Hong Kong’s MTR Corp says it will look into providing subsidised housing along two proposed lines if asked by government
- Company responds to Legislative Council member Regina Ip, who asked the government if it would discuss allocation of residential units along proposed Tuen Mun South Extension and Northern Link lines as part of the Home Ownership Scheme
- Railways operator has previous experience with subsidised housing, executive says
MTR Corp is responsible for construction and operations under its ownership and rail-plus-property development approach. It will be granted the development rights for properties at the railway stations by the government to subsidise the railway construction costs.
“If … [we] can cooperate to make some subsidised housing, we will definitely study it in depth,” David Tang, MTR Corp’s property and international business director, said on Thursday. “But I hope people understand subsidised housing is a project done by the government. If we, as a private developer, were invited, we would start to study the area of participation,” he added.
The Home Ownership Scheme helps residents buy their own homes. These flats are subsidised and the buying, selling and mortgage of these units are subject to certain restrictions. Hong Kong families are facing their longest wait in more than 20 years for a public flat, the Housing Authority said last week.
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The railways operator had previous experience with subsidised housing, such as units in Kornhill Gardens in the 1980s, Tang said. MTR Corp was also working on the Siu Ho Wan project on northern Lantau Island, half of which was subsidised housing, he added.