580 Hong Kong squatter village families set to bid farewell to Ngau Chi Wan this year, as it makes way for public housing
- Development Bureau says about 950 structures, mostly huts, will be demolished at Wong Tai Sin’s Ngau Chi Wan, one of few remaining urban squatter villages
- Authorities will build 2,700 public flats at site, with historical Man Fat Nunnery to be preserved
The Development Bureau said on Friday authorities would demolish about 950 structures, mostly squatter huts, at Ngau Chi Wan in Wong Tai Sin to make way for the new housing.
It estimated about 580 families, comprising 900 individuals, living at the 2.2-hectare (5.4 acres) site would be affected, as well as 30 businesses.
The plan will involve taking back 0.6 hectares of private land, with the government notifying residents and businesses last February to move out by the second half of 2024 or 2025, according to a bureau paper submitted to the legislature.
“For the relevant [landowners who] accepted the government compensation offer, the Lands Department has gradually arranged to provide cash compensation,” the bureau said in the paper.
Eligible households could move into public rental flats or rehousing estates, while others could apply for an ex gratia allowance upon fulfilling certain requirements.