ENG-1985 — Page 191

HOUSING

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Satisfactory progress was maintained at Long Ping Estate in Yuen Long, which is scheduled for completion progressively between early 1986 and late 1987, providing a total of 8 480 rental flats.

In Junk Bay, construction work on five major contracts for two estates is well underway at Areas 5 and 6 and Area 14. The first phase of these estates will be completed in late 1986. When fully completed in 1988, they will provide a total of 9 860 rental flats and 2 800 Home Ownership flats.

On the outlying islands, tenders will be invited for piling work for 420 flats in Mui Wo on Lantau. This is the first of a new generation of rural housing, and similar designs will be adopted at other rural sites.

Redevelopment

In 1983, the Housing Authority decided to accelerate the redevelopment programme for the old Mark I and II housing blocks, with the intention of rehousing all the families living in the remaining blocks by 1990-1. Under this programme, about 6 000 families will be rehoused annually. Families living in these blocks who wish to improve their living conditions in advance of scheduled redevelopment are offered the opportunity to move to new flats in new towns.

During the year, a further 22 old blocks in Lower Wong Tai Sin, Tung Tau, Wang Tau Hom, Lei Cheng Uk and Tai Wo Hau estates were demolished to make way for the construction of new blocks. In November, the Housing Authority announced its decision to extend the redevelopment programme to include 26 other estate blocks, in which the condition of the concrete was found to be unsatisfactory.

Allocations

The Housing Authority possesses one of the world's largest housing stocks, with 2.3 million tenants living in 557 000 rental flats in 118 housing estates. These flats are of varying sizes, amenities and rent levels in order to meet the wide ranging requirements of families in need of public housing.

During the year, 29 654 new flats and 6 741 vacated units were let to various categories of eligible applicants. The largest proportion went to waiting list applicants (37 per cent), followed by families affected by development clearances (20 per cent) and tenants involved in the redevelopment of the Mark I and II old blocks (22 per cent). Victims of fires and natural disasters, occupants of huts and other structures in dangerous locations, and compassionate cases recommended by the Social Welfare Department took up the rest of the allocated flats.

Information regarding waiting list applicants and more than 3.1 million tenants has been computerised and stored in the Housing Applications and Tenancies Management Information System (HATMIS). The computer system enables housing allocations and duplication checks to be carried out effectively and produces useful statistical information for management.

The 13 700 flats allocated to waiting list applicants during the year were located in Kowloon East, Tai Po, Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun. Waiting time ranged from seven years for estates in Sha Tin to four years for those in Tuen Mun.

Applications were considered in the order of registration and in accordance with the choice of districts indicated. Accommodation was offered to those who, on investigation, were found eligible in respect of their family income. The space limits were removed following a review of this criterion during the year. The income limits were set having