TNAG-0270-FCO40-306-Policy-on-housing-and-resettlement-in-Hong-Kong-1971 — Page 87

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All buildings are designed to withstand the high typhoon winds experienced in Hong Kong, and some have balcony access, others have central corridors. All are finished externally in black, white and grey washed granolithic as a permanent facing, with colour accents provided by doors on the balconies or cement painted panels in appropriate situations. Inside, the flats have a cement screed floor, fair faced and distempered walls and ceiling, steel framed windows and glass louvres, electric light and power points, whilst, in the kitchen is a cold water supply and a tiled dado, concrete workbench, cooking bench and a shelf. Dados in communal

staircases, entrance halls, corridors, etc. are in gay multi- colour pattern mosaic tiles.

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places

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The statistics of building the estate are as impressive as its other data. It has taken six years of intensive work to design and build, using something like 300,000 tons of reinforced concrete, 600 miles of electric wiring, 30 miles of plastic piping for the salt water supply, 90 miles of other water piping, 11⁄2 miles of roadway, 4 concrete road decks spanning ravines, 35 lifts. The estate has a net residential density of 2,173 persons to the acre. The average cost of a 6-person flat, including building and land, works out at $9,372 and forty-eight' contracts and sub- contracts were entered into to complete the whole operation.

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The flats have monthly rents ranging from $95 for a 6-person flat to $142 for a 9-person flat, inclusive of rates. Tenants are selected from those on the Authority's waiting list who qualify on a basis of housing need, and who, according to the Authority's rules of eligibility, have the right income and family composition. This work, together with that of the day-to-day operation of the estate, is the responsibility of the Management Section, the staff for which is trained within the Authority's own operation.

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Occupying 32 flats in Wah Hong House, a scheme is in operation for accommodating some 120 elderly people in a non-institutional way. This is under the sponsorship of a number of voluntary welfare agencies, with the Hong Kong Christian Service as Managers.

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Sites for four primary schools have been formed, at Government's request, by the Authority under its site formation contract.

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The total cost of the estate is estimated to be about $88 million, about $50m. of which has been loaned to the Authority by Government at favourable rates, the balance being met from the Authority's own resources.