Hong Kong Housing Authority members urge clarity on Tai Po rental site swap
Committee members seek explanation as housing secretary says site is ‘good choice’ for resettling residents of fire-hit Wang Fuk Court
Members of Hong Kong’s Housing Authority have urged the government to clarify how a proposal to resettle residents displaced by the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po at a site designated for public rental flats will not impact the thousands currently on the waiting list.
They made the call on Monday during a meeting of the public body, during which Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin identified the site, also in Tai Po, as a “good choice” for the long-term resettlement of the 5,000-odd affected residents.
The site on Chung Nga Road West was proposed to be converted from public rental housing into flats for the government’s subsidised Home Ownership Scheme.
Subsidised flats at a separate site in Fanling North Area 15 originally slated for sale would be redesignated as public rental homes.
“The swap ensures the total stock of rental housing remains unchanged, protecting the interests of those on the waiting list,” Ho said.
The blaze, which broke out on November 26, swept through seven of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court, a Home Ownership Scheme estate. It claimed 168 lives and displaced nearly 5,000 residents.