Hong Kong official defends U-turn on public flats at Pak Shek Kok rail stop site
Permanent secretary for development says exclusion of public flats, a reversal of previous plan, won’t affect 10-year housing target
A senior Hong Kong official has defended the exclusion of public flats near the proposed site of the Pak Shek Kok railway station, arguing they would not align with the existing private housing and the area lacks the necessary community facilities.
Permanent Secretary for Development Doris Ho Pui-ling stressed on Friday that the revised proposal would not affect the government’s 10-year housing plan.
“We already have sufficient land for our 10-year housing plan, so even without the public housing originally proposed at this site, it will not affect our supply,” she said, referring to the government’s target to build 420,000 flats, including 294,000 public housing homes, by 2036.
Ho also said the station would not significantly increase demand along the East Rail line, predicting a net uptick of 7,000 passengers, as most of the 60,000 projected daily commuters already using the nearby University station would simply switch to the new stop.
The plan for the Pak Shek Kok station was unveiled in the government’s 2021 policy address. The new stop will be located between the Tai Po Market and University stations, making the Science Park more accessible by rail.
The East Rail line already serves as a cross-harbour corridor spanning from Admiralty to border crossings at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau.