ENG-1999 — Page 253

HOUSING

Housing Supply

Flat production in 1999 was 83 000. This comprised 35 000 flats in the private sector, 30 000 public rental housing flats and 18 000 subsidised home ownership flats.

Flat production and land disposal programmes

The Housing Bureau maintains a 13-year flat production programme to facilitate the planning and monitoring of housing production. The programme is divided into three parts. The first part comprises the first three years, when construction of housing development is under way. The second part comprises the subsequent five years, when new sites are being prepared for allocation or sale for housing development. The third part comprises a further five years, when new sites for housing development are being identified.

In February, the Government announced a five-year land sale and development programme for the period 1999–2000 to 2003-04, including land for housing. An application system was also introduced to allow developers to apply for the sale of sites on a reserve list.

Planning studies

The Government completed five planning and engineering feasibility studies during the year. New sites were identified for housing in East Kowloon, Tuen Mun and Chai Wan, with an anticipated total production of about 40 000 flats. The Government is conducting another 10 planning and engineering feasibility studies to identify potential areas for housing development, to investigate the feasibility of intensifying or extending current developments and to examine the feasibility of developing identified sites for meeting housing demand. Six of these studies relate to the Strategic Growth Areas of Tung Chung/Tai Ho, Tseung Kwan O, North West New Territories, North East New Territories, Hong Kong Island South and Green Island Reclamation. These Strategic Growth Areas will accommodate an anticipated population of 790 000 by 2011. The remaining four studies involve other sites totalling more than 50 hectares of land, capable of producing more than 20 000 flats.

Supporting infrastructure

To facilitate the timely provision of infrastructure to support the housing programme, a control list of housing-related infrastructure projects has been compiled and a flexible financial arrangement for speeding up their implementation has been put in place. Some 55 key projects have been identified at a total cost of $17.6 billion. In the five-year period from 1999–2000 to 2003–04, $12 billion will be spent on these projects.

Monitoring flat production

The Housing Department, the Lands Department and the Territory Development Department are responsible for taking forward individual housing projects in the first eight years of the flat production programme. In 1999, the Planning Department took up the responsibility for housing projects in the last five years of the programme.

Flat production is monitored by the Steering Committee on Land Supply for Housing, chaired by the Financial Secretary, using a well-structured mechanism for resolving problems affecting housing projects at both central and district levels.

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