FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 1977
GOVERNMENT'S HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME
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THE WORKING PARTY ON HOME OWNERSHIP HOPED TO TAKE THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME FORWARD TO THE STAGE WHERE APPLICATIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC COULD BE INVITED SOME TIME IN EARLY 1978 FOR THE PURCHASE OF FLATS UNDER THE SCHEME, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, MR. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, ANNOUNCED TODAY (FRIDAY).
SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE AT WHICH HE GAVE AN OUTLINE OF THE SCHEME, MR. HADDON-CAVE, WHO CHAIRS THE WORKING PARTY, POINTED OUT THAT THE BASIC FRAMEWORK OF THE SCHEME HAD BEEN WORKED OUT.
THE INTENTION OF THE SCHEME, HE SAID, WAS TO HELP THE LOWER MIDDLE INCOME GROUP TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN HOMES ON TERMS THEY COULD AFFORD.
HE SAID THAT THE FIRST SITES HAD BEEN CHOSEN AT ABERDEEN, CHAI WAN, LAI CHI KOK, HO MAN TIN (NEAR OI MAN ESTATE) AND SHA TIN.
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS ACCEPTED THE GOVERNMENT'S INVITATION TO BE ITS AGENT FOR DESIGNING, BUILDING AND SELLING THE FLATS AND, AS A FIRST STEP, HAS PRODUCED DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS, TOGETHER WITH ESTIMATES OF COSTS, IN RESPECT OF THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROGRAMME WHICH WOULD PRODUCE ABOUT 7,200 FLATS BY 1979/80 ON THESE SITES.
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS COMMISSIONED SEVERAL FIRMS OF PRIVATE ARCHITECTS TO PRODUCE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS FOR THESE SITES.
EACH FLAT WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A KITCHEN, TOILET FACILITIES AND A BALCONY. THE SMALLER FLATS ARE LIKELY TO BE OPEN PLAN AND THE LARGER ONES SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST TWO SEPARATE BEDROOMS.
MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID THAT THE COST OF THESE FLATS WILL NOT BE KNOWN UNTIL CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN LET BUT, ON THE BASIS OF ORDERS OF COSTS NOW KNOWN TO THE WORKING PARTY, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE FLATS MIGHT BE SOLD WITHIN A PRICE RANGE OF ABOUT $80,000 TO $140,000.
AS TO ELIGIBILITY, MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID THE FLATS WERE INTENDED FOR THOSE FAMILIES WHO HAD A TOTAL COMBINED INCOME OF BELOW $3,500 A MONTH AND WHO HAD BEEN LIVING IN HONG KONG FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS. EXISTING TENANTS OF PUBLIC HOUSING FLATS WILL NOT HAVE TO SATISFY THE NORMAL CRITERIA AND WILL BE TREATED AS A SPECIAL CATEGORY WITH SOME PRIORITY.
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