At least 10 possible sites could be seized to develop affordable housing in Hong Kong, as leader Carrie Lam sets out ambitious target in third policy address

Private developers hoarding sites are under threat of having their land acquired by the government through the Lands Resumption Ordinance, as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced measures to boost the city’s supply of land and affordable housing on Wednesday.

A government source said at least 10 sites had already been identified and would be taken over at cheaper rates if developers did not formulate development plans by the middle of next year.

The bolder-than-expected move in Lam’s policy address came as she set out an ambitious target that “every Hong Kong citizen and his family will no longer have to be troubled by or preoccupied with the housing problem as they will be able to have their own home in the city”.

Described as a “breakthrough in thinking” on boosting land supply, the legislation will be used in a more focused approach to resume private land for public housing. The idea was brought up by the city’s pro-Beijing politicians and endorsed by mainland media, which urged Lam to get tough with developers who left land idle for private gain.

Three types of private land would be acquired, according to a government source: private land which is zoned for high-density housing but has not been developed for years; around 450 hectares of brownfield land near existing new towns, such as Ping Shan in Yuen Long and Lam Tei in Tuen Mun; and three urban squatter villages, Ngau Chi Wan, Cha Kwo Ling and Chuk Yuen.