ENG-2015 — Page 230

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Planning, Land and Infrastructure

North, as well as reclamation outside the harbour, cavern and underground space developments.

Housing Land Supply

The government announced the Long Term Housing Strategy in December 2014, and subsequently updated the total housing supply target for the 10 years between 2016-17 and 2025-26 to 460,000 units, with public housing accounting for 60 per cent of the new production. There is, however, no easy and painless option to increase and expedite housing land supply, particularly in the short run. The community as a whole has to make hard choices and accept trade-offs to realise the goal for the good of Hong Kong.

Public housing land supply comes from new government housing sites and redevelopment of existing public housing estates. Private housing land supply comes from various sources, including the disposal of government sites for private residential development through the Land Sale Programme, railway property development projects, urban renewal projects and private development or redevelopment projects. The government aims to provide adequate land for public housing and a steady and sustained land supply for private housing development.

Land Use Reviews

Under reviews of land uses in the territory, including vacant government land, the Planning Department identified some 150 potential housing sites, most of which may be made available for housing development in the five years from 2014-15 to 2018-19 to provide more than 210,000 flats, of which over 70 per cent can be public housing, subject to timely amendments to their respective statutory plans. The government will continue to consult District Councils and stakeholders on the potential housing sites that require plan amendments. As at end-2015, the government has submitted statutory plan amendment proposals for 63 of the sites to the Town Planning Board, estimating to produce about 74,000 flats, comprising 42,000 public housing units and 32,000 private residential flats. The statutory planning procedures for 46 of these sites have been completed, involving about 41,000 units.

Commercial Land Supply

Supply of commercial space and land is essential to sustaining Hong Kong's continued economic growth. The government's measures to increase the supply of commercial/business sites include converting suitable government properties and government, institution or community sites in core business districts for commercial use, providing commercial space at the new Central Harbourfront upon completion of works projects and continuing with industrial-building revitalisation measures until 31 March 2016.

In 2015, the Planning Department initiated rezoning of the Murray Road Multi-Storey Carpark Building and Queensway Plaza in Admiralty for commercial/office uses. The department began another planning and design study in March to examine the development potential of government sites at Sai Yee Street and Mong Kok East Station for a comprehensive development including housing, commercial/office/hotel projects, open space and/or government, institution or community facilities.

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