8
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1981
HOW ARE RENTS FOR HOUSING AUTHORITY FLATTED FACTOR IES DETERMINED, WHAT IS THE VACANCY POSITION OF SUCH UNITS BUILT OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS AND WHAT IS THE AVERAGE PERIOD THESE UNITS HAVE BEEN VACANT (THE HON WONG PO-YAN)?
MR LIAO EXPLAINED THAT RENTS FOR THE NEWEST FLATTED FACTORY UNITS WERE SET AT A MARKET LEVEL AS ESTABLISHED BY OPEN TENDER. THIS METHOD WAS USED BECAUSE THE SMALL, SPECIALLY DESIGNED UNITS IN FLATTED FACTOR IES WERE GENERALLY UNAVAILABLE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AND SO THERE WAS NO BASIS FOR ASSESSING COMPARABLE RENTS,
ON VACANCIES, HE SAID THERE WERE 1 200 EMPTY UNITS, MOST OF THEM IN A NEW BLOCK IN THE YIP ON FACTORY ESTATE AT KOWLOON BAY WHICH HAD BEEN COMPLETED TWO MONTHS AGO. THERE WERE ALSO 147 VACANCIES IN A YEAR-OLD BLOCK AT THE SAME FACTORY ESTATE.
MR LIAO ADDED: +MOST FACTORY UNITS ARE LET WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF COMPLETION, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT A RESERVE IS MAINTAINED TO MEET CLEARANCE COMMITMENTS, AND SOME OF THE UNITS NOW STANDING EMPTY ARE BEING RESERVED FOR KNOWN CLEARANCES OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.+
FLYOVERS CAN CARRY FLEET OF CONCRETE MIXERS
****
ALL HONG KONG'S HIGHWAY STRUCTURES ARE DESIGNED TO CARRY A STANDARD DESIGN LOADING WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO HAVING A FLEET OF CONCRETE MIXER TRUCKS CLOSELY PACKED ON A CARRIAGEWAY, SAID THE HON J.G. STEAN, ACTING DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
SUCH FULLY-LOADED CONCRETE MIXER TRUCKS REPRESENT A GREATER LOADING INTENSITY THAN THAT OF FULLY-LOADED DOUBLE-DECKER BUSES AND CONTAINER TRUCKS, WHICH ARE RELATIVELY LONGER, MR STEAN SAID.
MR STEAN WAS REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM DR THE HON HARRY FANG AS TO WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT WAS SATISFIED THAT FLYOVERS ARE DESIGNED WITH A LOAD CAPACITY TO ALLOW A LARGE NUMBER OF HEAVY VEHICLES, SUCH AS FULLY-LOADED DOUBLE-DECKER BUSES AND CONTAINER TRUCKS TO REMAIN ON THEM DURING CONGESTION.
APART FROM THE DESIGN FOR VEHICULAR LOADING. ALLOWANCE IS ALSO MADE IN THE DESIGN FOR TEMPERATURES AND WIND EFFECTS AND OTHER FORCES IMPOSED BY MOVING TRAFFIC, AND A SUITABLE SAFETY FACTOR IS ALSO INCORPORATED, HE SAID.
19