Hong Kong property developers may have to build nursing homes, care centres, labour chief says
Dr Law Chi-kwong says developers could be forced to build elderly residential care homes as part of their developments, after incentive scheme fails to deliver
Hong Kong developers could be forced to build nursing homes for the elderly and day care centres as part of their property projects under a proposal being considered by the government, the city’s labour and welfare chief has told the Post.
Dr Law Chi-kwong, a veteran social work specialist and an expert in urban renewal issues, also expected more developers to tap into the elderly market by, for example, offering residential care services.
His remarks came as the city’s incentive scheme under which developers can pay less land premium for building elderly residential care homes in their property developments had been snubbed over the past two decades.
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The scheme was devised as Hong Kong is struggling to locate lands to meet the severe shortage of subsidised residential homes places and community care services amid the fast-ageing population. In 2015, 5,881 senior residents died while they were on the waiting list for subsidised nursing care.
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“The land premium concession [has been in place] some 20 years ago. Nobody used it,” Law told the Post.