ENG-1955 — Page 156

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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

committees (ten in all) is in operation, meeting at frequent intervals, in order to deal with such matters as architectural planning, tenancy selection, estate organization, byelaws, sites, finance and accountancy, publicity, and slum clearance. Meetings of the Authority itself are held as often as circumstances dictate; in addition, two Press conferences were held, at which details of the various projects were promulgated. Agreement has now been reached with the Government on the main principles of the financial arrange- ments to be followed, and auditors (who will also act as financial consultants on an honorary basis) have been appointed.

One of the main difficulties experienced by the Authority is the lack of suitable building sites. Indeed, such sites, where expensive and prolonged site formation is not involved, are now virtually unobtainable within the urban area, where most of the people to be re-housed must be accommodated, so as to be near their places of livelihood. It is thus self-evident that land within the urban area, or at least the accessible parts of it, must not be sterilized by cheap single-storey housing. Vertical development, in the shape of multi-storeyed buildings, has been accepted as the only solution. This does not make for an ideal form of dwelling, and flats are relatively expensive to construct. In addition, the maximum densities permitted in the United Kingdom and elsewhere must be considerably exceeded if sufficient accommodation is to be provided with the limited land resources available. The Authority's long-term plans envisage the eventual provision of a minimum of 10,000 housing units a year. To make this target feasible it has had to accept net densities of 1,500 or more persons to the acre, but even on this basis it has not been easy to find land.

The Public Works Department recently carried out a general sites survey, to meet the requirements not only of assisted housing schemes, but also of schools, clinics, play- grounds, and other public necessities. This survey was revised during the year to provide for the Government's stepped-up activity in dealing with the housing problem, and is related closely to all development planning. 1,000 acres have already been reserved for temporary resettlement, but much of even this would need clearing of minor struc- tures, levelling and draining, before it could be used.