Minister floats idea of setting minimum size for nano flats in space-starved Hong Kong
- Acknowledging cramped living spaces are ‘pain point for society’, development chief says government could limit how small new flats can be
- While Michael Wong does not give exact figure, he notes suggestions of setting starting point at 200 sq ft
Hong Kong could require property companies to build flats measuring at least 200 sq ft, the development minister has said, but even that size is much smaller than the bare minimum recommended by a government adviser and a research group.
Secretary for Development Michael Wong Wai-lun made the suggestion on Friday as he acknowledged cramped living spaces were a “pain point for society”. While he did not specify what the minimum would be, he noted recent suggestions of setting the starting point at 200 sq ft or 210 sq ft for the private sector.
“There are still many factors to think about, but we will consider doing it in future,” he said at a press conference.
Wong also said that new public housing flats could be 10 or 20 per cent bigger than their current size – but only more than a decade later when land supply was more abundant.
Introducing a minimum in private construction and increasing the size of public flats demonstrated the government’s commitment to fulfilling Hongkonger’s hopes of more living space “was not empty words”, Wong said, adding: “We can do it, but it will take time.”
