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LAND AND HOUSING
The new Housing Authority is responsible for housing all categories of persons eligible for public housing. These fall into three major categories-families which become suddenly homeless due to natural disaster (2,484 housed in 1974); families cleared from Crown land for development or from dangerous tenement buildings (13,600 housed in 1974); and families unsatisfactorily housed in private, public or temporary housing who apply to be put on the waiting list. They are given a lower priority than the first two categories-17,624 were rehoused in 1974.
Waiting list applicants must have a family of at least three people, including husband and wife. The income limit for a family of three to six persons is $1,400 a month, and for a family of 10 or more, $2,000.
During the year 57,949 people were housed in public housing estates, bringing the total number of tenants to 1,800,000, representing 42 per cent of the population.
At the end of 1974, a total of 10 public housing estates were in various stages of construction while 11 others were at an advanced planning stage. These estates will provide 67,700 flats for nearly 473,000 people at an estimated cost of about $1,745 million.
To meet the demands of the 10-year public housing programme, the new Housing Authority is seeking more efficient and more economical building methods. It is also giving a lot of attention to improved flat design, and to a better range of amenities in its estates. A special feature during the year was the inclusion of a number of two-bedroom flats at Oi Man Estate in Ho Man Tin, the first estate on the 10-year programme, which is now being filled. Another innovation at this estate was a communal television antenna system designed to eliminate the untidy proliferation of individual aerials. If found successful, it will be extended to other estates.
Where necessary to meet district needs, that is, to cater for residents of the sur- rounding area as well as of its own tenants, the Housing Authority's new estates will have specially designed commercial centres, fully air-conditioned and with shopping arcades, supermarkets, department stores, cafes, restaurants and banks. Oi Man Estate and Lek Yuen Estate in Sha Tin will be the first two estates to have such centres.
The long-term housing programme will also bring improvements to the living conditions of the 500,000 people who were rehoused in the early stages of Hong Kong's squatter resettlement operation, between 1954 and 1962. The first redevelopment scheme is well advanced at Shek Kip Mei where the first resettlement block was built 20 years ago. This will provide greatly improved accommodation for about 60,000 persons and is now entering its third phase.
Six Mark I blocks have been converted into self-contained flats, each with its own toilet, kitchen and verandah. During the year, 6,500 tenants from three other blocks which were due to be demolished or converted, moved into these six blocks or to a nearby estate.
A similar scheme aimed at providing more living space per family, is being planned at Tai Hang Tung Estate, where some 35,000 persons will eventually be rehoused.