Hong Kong housing chief strikes more upbeat note on cutting wait time for public flats after earlier remarks anger lawmakers

Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan says average waiting time for a public rental flat could improve in five-year period to 2032

He told lawmakers last week that attaining targeted waiting time for public housing could take up to 20 years

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Hong Kong has the world’s least affordable residential property market. Photo: Sun Yeung

Published: 7:31pm, 30 Oct 2021Updated: 6:57am, 31 Oct 2021

Hong Kong’s housing minister appeared to be in damage-control mode on Saturday over his recent remarks that substantially cutting waiting times for a public flat could take up to 20 years, a stunning admission that exasperated lawmakers.

Striking a more positive note on his blog, Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan said the average waiting time for a public rental flat could improve in the five-year period to 2032.

“We understand public concerns over the waiting time for public housing. We have been working hard to increase the supply and strive our utmost to provide quality public housing,” he said.

“Given a sufficient supply of land and the fact the number of new applications for public housing has become stable, the average waiting time for public housing could improve visibly in the second five-year period from 2027-28 to 2031-32.”

Frank Chan was recently grilled by lawmakers. Photo: Dickson Lee

Chan’s latest assessment was in stark contrast with his remarks in a Legislative Council meeting last week where he said attaining the three-year targeted waiting time for public housing could take up to 20 years. The admission angered members of Legco’s housing panel who demanded the government do better to meet one of the most pressing challenges facing Hong Kong.