2012 Policy Address had endeavoured to solve the housing problem to provide housing for the grassroots. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the number of non-elderly one-person applicants aged 30 or above among the approximately 150 000 applications for public rental housing (PRH) at present; under the existing Quota and Points System (QPS), the average points of those applicants in the age groups of 30 to 39 and 40 to 49 who are allocated PRH; the respective numbers of years for which non-elderly one-person applicants aged 35 and those aged 45 who apply for PRH today will have to wait to obtain the points required for PRH allocation; and how the authorities will help them move into PRH flats as soon as possible;

(b) given that the authorities have indicated that they will appropriately increase the densities and plot ratios of PRH projects, and as the construction of additional new PRH flats will increase the supply of PRH and the resumption of the construction of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flats will help vacate more old PRH flats for allocation, whether the authorities will reconsider re-launching the Tenants Purchase Scheme at an appropriate time to enable sitting PRH tenants to purchase their PRH flats; and

(c) whether the authorities have considered relaxing the resale restrictions in the HOS secondary market to allow eligible white form HOS applicants to apply to purchase those HOS flats, thereby enhancing the vibrancy of the HOS resale market and providing low and middle-income families with more opportunities to buy their own homes?

Reply：

President,

My answer to the three-part question is as follows:

The first part of the question:

The Housing Authority (HA)'s objective is to provide public rental housing (PRH) to low-income families who cannot afford private rental accommodation. To this end, the HA maintains a Waiting List (WL) of PRH applicants. HA's target is to maintain the Average Waiting Time (AWT) at around three years for general applicants.

As at end June 2011, there were 155 600 applications on the WL. Among them, about 66 600 applications were non-elderly one-person applications under the QPS. Among the 66 600 non-elderly one-person applications under the QPS, about 35 000 applicants (53%) were aged 30 or above.

The relative priority for PRH allocation to applicants under the QPS is determined by the number of points the applicants receive. Points are assigned to the applicants on the basis of their age at the time of submitting the PRH applications, the waiting time and whether they are PRH tenants. In general, the older the applicant and the longer the applicant has waited, the higher the number of points. The higher the number of points accumulated, the earlier an applicant will be offered a PRH flat. 

Among non-elderly one-person applicants housed through the QPS in 2010/11, the average number of points for those aged 30 to 39 was 140 and the average number for those aged 40 to 49 was 142. However, the lowest number of points accumulated by applicants to be housed through the QPS will change from time to time and vary across districts, depending on the distribution of points among applicants as well as the overall demand and supply of PRH flats in individual districts. Accordingly, it is not possible to estimate how many points are required for applicants to be housed or how long would the applicants need to wait before they are housed. 

Under the existing arrangements, apart from applying for PRH under the QPS, non-elderly one-person applicants can also apply for PRH as ordinary family applicants together with their family members. To encourage the younger generation to live together with their elderly members, the HA has introduced a number of enhanced housing arrangements to foster family harmony. Under the Harmonious Families Addition Scheme, eligible adult offspring may apply for addition to the tenancy of elderly tenants. Under the Harmonious Families Priority Scheme (HFPS), young people may apply with their elderly member(s) for a PRH flat and enjoy a six-month credit waiting time. Unlike the other non-elderly applicants, the applicants under the HFPS can apply for PRH flats in any districts, including the urban district. Eligible non-elderly one-person applicants with a pressing need for housing may apply under the Express Flat Allocation Scheme, or Compassionate Rehousing whereby with a recommendation from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) they may secure earlier allocation of PRH flats.

According to the latest Public Housing Construction Programme, in the coming five-year period from 2011/12 to 2015/16, the HA will build about 75 000 flats in total, i.e. an average of 15 000 PRH flats per year. It is estimated that this level of new production, together with the recovered flats from the existing stock, should continue to meet the policy objective of maintaining the AWT for general applicants at around three years.

However, the production of 15 000 new PRH units per year is not a fixed target. Our objective is to maintain the AWT for general applicants at around three years. To this end, the HA will roll forward and review the five-year Public Housing Construction Programme every year. When necessary, the HA will adjust and increase the production volume in order to keep the AWT for general applicants at around three years.

The second part of the question:

The Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) was introduced in 1998 by the HA to enable PRH tenants to buy the flats they lived in at a discounted price, thereby helping to achieve the then policy objective of attaining a home ownership rate of 70% in Hong Kong in ten years' time.

In 2002, the Government re-positioned the housing policies, and decided to focus on the provision of PRH to low-income families who cannot afford private rental accommodation, with a target of maintaining the AWT for general WL applicants at around three years. As there was no longer a target for home ownership, there were no longer any grounds for continuing the TPS. Accordingly, the HA decided to cease the sale of PRH flats upon the completion of Phases 6A and 6B of the TPS.

We do not have any plans at this stage to re-launch the TPS. There are two main considerations –

First, recovered flats are an important source of public housing supply for WL applicants. There are currently over 150 000 applicants on the WL for PRH. PRH flats, once sold to the tenants, will not be returned to the HA for re-allocation, thereby affecting the turnover and supply of PRH flats and undermining the HA's ability to maintain the AWT of general applicants at around three years. 

Moreover, since the introduction of the TPS, the HA has encountered many problems with the management of PRH flats in TPS estates. In the 39 TPS estates, there are some 64 000 rental flats (representing 35% of the total number of flats in the TPS estates). Regardless of the number of flats sold, a TPS estate, as in the case of any private development, is managed by its Owners' Corporation (OC). Empowered by the Building Management Ordinance and the Deed of Mutual Covenant, the OC will decide on the mode of management and how the public areas of an estate are to be managed. In the TPS estates, the HA's estate management policies cannot be fully implemented. As a result, tenants living in the TPS estates and those living in the PRH estates are subject to different management regimes. For example, the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement is not implemented in the public areas of the TPS estates. The HA can only deal with the misdeeds committed in rental flats of the TPS estates.

Although we do not intend to re-launch the TPS, under the current policy, the existing tenants in the TPS estates can still opt to buy the flats they are living in. PRH residents who would like to acquire a home may also choose to buy TPS and Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flats with premium not yet paid in the secondary market.

The third part of the question:

The HOS secondary market allows the existing PRH tenants and other Green Formers to buy HOS flats with premium not yet paid. The objective is to provide them an avenue through which to attain home ownership and at the same time vacate more PRH units for allocation to persons in genuine need.

Allowing those who qualify for White Form status to purchase HOS flats with premium not yet paid on the HOS secondary market requires detailed consideration, including whether the proposal aligns with the objectives of HOS secondary market, which are to promote the mobility of PRH tenants and at the same time to recover PRH units for reallocation. Other issues include whether the supply of HOS flats can effectively match with the demand. All these would have to be looked at carefully.

Nevertheless, in response to the aspirations of low and middle-income families to buy their own homes, the Chief Executive has put forward two buffering measures, including a new policy for the resumption of the HOS and enhancement of the "My Home Purchase Plan" ("MHPP"). Those who are interested to apply may choose to do so in accordance with their own needs and affordability.

To conclude, the Government will continue to uphold its long-term commitment of providing PRH to low income families and persons who cannot afford private rental accommodation, by completing at present around 15 000 PRH units on average per year to meet the target of maintaining an AWT of three years for general WL applicants. However, as I have just mentioned, the production of 15 000 new PRH units per year is not a fixed target. The objective is to maintain the AWT for general applicants at around three years. When necessary, the HA will increase the production volume in order to keep the AWT for general applicants at around three years.

For households with plans to acquire homes, there are diversified choices on the housing ladder, including HOS flats with premium not yet paid on the secondary market, HOS flats with premium paid on the open market, new HOS flats or MHPP flats, and flats of different prices on the private market, including those at prices that are affordable by the general public. Overall, there are choices at various levels on the housing ladder for the prospective buyers. Those who aspire to acquire homes can flexibly arrange their plans to acquire home ownership depending on their individual economic and family circumstances.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Kai Tak public housing project adopts low carbon construction initiatives* 
Friday, November 11, 2011
Government Press Release









_Housing blocks under construction with precast concrete components._

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:

Low carbon construction initiatives have substantially reduced carbon emissions during the construction stage of a major public housing project by the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) at Kai Tak.

Officiating at today's (November 11) ceremony to promote such initiatives, the Director of Housing, Mr D W Pescod said, "The low carbon construction measures adopted by our Kai Tak Site 1A housing project could reduce carbon emissions by about 54 000 tons (24 per cent) during construction, or the amount of carbon absorbed by over 2 000 000 trees a year.

"We aim to push forward sustainable construction techniques in our industry through adopting these low carbon construction measures in our public housing developments," he added.

The Kai Tak Site 1A housing project has adopted a number of environment-friendly features such as a photo-voltaic system utilising renewable energy, energy-efficient light fittings, and a rainwater harvesting and plant irrigation system.

Recycled materials have been widely used for construction works. These innovative moves include the use of marine mud excavated from the site mixed with a small amount of cement for in-situ backfilling and for production of pavers. By so doing, there is no need to dispose of marine mud by dumping and land filling. Carbon dioxide emissions created by transportation for dumping can also be eliminated.

The green treatment of marine mud for in-situ backfilling initiated by the HA has been awarded the Champion Environmental Paper by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Civil Service Outstanding Service Award this year.

Other green initiatives include wider adoption of prefabricated components such as volumetric precasting of bathrooms and kitchens, in addition to precast facades and staircases. These arrangements can streamline workflow on site and reduce wastage of raw materials by a substantial amount. To further reduce air-pollution during construction, electric vehicles and bio-diesels are used on site.

The HA and the main contractor of the Kai Tak Site 1A housing project, China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Ltd have jointly produced CD-Roms and brochures featuring the low carbon construction initiatives for sharing with the industry.

The Kai Tak Site 1A public housing development covers 3.47 hectares and will provide about 5 200 flats scheduled for completion by early 2013. It will provide a green living environment for around 13 000 people with "homes in the park".


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Housing Authority sets rents for two new estates*
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Government Press Release

The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority:

Rents for 8 292 flats in 11 non-standard blocks of the Housing Authority (HA)'s two new public rental housing (PRH) estates to be completed in the first half of next year will be set at the current best rent level of the urban district.

The district best rent at $58.6 per square metre per month for flats in the urban district will apply to the 4 054 flats at Shek Kip Mei Estate Phases 2 and 5 and the 4 238 flats at Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate Phase 1.

"Under this rent fixing exercise, over 88 per cent of the flats are set at a rent level below $1,900 per month," a spokesman for the HA said today (November 1), adding that PRH rents, which are inclusive of rates, management and maintenance costs, are heavily subsidised.

"PRH applicants who are allocated new flats but cannot afford the rents may request refurbished flats at lower rents. They may also apply for assistance under the Rent Assistance Scheme for the refurbished flats where applicable," the spokesman added.


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## wangge1234 (Nov 22, 2011)

To build up the building is very tall


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## Manneken3000 (Nov 23, 2011)

scary looking blocks, not that nice. just blocks


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## carlsant (Nov 14, 2011)

nice tenements, very colourful.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*More flats to rise out of rubble at old estate *
The Standard
Wednesday, April 18, 2012




























About a third of Pak Tin Estate in Shek Kip Mei will be redeveloped to provide more public rental flats.

Under the plan, to start next year, 3,500 units in eight blocks will be demolished in three phases and replaced by 5,650 new homes by 2026.

The first 950 affected households of blocks 1, 2, 3 and 12 will be moved to public rental housing in neighboring areas or in the district of their choice, subject to availability of suitable vacant flats.

New flats in phases two and five, to be completed by the middle of this year, will serve to mainly rehouse the 950 affected Pak Tin residents.

The second phase will clear the Pak Tin Commercial Centre by 2017, followed by residential blocks 9, 10, 11 and 13 by 2022.

Completed blocks in the first phase will provide some 1,400 flats for displaced residents when the final phase of redevelopment takes place.

A source denied the buildings to be redeveloped are structurally unsound or too expensive to repair. "The move is in line with the 2011-12 policy address to open up new sites and explore ways to achieve the production target for public rental housing," the source said. "By redeveloping the estate, densities and plot ratios can be drastically increased by adding 2,150 more units."

Since Pak Tin is a relatively old estate with a large number of senior residents, a dedicated Community Service Team will be established to act as a bridge between the Housing Authority and the affected tenants to smoothen the clearance process.

But the source declined to provide a cost estimate, saying the redevelopment plan has yet to be confirmed and approved by the Strategic Planning Committee of the Housing Authority.

One resident welcomed the redevelopment, saying her block is 34 years old and is showing signs of wear and tear.

She added it is stressful to walk up the stairs as her block has no lift.

But a shop tenant, surnamed Ng, who sells shoes in Pak Tin Commercial Centre, fears he may lose his regular customers if he has to move.

He also expects rents to increase once work is completed.

The eight blocks in Pak Tin are among the 20 that were built between 1975 and 1979.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Partial redevelopment of Pak Tin Estate*
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority:

The Housing Department (HD) announced today (April 17) that the older portion of Pak Tin Estate in Sham Shui Po, comprising eight residential blocks and a commercial centre, will be redeveloped in phases, starting in 2013-14.

"The redevelopment plan was approved by the Strategic Planning Committee of the Housing Authority (HA), having considered the build-back potential of the aged portion of the estate in addition to its structural conditions and the cost for comprehensive repair," an HD spokesman said.

This move by the HA echoes the announcement by the Chief Executive in the 2011-12 Policy Address that, in order to achieve the production target for public rental housing, the Government needs to open up new sites and explore ways to appropriately increase the densities and plot ratios of public rental housing projects without compromising the living environment. There have also been calls from the local community to redevelop the older part of Pak Tin Estate.

The aged portion of Pak Tin Estate includes Blocks 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 and the Pak Tin Commercial Centre. They were built between 1975 and 1979, and contain about 3,500 flats. Upon redevelopment there will be about 5,650 flats, with a net increase of about 2,150 flats.

"In order to minimise disruption to the community, the HA will adopt a phased clearance approach. We will first clear the existing Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 12 in 2013-14, followed by the Pak Tin Commercial Centre in 2016-17 and then Blocks 9, 10, 11 and 13 by 2021-22.

"For the HA's estate clearance operations, the HA will identify suitable rehousing accommodation for affected tenants to suit their needs. The HD will, as far as possible, allow the affected tenants to move to public rental housing flats in neighbouring areas or in the district of their choice, subject to availability of suitable vacant flats nearby. The new flats in Shek Kip Mei Estate Phases 2 and 5, which will be completed in the middle of this year, will be the primary rehousing resources to kick-start the redevelopment process.

"For tenants affected by the later phases of Pak Tin redevelopment, rehousing in the newly completed earlier phases of redevelopment can be considered, subject to availability of suitable resources therein," the spokesman added. 

A dedicated Community Service Team will act as a bridge between the HA and the affected tenants to smoothen the clearance process. This would ease the potential anxiety of the tenants and maintain the neighbourhood network for the senior citizens.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Public housing under construction @ Cheung Sha Wan 
By *ll-s * from a Hong Kong photography forum :


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*New-look estate to offer prize homes*
The Standard
Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Housing Authority has announced that parts of Pak Tin Estate in Sham Shui Po will be redeveloped and modernized.

As a public housing estate, Pak Tin is not as well known as either Wah Fu or Choi Hung, which have produced a good number of self- made millionaires and celebrities.

But Pak Tin's living environment is definitely superior, and may even be better than many private housing estates.

Pak Tin is part of a Sham Shui Po public housing cluster that is just a stone's throw away from the high-end residential areas of Yau Yat Chuen and Beacon Hill.

It is an example of putting public housing close to a luxury residential district - a policy dating from colonial days.

In terms of location and convenience, Pak Tin rivals luxury developments such as Sino Group's Dynasty Heights on Yin Ping Road, Beacon Hill, which sold for close to HK$10,000 per square foot a few years ago.

Situated midway up the hillside, Pak Tin commands a panoramic view of both Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

The view is unobstructed because the area was in the flight path of the former Kai Tak airport and height restrictions meant buildings were kept under 10 stories.

On a clear day, you can see the entire northern shoreline of Hong Kong Island with its landmark sights like the HSBC main building and the International Financial Centre towers.

Set in a pleasant park and green belt, the estate is just a 10-minute walk from Shek Kip Mei MTR station.

With the relocation of the airport and the height restrictions lifted, taller buildings are now beginning to spring up in the vicinity.

But that should not affect the view of the estate, as its new blocks will also maximize their permissible plot ratio.

On the private market, such flats would easily cost HK$20,000 per square foot.

Anyone allotted a unit at the eight residential blocks to be redeveloped may count themselves the winner of a lottery! 

Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

New Shek Kip Mei Estate 
4/22


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## spicytimothy (Dec 10, 2003)

Why does that sign say Shek Kip, what happened to Mei?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

spicytimothy said:


> Why does that sign say Shek Kip, what happened to Mei?


There is "mei" there.


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## spicytimothy (Dec 10, 2003)

OOOhhhh haha I thought that's Shek Kip Estate (Uk Churng). D'oh!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Public Housing construction next to Lung Mun Oasis in *Tuen Mun* :


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Tsang sticks to the plan on housing schemes*
The Standard
Monday, August 06, 2012

The government plans to provide more than 60,000 public housing and Home Ownership Scheme flats in the next few years in a bid to maintain a healthy property market, the financial secretary said.

"The flats to be launched are expected to balance demand and supply in the short term," John Tsang Chun-wah wrote in his blog yesterday.

He said the government is also looking at turning industrial areas into residential use. A plot in Sha Tsui Road, Tsuen Wan, was recently rezoned for public housing and is expected to provide 860 flats by 2016.

"The demand for industrial buildings is declining as Hong Kong shifts its economic model. Those areas are ideal for residential projects," Tsang wrote.

His message echoed that of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who over the weekend reiterated his commitment to resuming the HOS, saying the plan was "inked in bold characters" in his election manifesto.

Leung last week said the government is looking for new sites for HOS homes. This came after his promise last month that up to 5,000 white-formers - first- time home purchasers meeting the household income limit of HK$30,000 a month - will be allowed to buy HOS flats without paying a land premium.

That immediately pushed up transaction volume and prices of small- and medium-sized flats.

"New HOS homes will be launched in 2016 or 2017 at the earliest, which can provide 17,000 units in the first three years, or 5,000 units per year, " Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said on Saturday.

He expects speculation on HOS flats to ease as the new supplies come in.

But Cheung Kong (0001) and Hutchison Whampoa (0013) tycoon Li Ka- shing has voiced reservations about expanding the HOS supply, as real estate is a major contributor to government revenue.

"There is demand for HOS homes from the middle class, but the government will decide whether the [increased supply of] subsidized homes goes against Hong Kong's housing policy," Li said on Thursday.

However, Leung defended his HOS policy, saying the sale of these flats is also a source of government revenue.

Meanwhile, Tsang said the territory should make use of sites atop and near MTR stations to build more homes.

"Great synergy will come into effect by combining railways and homes," Tsang wrote, noting that several sites in the Tsuen Wan West Station area can provide a total of 6,000 units.

MTR Corp (0066) relaunched the tender for its Tsuen Wan West Bayside residential development last month after suspending it in January when bids missed the reserve price. Rebids are being accepted until Wednesday.

Tsang also said the government is considering a total of 2,500 hectares for residential projects, about 10 percent of of the SAR's already developed land.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Homes action*
The Standard
Friday, August 31, 2012

New steps to cool the red-hot housing market were announced yesterday as Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying presented a package of 10 short and medium-term measures.

In the longer term, Leung said, the Lands Department and Department of Justice are looking into formulating the legal framework for the "Hong Kong land for Hong Kong people" policy which he pledged during the chief executive election.

Initially, there will be five short-term measures:

The sale of 830 Home Ownership Scheme surplus flats, 825 of which are at Tin Chung Court in Tin Shui Wai. Applications will begin early next year.

The 1,000 units in Tsing Yi originally planned for the "rent-to-buy" program - also known as My Home Purchase Plan - by the Hong Kong Housing Society will be sold to buyers earning HK$40,000 or less a month at a discount to the market price. Details will be given later.

Applications for pre-sale consent will be speeded up to release 65,000 flats in the private market over the next three to four years.

Sites providing 2,650 flats will be included in the land sale program for October to December. About 1,760 of the flats are from six sites and no fewer than 894 are from the MTR's residential project at the Tsuen Wan West station on the West Rail Line.

A Chai Wan industrial building will be converted into a public rental block of 180 units next year. The Urban Renewal Authority will launch two pilot schemes next year to redevelop industrial buildings into flats and commercial offices.

Leung said the government is concerned about the heated property market, given the sluggish global economy and high liquidity in international markets.

"We will closely monitor the property market and at an appropriate time we will launch more initiatives" to meet citizens' housing needs, he said.

The government has decided to sell the flats under "a rent-to-buy" scheme to address housing needs immediately.

Housing minister Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said people who want to buy the surplus HOS flats in Tin Chung Court will not be affected by management fee disputes between the incumbent owners' committee and the Housing Authority. The authority will take responsibility if the case goes to court.

Five medium-term steps are:

The government wants to sell the remaining 4,000 "rent-to-buy" scheme units planned by the previous administration.

*The URA's Kai Tak sites marked for flat swaps in redevelopment projects will be handed over to Housing Authority for HOS projects.*

*A leisure site in Cheung Sha Wan will be used for 2,300 public rental homes so the provision of such units can be put forward two years.*

A total of 36 sites, zoned for "government, institution and community" uses, will be used for private and public housing projects to provide about 11,900 units.

Town planning procedures will be streamlined to speed up Housing Authority and URA projects to rejuvenate industrial buildings for homes.

Leung said the the legal framework for a "Hong Kong land for Hong Kong people" policy, under which developers can sell flats only to Hongkongers, is being examined.

Leung said a new steering committee led by Cheung will look into housing needs of different sectors.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Public housing U/C in Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon : 


PC-Nikkor 35mm f./2.8 Test Photo by Raymond W Chan, on Flickr



PC-Nikkor 35mm f./2.8 Test Photo by Raymond W Chan, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Options weighed in boosting public flats*
The Standard
Monday, November 12, 2012

Calls to convert some plots on the land application list into sites for public housing will be prudently considered, the secretary for development said.

Paul Chan Mo-po emphasized that it is not an easy task as a balance has to be struck between the private and public flats supplies.

"We won't be reckless in slanting in favor of public housing," he added.

His remarks came days after he told lawmakers "it might be possible" to transform part of plots on the list that are considered to be less appealing into sites for Home Ownership Scheme flats and public housing, much like what was done during the previous administration.

Four plots on the list were earmarked for public housing by then secretary for development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet- ngor, now the chief secretary.

Chan said he is also paying close attention to the tight supply in the private market, stressing policies for private and public home supplies should be "balanced carefully."

One of the options to increase supply is to convert "36 government, institution or community" sites into residential sites, which can generate 11,900 homes, of which about 7,000 are public housing units, the government announced earlier.

Chan promised to provide more details about this to the Legislative Council next Wednesday, as well as more information on plans to assure a supply of 15,000 public units and 20,000 private homes a year in the future.

Meanwhile, Centaline Property Agency chairman Shih Wing-ching warned that property prices will continue to soar if sites for the private market are converted into public housing.

"The government should raise the plot ratio of those newly constructed flats in the urban areas to raise property developers' willingness to develop in the city," he added.

Also, he said the new buyers' stamp duties and the extended special stamp duties have posed a big impact on the private market.

"But these can only help in the short term and do not do anything about the supply," he added.

Lawrence Poon Wing-cheung, housing panel chairman at the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, also warned of taking away plots from the private market supply.

He emphasized that demand in public housing will still not be fulfilled if flats are built in inconvenient places.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Cheung Sha Wan
By Dennis Cheung :


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Public Housing Construction @ Cheung Sha Wan


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Flats for Cheung Sha Wan site*
The Standard
Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Planning Department has proposed the conversion of four sites in Cheung Sha Wan, with one of them being used for the construction of 2,300 public housing flats by 2019.

The proposal has gained the support of most Sham Shui Po District Council members.

The department has chosen a 269,098-square-foot recreational site at Tonkin Street, north of Lai Chi Kok Road, for residential development.

It is one of the short-to-medium term housing measures announced by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying last year.

About 2,300 public housing flats are expected to be built on the site, with a maximum land plot ratio of six.

The development should not be higher than 100 meters, the same as the height stipulation for the neighboring Lai Kok Estate.

The development would mean relocation of a golf driving range.

A 247,570-sq-ft site at Hing Wah Street, south of Lai Chi Kok Road, would be taken for recreational development in its place. The government-owned Wang Cheong Building, Wang Cheong Factory Estate and Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market are currently on the site.

Also, another smaller plot originally designated for "government, institution or community" use was proposed for private housing development.

The site at Fuk Wing Street and Fuk Wah Street, only yields 23,681 sq ft. It is currently a temporary public car park.

Commercial properties, meanwhile, will be built on a 16,194-sq-ft site at Cheung Sha Wan Road, replacing some government premises.

Land plot ratio for the site is up to 12. District council members were in agreement with the plan to boost housing supply.

A two-month public consultation will be conducted.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Little confidence over CY housing promise*
The Standard
Thursday, January 31, 2013

Half the population believe new housing promised in the policy address will not be enough to meet demand, whether at the grassroots level or higher.

That is according to a survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which also found nearly 40 percent are not confident that the government will be able to implement the housing policy set out by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in his maiden policy address on January 16.

*The promised supply of 15,000 public housing flats each year until 2017 will not close the housing gap, half the 780 respondents said, while only 15 percent believed it would.*

Just one in five was confident that the policy on public housing could be implemented.

Half of those polled also said that the promised addition of 1,000 Home Ownership Scheme flats each year until 2017 and 5,000 flats from 2018 to 2020 will fall short of demand.

On public housing, only one in five believed the government will be able to reach the HOS goals stated in the address. Moreover, half of those surveyed also doubted whether housing problems can indeed be solved by giving over industrial and community areas as well as green zones for residential use in the short term.

Nearly 40 percent were not confident that developing new towns and reclamation outside Victoria Harbour would serve long-term housing needs.

Victor Zheng Wan-tai, associate director of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at Chinese University, said housing and land supply policies are complicated as they involve the interests of different parties.

"The results [of the survey] show that residents still have little confidence although the chief executive has made efforts toward solving housing problems in his address," Zheng said.

"It shows the chief executive lacks public support and that residents are aware that housing problems are too complicated to be easily solved."

Housing problems have been a difficult issue that will not be solved within a short period of time, Zheng added.

He said the government has failed to win public confidence in housing policies it has generally been highly focused on.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Rezoned sites to provide 3,000 flats*
The Standard
Wednesday, February 06, 2013










A golf driving range and an open car park are to be rezoned to build nearly 3,000 public and subsidized flats, the Transport and Housing Bureau said.

A 2.3-hectare site in Sham Shui Po on Lai Chi Kok Road and Tonkin Street, currently used for golf practice, is to be redeveloped into six blocks of 2,300 public rental housing flats by 2019.

Similarly, the car park on Choi Hing Road, Ngau Tau Kok, which has a total area of 33,000 square meters, will provide 600 Home Ownership Scheme flats when completed in 2017.

The bureau also announced it will advance the completion of two public housing projects in Kwun Tong and Tuen Mun by one year, from 2017-18 to 2016-17. The two projects will provide 3,400 flats.

Speaking after visiting the two sites yesterday afternoon, Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said: "As there is a huge demand for housing in the community, the government's main policy is to ensure that there will be a continuous supply of housing ... We will continue to seek appropriate land sites."

Cheung said the Housing Authority will evaluate the transport infrastructure and environmental impact in the two districts before going ahead and developing the public housing and HOS flats.

Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po said the Ngau Tau Kok site - originally designated for a secondary school - will be used to build HOS flats after the Education Bureau dropped plans to build a school there.

Chan said another site will be allocated for the school if one is needed in Ngau Tau Kok in future.

Wong Kwan, chairman of the Federation of Public Housing Estates, said public housing flats at the Ngau Tau Kok site were more appropriate as there would be wet markets in the area.

In a paper submitted to Legco, two public housing projects, in Kwun Tong and Tuen Mun, will involve 3,400 flats, increasing the supply of public housing from 75,600 flats to 79,000 flats from fiscal year 2012-13 to 2016-17.

The authority has successfully worked with other departments and bureaux to identify suitable sites for HOS development and to ensure that a total of 17,000 HOS units will be completed in the four years from 2016-17.

These include the Kai Tak site and four of the former My Home Purchase Plan sites in Choi Hung, Diamond Hill, Ma On Shan and Tai Po districts.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Lay of the land*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Less land will be available on the application list as more sites will be designated for public housing.

This is what Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah will reveal in his budget speech tomorrow, according to a source.

The government is aiming to build more public homes in the 2013-14 fiscal year amid increasing demand and the difficulties in relaunching the Home Ownership Scheme.

For the current fiscal year, 24 sites - good for about 30,000 homes - have been placed on the application list. For the previous fiscal year, 18 sites were allocated.

Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po earlier said the government will prudently consider converting some plots meant for the application list into sites for public housing.

But he also emphasized that it is not an easy task as a balance has to be struck between the supply of private and public flats.

To realize the target supply of 20,000 private homes a year, the government will continue to explore other sites in the city, the source said.

Also, flat and size stipulations will be attached to more sites for the private market in order to provide more small to medium-sized homes.

***************************


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Fewer private flats as focus turns to public*
The Standard
Thursday, February 28, 2013

Four thousand fewer private homes are likely to be built in the 2013-14 fiscal year, despite soaring demand, as the property market's focus turns to public housing.

A total of 46 sites - of which 28 are new - will be included in the land application list for building 13,600 private homes, John Tsang revealed.

They are part of the 25,800 private homes on which construction will start during the current 2013-14 fiscal year, after taking all major sources of land supply into account, including projects initiated by the MTR Corp (0066) and the Urban Renewal Authority.

The government targeted the building of 30,000 private homes for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

Also, Tsang expects 24,000 homes to be put up for sale this year, including 20,000 uncompleted units.

In addition, 4,000 more public housing units will be built within the next four years.

Around 17,000 Home Ownership Scheme flats are likely to be constructed by 2017.

"We may consider converting some sites in the application list for public housing which property developers are not that interested in," Tsang said after presenting his budget speech.

Meanwhile, nine sites have been designated for commercial/ business use with a total floor area of about 3.55 million square feet. Also, a site on Garden Road where the Murray Building is located could be turned into a hotel, consisting of up to 300 rooms.

In addition, Grade-A office space in the central business district will rise after government departments are relocated.

The three government buildings in Wan Chai, measuring 1.88 million sq ft, will be rented out first and may even be put up for sale in due course.

Meanwhile, Tsang emphasized that the government will continue to explore new development areas in speeding up the supply of land.

The government earned HK$69 billion from land premiums in the last financial year.

But the government's Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee member Andy Kwan Cheuk-chiu warned home prices would continue to rise in the coming two to three years as the budget contained few new measures.

Kwan suggested the government put up more land for sale and tender in the coming three to six months.

New World Development (0017) chairman Henry Cheng Kar-shun said it takes years to build homes.

More cooling measures may be needed should the market heat up within the coming one to two years.


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## Сталин (Dec 29, 2011)

They are very nice.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Urgent to find more rural land for public flats: lawmakers*
South China Morning Post
5 November 2013 










The government is facing increasing pressure on its quest for housing land after it revealed it would be short of rural land for public rental flats by 2017.

The information was made known to lawmakers in a meeting yesterday of the Legislative Council's housing panel after the government was urged to be more transparent on the demand and supply of such flats.

Under the government's plan, 82,100 public rental flats will be built in urban areas and the New Territories over the next five years. But none will be built in the New Territories in 2017 and 2018 as no land has yet been secured for their construction.

"The information sends a serious signal," said housing panel chairman Wong Kwok-hing. "The government must find more land or it will be difficult for it to honour its pledge to provide public housing [to families and elderly people within three years of application]."

Permanent secretary for Transport and Housing Duncan Pescod conceded that the government was concerned about the possibility of lengthening applicants' waiting time. He said it was looking for more land to meet the rising demand.

The Housing Authority's statistics showed that 44 per cent of the 14,300 families and elderly people who were granted a public flat from July 2012 to June 2013 waited more than three years. Six per cent - 900 applicants - waited more than five years.

But in the paper submitted to the Legislative Council, the authority said the longer waiting time was partly because of applicants' preference to live closer to the urban districts.

Of the 6,300 who waited more than three years, 52 per cent subsequently chose a flat in core urban areas and 39 per cent opted for extended urban areas.

For those who waited more than five years, the authority said it was largely due to a change in preferred location and delayed submission of documents.

"The government is lying," said Civic Party lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki, referring to the failure to meet the three-year pledge.

Labour sector lawmaker Kwok Wai-keung said many of the complaints he was handling involved waiting times of five to seven years. But Housing Department assistant director Anson Lai Yat-ching said the average waiting time for families and elderly applicants was 2.7 years - still within the government's three-year target.

There were currently 118,700 such applicants on the waiting list for public rental flats, he said.

Only 16 per cent of the two groups on the waiting list had waited for more than three years, and half of those would get a flat soon, after investigations into their eligibility, he added.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Wah Fu residents urged to help speed up works*
17 January 2014
South China Morning Post










Leung Chun-ying calls on tenants of Aberdeen public estate to quickly decide where to move if they want redevelopment works to proceed

A day after announcing redevelopment plans for the Wah Fu Estate that have for years been under consideration, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has called on its residents to quickly agree on relocation places so that the project can make headway.

But many elderly residents in the 47-year-old Aberdeen estate were likely to refuse to move, a district councillor has warned.

Wah Fu, built in the 1960s as one of the city’s earliest public rental housing estates with comprehensive facilities, used to be dubbed a “luxurious estate for commoners”. Situated near the affluent Pok Fu Lam neighbourhood, flats on the higher floors have sea views.

But the buildings have deteriorated over the years. In 2008, the government launched a record HK$180 million repairs and maintenance project after it decided against demolishing the 9,000-home estate that houses more than 20,000 people.

Yesterday, Leung announced plans to redevelop Wah Fu. He also lifted the development moratorium over five nearby sites south of Pok Fu Lam to allow the building of 11,900 public rental housing units and Home Ownership Scheme flats.

Speaking during a phone-in radio programme, the chief executive stopped short of saying if Wah Fu residents would be offered the chance to move into the new homes in the district.

“There are many factors to consider, including transport arrangements, he said.

A Wah Fu resident who called in to the programme urged Leung to give a clear schedule of the redevelopment plan.

“We have put up with the endless noise from repair works for more than 10 years now,” he said. “Residents are on the edge of a nervous breakdown … Can you please give us a timetable?”

Sidestepping the question, the chief executive urged residents to co-operate to speed up the redevelopment process.

“While the government will compress the work as much as we can, I also hope [Wah Fu residents] will help us by reaching a consensus on where to move as soon as possible,” Leung said.

One of the two district councillors representing the estate, independent Au Lap-sing, said about 40 per cent of Wah Fu residents were elderly people. Most, if not all, of them were reluctant to move out of their homes because of their old age.

Pok Fu Lam district councillor Paul Zimmerman said he found the five sites identified for development by the government suitable for building additional public rental housing units.

The key concern of residents in the area was that there had to be sufficient transport facilities to meet the demand brought about by the increased population after the development, he said.

The administration is also considering building a west section of the MTR’s future South Island Line, which would connect Wah Fu Estate with Admiralty via Wong Chuk Hang.

Zimmerman said it was risky for the government to lift the development moratorium before confirming plans for the new railway and securing funding approval from lawmakers.


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## Eduarqui (Jul 31, 2006)

I do enjoy to see what Hong Kong is doing to solve housing problems and to offer new perspectives for other cities with similar conditions: I'm from Rio de Janeiro, and guess my city has many things to learn with Hong Kong experience.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Rezoning plan for public housing*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 7, 2017 









_區議會文件_

The government is considering rezoning five greenbelt sites in Tseung Kwan O to produce 11,200 public housing units that can accommodate about 31,000 Hongkongers.

The Development Bureau said it is recommending this measure after conducting a review of available sites in Sai Kung.

The five sites are located north of Tseung Kwan O Village, south of Chiu Shun Road, west of Yau Yue Wan Village and east of the Hong Kong Movie City.

The site near Chiu Shun Road is developed since it was once used as temporary working area for a government construction project. The other four sites are yet to be developed.

Meanwhile, the Civil Engineering and Development Department has begun assessing the feasibility of building housing projects in nine sites in Tseung Kwan O. Its assessment covered logistics, infrastructures, ecology and air circulation.

Its preliminary findings suggest that five sites can be developed without any technical difficulties.

An in-depth ecological investigation will be conducted to ensure that the proposed housing projects in the area will have minimal ecological impact on the environment.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

hkskyline said:


> *More flats to rise out of rubble at old estate *
> The Standard
> Wednesday, April 18, 2012
> 
> ...


*Pak Tin Estate* redevelopment - 9/12


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Hoi Tat Estate* - 10/8














































The completed towers on the left of the construction are another public housing estate.


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