Redeveloping 14 old Hong Kong housing estates could produce 36,000 extra flats, concern group says
- Federation of Public Housing Estates proposes redeveloping sites aged 40 to 70 years old, with many experiencing problems such as failing concrete and water leakage
- Group chairman warns old estates require high maintenance and pose danger to residents
Redeveloping 14 old public housing estates could produce an extra 36,000 flats over the coming decade, according to a plan by a concern group to ease Hong Kong’s chronic shortage of homes.
The blocks the Federation of Public Housing Estates proposed for redevelopment are aged 40 to 70 years, and a number of them have experienced problems of failing concrete and water leakage, posing potential threats to residents.
“We want to improve the residents’ living environment, while increasing the flat supply to solve the housing shortage problem,” federation executive director Anthony Chiu Kwok-wai said on Tuesday.
The Housing Authority is proceeding with 10 redevelopment projects, involving five public estates, one interim housing site and four factory estates, providing 32,000 flats in total.
The authority, the city’s major public housing supplier, has been studying the feasibility of redeveloping 71 estates aged 40 years or above since 2018 and the review is expected to be completed in phases before 2032.
The Housing Society, the second largest public housing provider, has redevelopment plans for Ming Wah Dai Ha, Yue Kwong Chuen, Kwun Tong Garden Estate and Chun Seen Mei Chuen, providing more than 10,000 flats.
Apart from these projects, the federation suggested authorities include 14 other estates, which currently have 38,000 flats in total.
It estimated that between 1,000 and 1,300 flats could be redeveloped on a hectare of land, meaning an extra 18,000 to 36,000 homes would be provided under its proposal, covering one or even two years of public housing production.