ENG-1994 — Page 259

HOUSING

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Department, Education Department and Rating and Valuation Department, these centres provide enquiry and advisory services to the residents on matters relating to public housing, education, employment, social welfare, and their rights under existing tenancies.

The three information centres, at the Mongkok, Wan Chai and Tsuen Wan district offices, have proved popular. To provide further information to elderly people living in the private sector about priority public housing available to them, the two centres in Wan Chai and Mongkok will be relocated to larger ground floor premises and will each have a special information desk set up for them by early 1995.

Welfare Services

Some 1 045 welfare premises in the authority's estates and courts were let for welfare and community services at a concessionary rent of $33 per square metre a month. Non-domestic premises in less popular locations were also let at a fair market rate to community organisations.

The authority undertakes fitting-out works for some welfare projects and since 1984, 193 such projects have been fitted out.

The estate liaison officer scheme, providing outreaching services to elderly public housing tenants in various estates, has been extended. Under the scheme, housing management staff visit the elderly to offer assistance and encourage them to take part in various activities. Emergency alarm systems for elderly people are also being installed and, by the end of the year, 900 alarm sets had been provided in 10 estates.

Commercial Properties

The authority provides retail facilities in new estates. Five more shopping centres were completed during the year, bringing the total under management to 93.

Total stock was little changed at around 1.27 million square metres, new production being largely offset by the clearance of older estates.

This renewal process, coupled with an expanded improvement programme for older shopping centres under which selected centres will be upgraded by the private sector, is achieving rapid advances in overall quality.

The authority's portfolio includes 17 flatted factory estates and 3 400 shops in former resettlement estates. These shops and roughly half of the factory units were let initially at very low rents which, despite moderate biennial increases, remain well below market levels. With these exceptions, premises are let at market rents, normally for three-year

terms.

Lettings are primarily by tender supplemented by negotiation, which provides flexibility and assists in attracting anchor tenants and large-space users.

While management continues to be mainly in-house, the success of trial schemes has encouraged the authority to widen the role of the private sector. A fifth market, at Hau Tak Estate in Tseung Kwan O, was let to a single operator, and an entire shopping centre at Yiu Tung, Shau Kei Wan let to a single tenant for leasing and subsequent management opened during the year.

Overall performance was reflected in a record low vacancy rate of 1.7 per cent by the end of the year, and a 20 per cent growth in income over the previous year (including income from carparks), to $3.2 billion.