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Mr Patten also pointed that the Housing Authority had gone a long way to meeting public housing tenants' expectations of safe and pleasant homes, with responsive and efficient management and high standards of security, cleanliness and amenity in each housing estate and would be doing even more in the immediate future.
"Over the next three years, we will rehouse at least 24,000 families whose living space per person is less than 5.5 square metres.
"We will also begin to privatise estate management on a trial basis next year. By 1997, all housing estates should have their own Estate Management Advisory Committees to give tenants direct access to management."
On planning for the future, Mr Patten said the ultimate aim must be to encourage families to become owner-occupiers.
"Over the next six years, the Government plans to provide subsidised programmes to help 190,000 families become owner-occupiers," he said.
"That is an impressive goal, and it is one that we can achieve without reducing our commitment to build public rental housing for 141,000 families over the same period.
"At the same time, we will use the Housing Project Action Team to fast-track residential developments in the private sector, where necessary, so that our targets for home ownership can be met."
Mr Patten added that it was time to take a hard look at the long-term housing
strategy.
"The Secretary for Housing will shortly start work on a comprehensive reappraisal of our future housing objectives and every aspect of the way in which we manage the enormous resources committed to providing decent, affordable houses for this community," he said.
LegCo and Housing Authority members and the wider community would be consulted after he received the recommendations by the middle of next year, Mr Patten said.
End/Wednesday, October 11, 1995
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