LAND AND HOUSING
101
The factory blocks are seven-storeys high and have units of 256 square feet. At the end of the year there were 22 such flatted factory blocks, containing a total of 1.86 million square feet of net working space, mostly situated in or near existing resettlement estates, and two further blocks were nearing completion. Rents are intended to cover administrative costs and a return on capital over 21 years at five per cent interest. In the latest factories these rents vary from 55 cents a square foot a month for a ground floor unit to 25 cents for one on the top floor, all rents being inclusive of rates.
There still remain 14 cottage resettlement areas in various parts of the urban area and the New Territories. The population of these areas has diminished as clear- ance for development continues and the occupants are resettled in multi-storey estates. However, cottage areas still house 49,994 people. Several of these areas contain many small factories, shops and workshops, together with schools, clinics and welfare centres of various types.
Government low-cost housing estates are managed on behalf of the government by the Housing Authority. These estates are built by the Public Works Department, and all capital and recurrent expenditure is met from government revenue. Under management at the end of 1972, were 17 estates housing 331,153 people. A further five projects are under development and, on completion, will accommodate an addi- tional 75,925 people.
The Housing Authority also manages the Pak Tin government estate, which is essentially a resettlement estate built to a standard approaching that of government low-cost housing. It is intended to house people displaced as a result of the redevelop- ment and conversion of the nearby Shek Kip Mei resettlement estate.
Government-aided housing
The Hong Kong Housing Authority, a statutory body created in 1954 by the Housing Ordinance (Chapter 183), aims to provide, manage and maintain suitable housing and amenities for as many as possible of those people who are living in overcrowded or otherwise unsatisfactory conditions and who could not afford to pay the rent charged by private landlords for comparable accommodation. By the end of 1972, the authority had accommodated 218,450 people in 34,893 flats in nine estates, three on Hong Kong Island, five in Kowloon and one in the New Territories. There were 322 shops, 28 kindergartens and 139 market stalls. An estate under construction at Ho Man Tin will have 6,205 flats for 46,125 people. In addition, seven sites in the New Territories were reserved for the authority by the government during 1972. These sites are in Castle Peak, Kwai Chung, Sha Tin, and Tsing Yi Island, and when fully developed will provide approximately 21,269 flats for 156,102 people.
Domestic flats built by the authority are self-contained. Each flat contains a private verandah, kitchen and toilet with a water closet and a shower, with living space of 35 square feet for each person. Housing estates are provided with such amenities as shops, market stalls, primary schools, kindergartens, clinics, community rooms, garages and play areas.