Number of Hong Kong families in subdivided flats set to hit record high, but housing chief says city on track to meet long-term demand for better homes
- Housing minister says public-private split to remain at 70-30 amid ongoing demand for government flats, for which families are now waiting 5.9 years on average
- Projected number of households living in poor conditions, meanwhile, will rise to 127,000 over the next decade, up from the 2020 report’s predicted 122,000.
The number of families living in subdivided flats and other cramped spaces will hit a record 127,100 over the next decade, but Hong Kong’s housing chief says the government is on track to meet the demand for better homes in the long term.
Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan on Wednesday said the government’s 10-year housing supply target across the public and private sectors would remain unchanged from the 2020 estimate of 430,000.
“Considering the keen demand for public sector housing, and the need to provide a steady supply of private flats, we will keep the public-private housing split at 70-30,” said Chan, who is in charge of reviewing and updating the city’s rolling 10-year housing strategy annually.
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Based on the official goal of public sector housing accounting for 70 per cent of fresh supply, the Transport and Housing Bureau will keep its current target of providing 301,000 new flats over the next 10 years.
About 210,000 of those would be public rental flats or subsidised homes for sale under two schemes that target different income groups.
The private sector, meanwhile, is to deliver the other 30 per cent, or 129,000 homes.
The strong demand for public housing shows no sign of easing, with families facing an average waiting time of 5.9 years for a flat, the longest in 22 years.
The supply target is calculated from the projected demand in the government’s Long Term Housing Strategy, which takes into account factors including the net increase in the number of households, households to be displaced by redevelopment, and the needs of those living in undesirable dwellings such as subdivided flats.