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Planning, Land and Infrastructure
eventually bring about an estimated 17,300 flats, of which some 14,400 and 2,900 would be public and private housing flats respectively.
Housing Land Supply
Public housing land supply comes from new government housing sites and redevelopment of existing public housing estates. Private housing land supply comes from various sources, including the disposal of government sites for private residential development through the Land Sale Programme, railway property development, urban renewal and private development or redevelopment projects.
In December, the government updated the total housing supply target for the 10 years. between 2017-18 and 2026-27 to 460,000 flats, with public housing accounting for 60 per cent. of the new production. There is, however, no easy and painless option to increase and expedite housing land supply, particularly in the short run. The community as a whole has to make hard choices and accept trade-offs to realise the housing supply target for the people of Hong Kong.
Commercial and Industrial Land Supply
Measures to increase the supply of commercial/business sites include putting up new. commercial and industrial sites for sale, converting government properties and government, institution or community sites in CBDs for commercial use, providing commercial space at the Central Harbourfront upon completion of works, energising Kowloon East as the second CBD, continuing with industrial-building revitalisation until 31 March 2016, and earmarking land for commercial and industrial use in new development projects.
The government is pursuing the provision of sites in CBDs for commercial use. It finished rezoning the Murray Road Multi-storey Carpark Building and Queensway Plaza in Central for commercial and office use in November and will put up the carpark building for sale in the first quarter of 2017. A planning and design study is under way to examine the potential of government sites at Sai Yee Street and Mong Kok East Station for a comprehensive development featuring housing, commercial/office/hotel projects, open space and/or government, institution or community facilities.
Kowloon East has the potential to supply about 4.7 million square metres of commercial and office floor space in addition to its existing supply of over 2.3 million sq m. One government site was sold in 2016, providing about 102,000 sq m of commercial and office floor space. The commercial and office gross floor area in the Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong Action Areas will be increased from 500,000 sq m to 560,000 sq m.
On a separate front, a study is in progress on how to utilise land optimally at the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge for commercial and other economic uses. A total gross floor area of up to 500,000 sq m can be made available.
Land Disposal
Government land is usually disposed of through public sale for private residential, commercial and other developments. Included in the Land Sale Programme are sites that it anticipates can become available for sale in the year. The government announces quarterly Land Sale
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