ENG-1988 — Page 216

HOUSING

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Fanling area projects under construction were at Tin Ping Phase II and III (3 250 rental flats), Wah Ming Phases I and II (5 340 rental flats) and site formation work was either underway or recently completed in areas 6, 7, 18, 39 and 46. In Tai Po, the construction of Tai Wo Estate Phases I and II was being completed (5 530 rental flats), while the work on Phases III and IV was progressing towards a projected completion date in 1989. Site formation works at Wan Tau Tong Phase I were completed during the year, and those for Phase II will be completed next year. The eventual development at Wan Tau Tong will provide 3 400 rental flats with a further 1 224 being earmarked for transfer to HOS. Work also commenced on all four phases of Tai Po Area 8, an estate which, when completed in 1991, will provide 5 790 rental flats with a further 2 040 earmarked for HOS.

In Yuen Long, Phase II of Long Ping Estate was completed (3 160 rental flats) and site formation works at Tin Yiu and Tin Shui in Areas 5 and 16 were well advanced. These two sites will provide, during 1992-3, a staggering 17 100 rental flats with a further 2 450 being earmarked for transfer to HOS.

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Work at Sai Kung/Junk Bay was progressing on schedule with contracts on Po Lam Phase III (940 rental flats), Tsui Lam Phase II (2 490 rental flats), Ying Ming Court Phase IV HOS (700 flats), King Ming Court Phase III HOS (10 310 flats), and Area 4 PSPS (1 850 flats), all being completed during the year. Construction also began on King Lam Phases II and III and a PSPS project at Junk Bay Area 30/33 - all for completion in 1990. A total of 440 flats at Ngan Wan Estate (Mui Wo), on Lantau Island, were completed during the year and further sites for rural housing projects have been identified at Lung Tin (Lantau), and on Cheung Chau and Peng Chau.

Redevelopment

Between 1954 and 1964, 12 Mark I and Mark II estates, comprising 240 blocks, were constructed to house victims of natural disasters and squatters displaced by development clearances. These estates provided only basic accommodation with community and social facilities which are not up to the present standard. To improve the living environment of some 84 000 families in these estates, a redevelopment programme was launched in 1972.

In 1983, the government decided to step up the redevelopment programme, so that by 1990-1 the living conditions of all the remaining Mark I/II estates tenants could be improved. During 1988, 15 old blocks were evacuated to make way for new buildings, leaving 69 Mark I/II blocks to be redeveloped by 1990-1.

The extended redevelopment programme involving the clearance of 26 sub-standard blocks in 11 middle-aged estates was started in 1985. The programme has been progressing very smoothly, with about 80 per cent of the affected 15 100 families already rehoused. The year saw the successful evacuation of seven blocks, with the remaining 16 blocks to be totally redeveloped in 1989.

The new housing strategy, endorsed by the Executive Council in 1987, envisaged the need to extend the redevelopment programme from Mark I/II estates to all Mark III-VI and former government low cost housing estates, to improve the living environment in these estates. The first five-year rolling programme, involving 225 blocks accommodating 56 000 families, was drawn up and made public in June 1988. Tenants whose blocks are due for re- development are formally notified of all the details 18 to 24 months before the clearance dates.

Maintenance

As the stock of Housing Authority flats has increased, so too has the diversity and complexity of work carried out by the authority's maintenance division. In all, 4 300