The government is rethinking a policy under which clubhouses in residential developments qualify for a gross floor area exemption, the development chief said yesterday.
The policy has been included in a review of whether 'green features' such as balconies and sky gardens should continue to be exempted from the calculation of gross floor area in residential developments.
The review is due to be completed by the end of this year.
Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor told the Legislative Council's development panel a public consultation would be carried out after the review.
Ms Lam said that the exemption for clubhouses had been included in the review because it was controversial.
'The existing policy is that the size of the clubhouse should not exceed 5 per cent of the gross floor area,' she said. 'But the developers are usually building them to the maximum size.'
Mrs Lam said the exemption policy was designed to improve the quality of life of residents, but there was a problem with the 'aggregating effect' when developers added several green and amenity features and then used the exemptions to build bigger blocks.