Editorial | Greater effort needed to ease homes crisis

The controversial temporary public housing scheme has passed the first hurdle, with no lawmakers voting against the HK$14.9 billion (US$1.9 billion) funding request for the first stage of development. But the so-called light public housing project remains a subject of debate both inside and outside the legislature. The government must continue to address concerns over its cost-effectiveness and land use to prevent it becoming a flashpoint in a wider conflict.

With the Legislative Council dominated by government loyalists, the vote of 34 to nil, with one abstention, by the public works subcommittee is not surprising. The funding request is also likely to gain final approval from the Finance Committee. However, it does not mean the project has received society’s wide support. The vocal opposition of people living in Kai Tak, where more than 10,000 “no-frills” units will be built, cannot be ignored.

The government has sought to convince sceptics by packaging it as a social project, referring to the construction of 30,000 flats across eight sites in two phases for those who have been in the queue for standard public housing for years. Officials have also promised that the sites will be released for other long-term purposes after being used for five years, amid concerns that some prime business areas are being turned into homes for the poor indefinitely.

The dispute shows tackling the housing crisis is no easy task. Even when there is enough money and land to address the plight of the needy, the new housing initiative has touched on vested interests. Residents’ concerns over the burden on transport and land use in Kai Tak are seen by some as just a pretext. The underlying issues, critics maintain, are the possible negative impact on property prices and the not-in-my-backyard, or Nimby, mentality.

Even though there will be enough votes to pass the funding request, the government should not just bulldoze the project through, especially when its cost-effectiveness and other valid issues have been raised. It has to explain how spending HK$26.4 billion for 30,000 dwellings to be used for five years is value for money. Furthermore, there needs to be more measures to increase the number of standard flats in the long run and make property prices more affordable.