Iconic estate's residents gain clarity on future

Michael Shum

Residents of rainbow-colored Choi Hung Estate, which will be reconstructed, will be relocated to 2,860 flats in Mei Tung Estate in Wong Tai Sin.

They will also be given priority to buy flats in an estate to be built on Wang Chiu Road, Kowloon Bay, through the green form, Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said.

Ho announced yesterday that the Housing Authority has started a study into the reconstruction of the six-decade-old Choi Hung Estate as it is incurring more resources for repairs.

The relocation of residents of the estate -comprising around 7,400 flats in 11 residential blocks for over 17,000 residents - will be divided into three phases at the same time as the reconstruction process commences.

Each phase will involve around 2,500 families, and the process of all three stages will take around 15 years.

Choi Hung Estate residents relocated in the first phase will receive a subsidy as they will be moved to the 2,860 units at the new Mei Tung Estate in Wong Tai Sin

"Mei Tung Estate is one of Housing Authority's recent housing estate reconstruction projects, and the number of one-person flats is similar to those at Choi Hung Estate, where 20 percent of residents are one-person households," Ho said.

"Residents will move into a newly constructed home right away. We think Mei Tung Estate is suitable for relocating the residents affected by the first phase of the relocation plan."

Affected Choi Hung Estate residents will be given priority in purchasing any of the 1,460 flats in the public housing development on Wang Chiu Road.

Choi Hung Estate residents of subsequent phases will be relocated within Choi Hung Estate after the first phase of reconstruction is completed.

After the reconstruction the number of flats will increase by 24 percent to 9,200.

"The number of 9,200 flats is a very rough preliminary estimation, and their allocation will have to depend on the actual plot ratio, which will also affect the total residential and commercial surface area," Ho said. "We hope we take this opportunity to improve the transportation infrastructure, which includes vacating some of the land of Choi Hung Estate."

Legislator Scott Leung Man-kwong welcomed the grand plan as there is hardly any option to relocate the huge number of Choi Hung Estate residents at one time.

"The public rental housing flats at the reconstructed Mei Tung Estate are expected to be complete as soon as 2027, which is still around four years from now," he said. "Although Mei Tung Estate is a bit far from Choi Hung Estate it can still be regarded as relocating in the same district, while Tung Tau Estate and Kowloon Walled City Park are also nearby."

Leung also praised officials for providing rent and buy options to affected residents.

Fellow legislator Frankie Ngan Man-yu from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong also welcomed the reconstruction.

"The Choi Hung interchange has been a black spot for traffic jams for years," Ngan said.

"I hope authorities can reserve space during the reconstruction, which will allow the nearby roundabout and roads to be expanded.

"I also hope planners can make use of the reconstruction and the East Kowloon mass transport system to resolve the Clear Water Bay Road congestion problem."

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com