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The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority:

The Housing Authority's Building Committee (BC) today (March 16) endorsed recommendations to demolish two Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) blocks in Shatin which have earlier been found to have defective piles.

The decision was made at a special BC meeting during which members were briefed on the results of the detailed investigation conducted by an independent consultant team on the defective foundation of the two HOS blocks at Shatin Area 14B Phase Two, as well as recommendations on possible options.

The team, appointed by the Authority in January 2000, found serious non-compliance in the 36 large diameter bored piles at Blocks D and E. The defective piles do not meet the structural safety standards and are incapable of sustaining the design loads.

Various options, including demolition, modification or strengthening on the superstructure and foundation for the blocks, as well as proposals from the piling contractor were carefully considered by BC Members at the meeting.

Members endorsed the demolition option after considering the safety factor of the two blocks and the adjacent properties, and also the technical and financial viability of the options. The impact of different options on the programming of the HOS project at Yuen Chau Kok was also taken into account.

"Having considered all the factors, the demolition option is considered the most viable," a spokesman for the Authority said.

"This option fully meets the Authority's requirement on safety standard. It is also technically sound and has less uncertainties.

"Furthermore, the option is considered more financially viable in view of the saleability of flats afterwards," the spokesman added.

Members also agreed that the option to produce defect free blocks is important to uphold public confidence in HOS products.

The foundation strengthening option forwarded by the piling contractor was rejected as technical issues, including safety standard and risk factor, could not be totally resolved.

Following BC's endorsement today, the Housing Department will further work out the implementation details of the option and the related contractual arrangements.

The spokesman added that the liability of the piling contractor for non-compliance will be pursued separately.

Construction works of the two blocks had been suspended since January this year when discrepancies were found between the recorded pile lengths and the actual lengths of the two of the five blocks under construction at the site.

At present, the blocks do not have any safety concern under the present loading conditions, the spokesman added.

End/Thursday, March 16, 2000

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