Copy of letter of 26th August 1969 from the Chairman of the Housing Board
Annex C
to XCR(70) 303
Sir,
26th August 1969.
Government Low Cost Housing at Kwai Chung
I refer to my letter of 4th July 1969, in which I conveyed the Housing Board's recommendation that the tenders for the building of the remaining Government Low Cost Housing estates at Kwai Chung should be deferred until the likely overall demand and the time- scale of that demand could be established with greater accuracy.
2.
The Board has continued its investigations into the question of demand and has concluded that, at the present rate of applications, it is likely that a considerable amount of Government Low Cost Housing accommodation will remain unfilled for some time (with consequent loss of rental revenue) unless measures are taken to stimulate demand. Various proposals have been and still are under discussion by the Board. Meantime, however, the Board would recommend as a matter of urgency that, for the Kwai Chung estates, the eligible family income limit should be raised from $500 to $700 a month; and that the limit on family numbers should be reduced from four persons to two persons and thus give an opportunity for young married couples to set up on their own.
3*
It will be appreciated that the recommendations made above are designed primarily to widen the range of families eligible for Government Low Cost Housing. However, it should be pointed out that the $500 income limit was fixed some years ago and, that as there has been a general rise in incomes in the interim, it is probable that the class of family for which this housing was intended would now fall within the increased income limit recommended.
4.
It is not recommended that this extension should be applied to estates other than those in the Kwai Chung area. Applications for Government Low Cost Housing estates in the central areas are very much
There is less in excess of the capacity of the estates being built. demand for flats at Wong Chuk Hang Estate at Aberdeen but a relaxation of the rules for applications for this estate would be likely to affect applications for the nearby Housing Authority estate at Wah Fu.
5.
With regard to the second recommendation, the Board believes that young married couples should have the opportunity to set up house for themselves both because this is desirable in itself and because it would help to relieve overcrowding. If for example flats were freely available at Kwai Chung for newly-married couples it would be possible to reconsider the present policy of allowing the addition of sons' wives to resettlement rooms, which is a considerable potential source of overcrowding. As there is now likely to be vacant accommodation at Kwai Chung, the opportunity should be taken to make this amendment in the eligibility criteria.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
Sa. J.P. Aserappa Chairman,
Housing Board.
The Hon. Colonial Secretary,
Colonial Secretariat, Central Government Offices, HONG KONG.