XN000022-1975-02-20 — Page 2

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1975

HOUSING PROGRAMME PUSHES AHEAD

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HONG KONG'S PUBLIC HOUSING BUILDING PROGRAMME IS FORGING AHEAD AND WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS NEW HOMES FOR SOME 400.000 SHOULD BE READY, ACCORDING TO THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, MR. IAN LIGHTBODY.

HE TOLD A LUNCHEON OF THE Y'S MEN'S CLUB OF HONG KONG TODAY THAT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY NOW HAD 14 ESTATE CONTRACTS RUNNING WHICH WILL PRODUCE HOMES FOR UP TO 300,000 PEOPLE BY 1978 AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF ABOUT $1,000 MILLION,

IN ADDITION, THE AUTHORITY'S ARCHITECTS HAD REACHED AN ADVANCED STAGE IN THEIR DESIGN AND PLANNING WORK FOR A FURTHER SIX SCHEMES WHICH WOULD HOUSE ANOTHER 100,000. HOPEFULLY, HE ADDED, THESE PROJECTS WOULD BE COMPLETED BY 1979 AT THE LATEST ÅT AN ESTIMATED COST OF $400 MILLION.

MR. LIGHTBODY SAID HE COULD NOT SAY EXACTLY HOW PLANS FOR LETTING NEW CONTRACTS WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THE COMING BUDGET, +BUT I AM CONFIDENT THAT THEY WILL RATE A HIGH PLACE IN ANY LIST OF PRIORITIES.+

HE NOTED THAT BECAUSE OF THE VAST SUMS OF MONEY SPENT BY THE AUTHORITY, FINANCE WAS ALWAYS A MAJOR PREOCCUPATION AND THE AUTHORITY MUST ALWAYS STRIVE TO GET MAXIMUM VALUE FOR MONEY IN ITS BUILDING PROGRAMMES.

→GIVEN THE MANY COMPETING DEMANDS ON PUBLIC HOUSING,+ HE SAID, I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WOULD PREFER THAT WE SHOULD ACCEPT THE NEED TO CHARGE HIGHER RENTS THAN HAS BEEN THE CASE IN THE PAST FOR THESE NEW ESTATES, RATHER THAN CONTEMPLATE ANY REDUCTION IN OUR HOUSING PROGRAMME.+

HE DESCRIBED AS +UNFOUNDED+ CRITICISM OF THE RENT CHARGED FOR NEWER HOUSING AUTHORITY ESTATES AND POINTED OUT THAT THE NEW LEVELS WERE STILL REASONABLE COMPARED WITH THOSE CHARGED FOR COMPARABLE ACCOMMODATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. +AND OF COURSE WE DO KEEP IN MIND THE FACT THAT WE ARE CATERING FOR PERSONS IN THE LOWER INCOME GROUPS.+

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS FACING THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, HE SAID, WAS WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT HOUSING SINGLE PERSONS AND TWO- PERSON HOUSEHOLDS.

WHILE THE AUTHORITY'S GENERAL WAITING LIST FOR PUBLIC HOUSING HAD NEVER BEEN OPEN TO FAMILIES WITH LESS THAN THREE PERSONS. SINGLE PERSON AND TWO-PERSON HOUSEHOLDS HAD FROM TIME TO TIME BEEN ALLOCATED FLATS ON A SHARED BASIS.

THIS IS ...**

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