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HOUSING AND LAND
completion of new temporary housing being built in the New Territories. Since it will be some years before all squatter concentrations can be cleared, efforts are now being made to make them safer and more habitable. A Squatter Area Improvements division was set up in early 1982 to undertake the planning for and improvements to squatter areas, including providing fire-fighting installations, fire-breaks, basic services such as sanitation, drainage, water and electricity, as well as amenities such as sitting-out areas.
Despite the great strides that have been made, demand for public housing remains high. At the end of 1982, there were still 158 500 families registered on the waiting list and an estimated 125 000 families living in squatter huts. Long-range studies have shown that it will be necessary to expand beyond the original new towns of Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin, Tuen Mun, Tai Po, Fanling/Shek Wu Hui and Yuen Long. To this end, plans are now well advanced for new towns at Junk Bay in the eastern New Territories and at Ma On Shan near Sha Tin, with the first public housing estates due for completion by 1986. Another major development area - earmarked for the late 1980s is Tin Shui Wai to the northwest of Yuen Long, which is scheduled to support a self-contained community of 130 000 people, about half of whom will live in public housing. Other sites under active consideration are at Tsing Yi, Siu Chai Wan and Fanling South.
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In addition to meeting the needs of the lowest income groups, the Housing Authority has, since 1978, been producing flats for sale to families in the lower-middle income bracket. Prices were kept well below market levels by selling the flats at cost, but in order to keep these inflation-affected prices within the means of the target group, the policy was revised during the year to exclude land value from the selling price of the flats. Similar pricing arrangements apply to the Private Sector Participation Scheme and Middle Income Housing Programme.
Mechanised construction methods are actively encouraged by the Housing Authority with a view to increasing the capacity and improving standards of the locaFbuilding industry. During the year, three major housing projects were selected for this form of labour-saving construction, and it is anticipated that increasing use will be made of such methods. Building costs generally remained stable with tender prices rising very little from the 1981 levels.
Now that production targets are being consistently met, increasing emphasis is being placed on upgrading standards and quality on both old and new estates. Such measures range from the ongoing redevelopment and conversion of the oldest resettlement estates to improving estate environments through extensive landscaping and provision of greenery. New estates will also benefit from revised standards for provision of recreation facilities, including indoor games centres. Flat designs have also been substantially improved with the introduction of the new Trident rental block, a new slab block for smaller size flats and a standard Home Ownership block which offers a wider range of flats for sale.
The Housing Authority
The Hong Kong Housing Authority, established under the Housing Ordinance 1973, is a statutory body responsible for co-ordinating all aspects of public housing. The Housing Authority advises the Governor on housing matters and through its executive arm, the Housing Department, plans and builds public housing estates for categories of people determined with the approval of the Governor; manages public housing estates through- out the territory - including cottage areas, temporary housing areas and transit centres; clears land for development; prevents and controls squatting; and plans and co-ordinates improvements to squatter areas. In addition, the Housing Authority was invited in 1977 to