The Task Force on Land Supply submitted today (December 31) its report to the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, offering recommendations on the overall land supply strategy and prioritisation of land supply options. This morning, Mrs Lam met with the Chairman of the Task Force, Mr Stanley Wong, and the Vice-chairman, Dr Greg Wong, expressing gratitude on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to the Task Force for its dedicated efforts over the past year or so. She said that the Government would study the recommendations in detail and consider the way forward to increase land supply.
"The five-month public engagement exercise of the Task Force was conducted under an all-embracing, cross-sectoral and multi-channel approach, collecting as many as 100 000 views from different stakeholders, groups and members of the public. Task Force members worked tirelessly to reach out to the general public and various sectors of society. They have not only enhanced public awareness of the facts and constraints relating to land supply, but also effectively facilitated discussion and making of hard choices on different land supply options in the community," Mrs Lam said.
Mrs Lam noted that society in general recognises the dire situation of land shortage and feels strongly about the need to tackle the situation without delay while preparing for rainy days. "The Task Force has pointed out that Hong Kong's additional land demand would be far more than 1 200 hectares as estimated by the Government earlier. Coupled with the public recognition of the need to build up a land reserve and strong aspirations for a better living environment, we should adopt a multi-pronged approach in boosting land supply significantly," she said.
"Housing is an important livelihood issue as well as the top priority of the current-term Government. New housing initiatives promulgated by the Government in 2018 include raising the public housing ratio, building a housing ladder for people in different income brackets, revising the pricing mechanism of subsidised sale flats by severing the linkage between selling prices and market prices, and re-allocating private housing sites for public housing. As long as there is sufficient land supply, we have the confidence and determination to resolve the housing problem that has been plaguing our citizens for a long period of time, with a view to rekindling the hope of society," she added.
Mrs Lam said that the next step of the Government is to pull together the efforts of relevant bureaux and departments, with a view to finding and creating land at full steam. "I hope that members of society can all join hands and render support to initiatives which are conducive to the continuous development of Hong Kong, thereby creating more favourable conditions for the city's housing, livelihood and long-term advancement," she said.
Note: The Task Force's report has been uploaded to its website at www.landforhongkong.hk and the website of the Development Bureau (www.devb.gov.hk) for public viewing.
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