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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam denies plan to stop building flats to rent

But she says focus could shift to cut-price homes for sale to the public if there is enough stock

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A woman at the flat selection for the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Pilot Scheme in Lok Fu. Photo: Edward Wong
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Friday clarified that she did not plan to stop building public housing to rent to low-income families, after a news report sparked public outrage.
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Lam’s explanation came after she was cited in a newspaper as saying that when the stock of public rental flats hit 800,000, the government would turn most rental flats built after then into subsidised flats that low-income ­families could buy.

As of March, there were 769,000 public rental flats under the Housing Authority, which is the main provider of public and subsidised flats in the city.

The remarks sparked fears that the government would stop building public rental housing, ­marking a U-turn from the previous government’s 10-year housing strategy which set a target of building 200,000 flats for rent.

Lam said on Friday that public rental housing was meant to be the “safety net” for families in the lowest income bracket.

Hong Kong’s public rent hopes slashed as 10-year housing target is lowered

“When [public housing stock] reaches a certain number, such as 800,000, it may be able to meet the demand of the poorest families over a period,” Lam said.

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