23. Expansionism in its various forms perhaps constitutes the biggest problem of estate management: the expansion of families leading to overcrowding; the expansion of shops and restaurants into the estate courtyards; the expansion of the hawking trade into estates. Readers of this and previous reports will be aware that the first problem has been and continues to be tackled with energy and some degree of success; steps were taken during the year to come to grips with the second problem by issuing permits for seating areas outside restaurants and by demolishing oversize sunshades and the like; the third problem, which is by no means confined to resettlement estates, had so far defied solution.
24. The Housing Board met regularly and its fourth report, for the year 1967-68, was tabled in the Legislative Council in February. Its main recommendations as to resettlement were that:
(a) a pilot sheme for the conversion of one of the Mark I/II resettlement blocks should be undertaken. It will be seen from paragraph 19 above that a start has already been made on this; (b) resettlement tenants should not be given special priority for Government Low Cost Housing but should be encouraged by the Resettlement Department to apply for it when the present Government Low Cost Housing waiting-list is cleared and a new list opened. Towards the end of the year the department began giving publicity in squatter areas and in the resettlement estates to the availability of Housing Authority accommoda- tion, and this campaign will be intensified when the Govern- ment Low Cost Housing register reopens;
(c) a management experiment should be undertaken whereby the Commissioner for Housing would be responsible for the management of a Mark VI resettlement estate, the results of which would enable the Board to consider further any proposal to convert Resettlement to a form of Government Low Cost Housing;
(d) a new standard space allocation of 27 sq. ft. for each adult should be introduced in Mark I to V blocks, with children under ten continuing to count for this purpose as half an adult. The purpose of this recommendation is to make official what has been the Resettlement Department's practice for some time; (e) the proposal for turning over Class II licensed areas should
be endorsed (see paragraph 13 above);
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