Press in November 1995
| Press November 2, 1995 | |
| Headline : | Measures to increase public housing production studied |
| Content : |
The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority: Members of the Housing Authority's Development Committee were today (Thursday) informed that according to the present forecast, production was expected to fall short of the Long Term Housing Strategy (LTHS) targets by 14,758 flats while the current shortfall in terms of land requirement remained at 27 hectares. A Housing Authority spokesman said that a number of potential sites were being studied by the Housing Department for inclusion in the Public Housing Development Programme (PHDP). "These comprise Temporary Housing Area (THA) sites, longer term Task Force sites, urban military sites, and other possible sites which have come to light in recent months," he said. Of the sites anticipated to produce flats before 2001, the Yuen Chau Kok THA is the largest and consideration will be given by the Committee on Planning Land and Development (CPLD) to make the whole eight-hectare site available for public housing. "The timing and production from the military sites has yet to be confirmed and the projects are likely to be used as Private Sector Participation Scheme flats," the spokesman said. He added that the Department was pursuing a number of exchange possibilities with the Urban Services Department, the most promising of these is the Fortune Street playground site, whereby some existing open space reservations could be developed for housing and 'replaced' later by sites released on redevelopment estates after clearance. Another possible site has emerged from the review of the West Kowloon Reclamation by the Territory Development Department but details remain to be confirmed. "These potential sites may be capable of realising production before 2000/01 and together account for 11,850 flats," the spokesman said. During the meeting, members also noted that some 3,600 additional flats could be produced before 2001 as a result of the increase in block height. "Regarding the possible impact of the delay in closure of Kai Tak Airport, the issue is being explored in more depth with other Departments to see what scope there may be for exemptions to the current height limit and whether it is possible to obtain better estimates of when the overall relaxation may occur," the spokesman said. Meanwhile, a number of programmed sites susceptible to delay because of various complex activities and uncertainties are being dealt with by the Housing Project Action Team. "The Housing Branch is co-ordinating meetings with other Departments to try to resolve the issues," the spokesman noted, adding that if all these projects were to slip, PHDP production would be reduced by 9,339 flats. "The net effect of possible slippage, the increased production from potential sites, and the building of higher blocks will be assured by the end of this year," the spokesman said. End/Thursday, November 2, 1995 NNNN |