The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) has decided to convert two public rental housing (PRH) developments for use and sale under the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) 2019.
A spokesman for the HA said today (March 6) that the conversion was approved by the Strategic Planning Committee of the HA at its meeting on March 4. The two developments are located respectively at Chai Wan Road, Chai Wan and Tsing Hung Road, Tsing Yi.
The Chai Wan site, providing 828 flats is expected to be ready for occupation by the fourth quarter of 2022. The Tsing Yi site will provide 2 868 flats and is expected to be ready for occupation by the third quarter of 2023. The HA plans to launch the pre-sale of these flats by the end of this year.
"The Subsidised Housing Committee of the HA agreed to regularise the GSH in January 2018. The Committee also decided that it should be prudent to implement GSH at a more modest pace to gather experience, reduce the risk of unsold flats and minimise impact on the waiting time for PRH applicants," the spokesman said.
"In line with this incremental approach and in the light of the positive response to the pilot GSH in 2016 and GSH 2018, the Strategic Planning Committee decided to convert the two PRH developments mentioned above for use of GSH 2019.
"Given the incremental approach, we will continue to take account of operational experience and sales response, and consider the suitability of PRH projects for conversion to GSH projects each year," the spokesman said.
In considering the suitability of PRH projects for conversion to GSH, HA will make reference to the following established principles:
- While a site may include certain public facilities, it should not contain public facilities that will incur very high management and/or maintenance fees;
- The conversion of a PRH site to GSH development should not result in substantive changes to the original planning;
- The site should preferably be a standalone one, or can be easily carved out from a PRH development; and
- Any PRH development that will be completed shortly is not suitable.
Details of the two GSH 2019 sites are set out in the HA paper (paper no: HA 06/19) which has been uploaded onto HA website: www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/about-us/housing-authority/ha-paper-library/index.html.
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