$4m plan to upgrade tiny toilets
One-person flats in former temporary housing are to be modified at a cost of $4 million after tenants complained their toilets lacked space.
The plan, which involves 4,500 flats, was disclosed by Housing Department officials during a tour of the two affected estates.
The work at Tin Yan Estate in Tin Shui Wai and on the Po Tin Estate in Tuen Mun is expected to take four months.
Residents of the flats have complained to district councillors that their flats, originally designed as temporary housing, were not suitable for permanent residence.
Housing Department chief manager Leung Sai-chi admitted the design of the toilets was unsatisfactory.
'Their design may not be satisfactory because they were not intended for long-term settlement,' he said.
The department will install corner washbasins to maximise the space in rooms.
The Po Tin Estate comprises 8,736 flats and the Tin Yan Estate has 5,640 flats, of which a total of 4,500 are for singles. Both estates were formerly temporary housing for people waiting for a public rental flat. They were changed to public housing in 2004.
Mr Leung said families living on the two estates may apply to transfer to other public estates.
