Hong Kong lawmaker says urban renewal authority too fearful of legal trouble in its policy U-turn
Whatever drove the decision to allow single people into flat-buying plan, Dennis Kwok wants a meeting to get to the bottom of it
The Urban Renewal Authority overestimated the risk of legal challenges when it allowed single people to buy flats at one of its new development projects in Kai Tak, according to a non-executive director of the body.
Lawmaker Dennis Kwok said the authority might have committed its policy U-turn over concerns its original plan might be contested in court under two anti-discrimination laws.
The authority on Tuesday announced it would allow single people – instead of only families of two people or more under its original plan – to buy units at its De Novo development in Kai Tak.
READ MORE: Single people can buy subsidised flats in Hong Kong after sudden policy U-turn by Urban Renewal Authority
But Kwok said subsidised housing and housing benefits were exempted from the two laws. “I think the management might have overestimated the risk,” he said during a Commercial Radio talk show today.
He also said the authority’s decision to change its original plan did not appear on the agenda at the body’s board meeting this week.
Kwok said no documents regarding the decision were sent to board directors.
READ MORE: Caught unaware: Hong Kong urban renewal authority director claims board learned of management’s policy U-turn just like public
“So how significant was the risk of such legal challenges?” asked the Civic Party member and barrister. “Whether we sought our own legal advice or not, all these issues had not been discussed.”