XN000022-1987-07-08 — Page 29

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1987

HK SHOULD BE PROUD OF ITS PUBLIC HOUSING

* * *

FOR

IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT NOT TO EXPRESS GENERAL SUPPORT KONG'S PUBLIC HOUSING POLICY WHEN A TOTAL OF 2.4 MILLION PEOPLE 45 PER CENT OF OUR POPULATION ARE LIVING IN ACCOMMODATION UNDER MANAGEMENT OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AND THE HOUSING SOCIETY, HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, SAID TODAY.

THE

-

HONG

OR

THE

HON

SPEAKING AT THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON LONG TERM HOUSING STRATEGY, MR CHEONG-LEEN SAID THERE WOULD ALSO BE HALF A MILLION PEOPLE SCHEDULED TO BE ACCOMMODATED BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AND THE HOUSING SOCIETY BY THE END OF THIS DECADE AND LARGE PRODUCTION PROGRAMMES WOULD CONTINUE INTO THE 1990'S AS WELL.

"THIS IS A RECORD WHICH WE IN HONG KONG SHOULD BE

HE SAID.

PROUD OF,"

NR CHEONG-LEEN SAID HE AGREED THAT TOP PRIORITY SHOULD BE GIVEN TO PROVIDE PUBLIC RENTAL HOUSING FOR ALL QUALIFYING LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN NEED OF SUCH HOUSING.

"THE HOUSING AUTHORITY'S POLICY STATEMENT STATES THAT OUTSTANDING DEMAND FOR PUBLIC RENTAL HOUSING FROM CLEARANCE, REDEVELOPMENT OF NON-SELF-CONTAINED PUBLIC RENTAL HOUSING FLATS, AND FROM THE WAITING LIST WILL HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY MET BY 1996 OR 1997.

"I AM PREPARED TO ACCEPT SUCH ESTIMATE PROVIDED THAT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY REVIEWS THE SITUATION ON AN ANNUAL ROLL-FORWARD BASIS, WITH A CAREFUL MONITORING OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR FROM YEAR TO YEAR IN THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF HOUSING TO ENSURE THERE IS GOOD CO-ORDINATION ALL ROUND.

MR CHEONG-LEEN SAID THE MAIN THRUST WOULD HAVE TO REMAIN THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SINCE THE COST OF LAND WAS FREE,

WITH

"THE STRESS SHOULD BE IMPROVED QUALITY, MORE UNITS, GOOD TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES," HE SAID.

HE ALSO SUPPORTED

THE REDEVELOPMENT PLANS PROPOSED IN THE STRATEGY PAPER ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT PRIORITY BE GIVEN TO REDEVELOPING THOSE ESTATES WHICH COULD BE MORE FULLY DEVELOPED AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATION FOR AN INCREASED NUMBER OF PEOPLE.

··

'ANOTHER CATEGORY WHICH I BELIEVE SHOULD BE GIVEN GREATER PRIORITY IS THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME, WHICH INTERLOCKS WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEME.

"I WOULD URGE THAT THIS SCHEME BE REVIEWED REGULARLY TO ENSURE THAT EXPANSION CAN MEET THE DEMAND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER ΤΟ ENCOURAGE AND BUILD UP A SOLID SENSE OF COMMITMENT AND OF IDENTITY HONG KONG.

CLI

ΤΟ

/ON THE