Warning on Ngau Tau Kok nostalgia visits
Visitors to the Ngau Tau Kok Estate hoping to get a final glimpse of the buildings before they are demolished have been urged not to disturb tenants still living there.
The 40-year-old public housing estate in Kwun Tong has become a hotspot for nostalgia buffs keen to photograph a part of the city's history before it vanishes.
But this has caused some inconvenience to the 3,100 households and 160 commercial tenants still there.
A spokesman for the Housing Authority said some tenants had complained of visitors asking them to pose for photographs, while others said their lives had been disturbed by the noise they made.
'We understand that visitors are reminiscing about life in the estate and are thus eager to capture some memorable sights. However, the sudden influx of outsiders has caused concern to our tenants,' he said. 'As the landlord, the department is responsible for the management of the estate and protecting the interests of our tenants. Therefore we strongly advise visitors against trespassing and causing nuisance to tenants.'
Although the problem was not very serious so far, he said, the department hoped to give a 'friendly reminder' to the public before the Easter holiday, when more people may be considering a visit.
Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate was built in 1969, comprising seven blocks and 5,400 flats. The Housing Authority decided to include the estate in the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme in 1988, and tenants have been moving out under the redevelopment programme.
Many of the current tenants will move into the newly built Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate early next month; others will move to other estates in the coming months.
The final clearing day at Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate would depend on the progress in removing tenants but was likely to be this year.
