13,000 more light public housing units on way

The Housing Bureau plans to allocate HK$9.84 billion to build 13,000 more light public housing units including turning five vacant school sites for the second batch under the light public housing units scheme.

The funding has been adjusted downwards from the original estimate of around HK$11.53 billion by about HK$1.69 billion - a reduction of about 15 percent - made with reference to the returned tenders of the first batch of LPH, which was reduced by about HK$3 billion, or about 20 percent.

The bureau has also proposed to abandon the Sheung Shui Lin Tong Mei site due to its low cost-effectiveness, but plans to add five vacant school sites as well as Ma On Shan Hang Kwong Street site, resulting in 93 percent of the total 30,000 LPH units located in urban, extended urban areas and Tuen Mun.

The bureau said the adjustment was based on calls from lawmakers and the public for more flats in urban areas.

It said the Lin Tong Mei site, which was originally planned to provide 1,100 units, required the installation of additional electricity and sewage treatment facilities, which was less cost-effective, and the site will be returned to its developer.

The newly added five schools - Mission Covenant Church Holm Glad No 2 Primary School, former St Joseph's Anglo-Chinese School and Carmel Leung Sing Tak School in Kwun Tong, Baptist Rainbow Primary School in Wong Tai Sin and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Ma Kam Chan Memorial Primary School Choi Yuen Annex in Sheung Shui - can provide 600 units, each costing about HK$500,000.

Of 490 LPH units in the four school premises in urban areas, 70 percent will be large units for families of three to four or four to five persons.

The Ma On Shan Hang Kwong Street site, located within an eight-minute walk from Ma On Shan MTR station, can provide 860 units.

The number of units in Chai Wan and Area 54 Tuen Mun site will increase by about 440 units, while that of the Siu Lam site will decrease by about 800 units.

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin yesterday said that the bureau has made efforts to optimize the scheme, including selecting better locations and lowering the costs.

"The funding [of LPH] is an investment for the future of our society, which will enable the grassroots to improve their living conditions and encourage us to commence studies on solving the problem of subdivided units."

Legislator Frankie Ngan Man-yu said converting vacant schools into LPH units could enable inadequate housing residents to live in accommodations with basic facilities such as independent toilets and low rents while not changing the original land use planning.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com