Hong Kong developers raise concerns over plan to build 10,700 temporary public flats in prime urban site, cast doubt on Kai Tak’s ability to handle new residents
- Association representing real estate developers says it only learned about government’s plan recently and has received letters from concerned residents
- According to government source, flats ‘will not obstruct’ original vision of turning Kai Tak into business hub
Hong Kong developers and a lawmaker have raised concerns about the government’s plan to build 10,700 temporary public flats on a commercial plot in a prime urban site at Kai Tak, casting doubt on the area’s ability to cope with an influx of new residents.
An association representing the city’s real estate developers on Tuesday said it would accept the government’s plan for “light public housing” as long as the arrangement was only for a short period.
“Hong Kong in fact is in need [of more housing], and we think we can compromise,” said Stewart Leung Chi-kin, the executive committee chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association. “The most important thing is to address the traffic problem.”
The group only learned of the project recently from the media and had received letters from concerned residents, he added.
The 5.7 hectare (14 acre) site in Kai Tak, which the government has earmarked as a new business hub in the long run, is among eight plots selected by authorities for 30,000 temporary flats.
The project aims to provide a short-term housing solution for residents who have been on the waiting list for subsidised homes for at least three years.
A government source said building 10,700 temporary homes at the former airport “would not obstruct” the original vision of turning the area into a business hub.
Out of the 30,000 flats, 7,400 homes in four other areas will be available in 2025, while the remaining 22,600 – including those at the Kai Tak site – will be completed in 2026. They are expected to remain in place for at least five years.