Moderate adjustments to HA car park charges

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
 
      The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA)'s Commercial Properties Committee (CPC) today (November 19) approved mild adjustments to the monthly charges for private car (PC), motorcycle (MC), light goods vehicle (LGV) and coach/bus (C/B) parking spaces; the hourly charges for PC parking spaces; and the Day Pass and 24-hour Pass charges for PC parking spaces for 2019, while the existing hourly charges for MC and LGV parking spaces will remain unchanged.
 
      It is an established policy of the HA to charge fees at market level for its parking spaces. As market research indicates that the HA's current monthly car park charges are generally below the average market level, the CPC endorsed a moderate increase in the monthly parking charges in 2019.
 
      The monthly charges will be slightly increased by around 6 per cent for PC parking spaces and by around 3 per cent for LGV and C/B parking spaces. For PCs, charges for Tier 1 fixed parking spaces will be increased from $1,550 – $2,730 to $1,640 – $2,890 for covered spaces and from $1,270 – $2,250 to $1,350 – $2,390 for open spaces. As for LGV parking spaces, the charges will be increased from $3,050 to $3,140 for covered spaces and from $2,350 to $2,420 for open spaces, while for C/B parking spaces, the monthly charges will be increased from $3,930 to $4,050 for covered spaces and from $2,930 to $3,020 for open spaces. Regarding monthly charges for MC parking spaces, there will be an increase from $520 to $560 for covered spaces and from $400 to $430 for open spaces.
 
      The research also indicated that the HA's current hourly charges for PC parking spaces are generally below the current rates for most of the private sector car parks. To bring the charges comparable to the market level, the CPC approved to increase the hourly rates by $1 for PC parking spaces, and the Day Pass and 24-hour Pass charges by $5 for PC parking spaces for all regions.
 
      "The approved increases are moderate and the resultant car park charges will on average still be slightly below the level of the majority of car parks in comparable sectors," a spokesman for the HA said.
 
      For the hourly charges for MC and LGV parking spaces, the research indicated that there were no significant adjustments in charges for the majority of private sector car parks and the HA's current charges were in line with the market rates. The CPC therefore approved to maintain the existing charges.
  
      The HA's monthly charges for PC parking spaces are subject to a three-tier charging system with different discounts based on occupancy rates (namely Tiers 1, 2 and 3 for occupancy rates at 90 per cent or above, 50 per cent to below 90 per cent, and below 50 per cent respectively). The tier adopted for the new charges in 2019 will be based on the occupancy rates from August to October 2018. The discounts for monthly charges for PC parking spaces at some car parks may be adjusted accordingly. If, subsequently, the occupancy rate falls to a lower tier for three consecutive months, the discount for the charges will be increased.
 
      To support the Government's policy to promote wider use of electric vehicles (EVs), Members approved to continue to offer free parking for EVs during electricity charging at the hourly parking spaces up to a maximum of two hours, and to charge the utility companies a nominal licence fee of $1 per annum for their EV charging facilities installed at the HA's car parks.
 
      The HA's car park charges are reviewed annually and the approved charges will take effect from January 1 of the following year. The HA makes reference to the current market levels including the car park charges of other public bodies and comparable private sectors in determining its car park charges, with a view to bringing the charges within the market range. The HA had some 30 500 parking spaces in 157 car parks as at the end of September 2018.