Tai Po public housing site ‘viable option’ for fire victims, Hong Kong councillors say
Lo Hiu-fung says government should consider plot, about 1.5km from fire-hit Wang Fuk Court, if it wants to help victims resettle as soon as possible
Hong Kong authorities are considering using a site in Tai Po originally reserved for public housing to resettle residents displaced by the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a government source has said.
The insider said on Wednesday that the plot on Chung Nga Road was being considered because rebuilding a community there would be faster than doing so elsewhere.
The same site was proposed a day earlier by Lo Hiu-fung, chairman of Tai Po District Council’s newly established working group on building management, during a meeting.
In an interview with the Post on Wednesday, Lo said the Chung Nga Road site had “emerged as a viable option” for rehousing residents displaced by the city’s deadliest fire in decades.
The plot, about 1.5km from the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court, was originally earmarked for a public housing project with around 1,300 flats, slated for completion by 2030, according to a supply estimate in September.
“The site has already been levelled and is suitable for development … It is also surrounded by basic traffic and community infrastructure,” Lo said.