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Following is a question by the Hon Albert HO Chun-yan and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (February 27):
Question:
The Transport and Housing Bureau indicated in its paper submitted to the Panel on Housing of this Council in January 2013 that ¡§the HA (Hong Kong Housing Authority) will critically review the redevelopment potential of its aged PRH (public rental housing) estates, in order to increase the efficiency of the use of older sites¡¨. At present, quite a number of PRH estates are up to 30 and 40 years old. Upon completing the structural investigations for 14 PRH estates approaching or exceeding 40 years of age at the end of 2010, the Housing Department indicated that it would conduct structural investigations for other PRH estates with ages approaching 40 years one after another. According to the results at that time, apart from So Uk Estate and Tung Tau (I) Estate which had to be cleared, the remaining 12 PRH estates for which structural investigations had been completed were found to be ¡§structurally safe¡¨ and could be retained for another 15 years after carrying out ¡§appropriate repair works¡¨. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it will review afresh to identify which of the aforesaid PRH estates that the authorities decided in 2010 to retain by way of carrying out repair works have redevelopment potential, so as to redevelop them expeditiously to increase the efficiency on the use of land; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(b) whether it will include PRH estates over 40 years old in the priority redevelopment projects; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply :
President,
To address the strong demand for public rental housing (PRH) from the public, the Government and the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) actively explore various options to boost the supply of PRH. We will identify sites suitable for PRH development over the territory, and will carefully examine the redevelopment potential of aged PRH estates, so as to increase the supply of PRH flats.
In order to strike a balance between structural safety and economic repair, the HA launched the Comprehensive Structural Investigation Programme (CSIP) in 2005 to examine the conditions of aged estates. The estates will be considered for clearance only if the buildings are confirmed to be structurally unsafe and beyond economic repair.
To better assess the building sustainability and redevelopment potential of aged estates, the HA endorsed the ¡§Refined Policy on Redevelopment of Aged Public Rental Housing Estates¡¨ in 2011. According to this, in considering clearance and redevelopment of aged estates, the HA will refer to the findings of the CSIP on structural safety and cost effectiveness in repair works, and will also examine the redevelopment potential and availability of suitable rehousing resources. By reviewing the specific site characteristics and developable area in the vicinity of individual estates, the HA will conduct a series of detailed studies including various technical and environmental impact assessments, local master planning, urban design and development intensity, etc. The HA will also liaise with relevant bureaux and government departments on issues relating to the community, social welfare, transport and educational facilities, etc in the districts concerned. Only after the completion of these assessments can the HA eventually confirm the feasibility of redeveloping an estate to draw up suitable implementation programmes accordingly.
Under CSIP, the HA investigates the structural conditions of all PRH estates that have undergone comprehensive structural investigation and are retained in a 15-year cycle. So far, 42 estates aged 30 years and above have been included in CSIP. Of these, the assessment of 24 PRH estates including all those aged 40 years and above has been completed. Apart from So Uk Estate, Tung Tau Estate Block 22 and Pak Tin Estate that have been announced as targets for redevelopment, other estates already announced for retention would have undergone/ will undergo the necessary estate improvement and repair works with close monitoring of their structural conditions.
Going forward, the HA will follow the prevailing ¡§Refined Policy on Redevelopment of Aged Public Rental Housing Estates¡¨, in examining the redevelopment potential of aged estates. A key consideration will be the availability of suitable rehousing resources. The HA will strike a balance between the sustainability of buildings and their redevelopment potential, with a view to increasing PRH production through optimization of the valuable land resources.
As mentioned above, in determining the redevelopment feasibility of the aged estates, we will conduct a series of detailed studies. If there is potential for a substantial net gain in PRH production upon redevelopment and suitable rehousing resources are available, we will consider the scope of redevelopment of the aged estates, either as a complete redevelopment or partial redevelopment with renovation. If redevelopment is confirmed to be not suitable, the redevelopment potential of such aged estates will be re-assessed during the next round of CSIP.
At this stage, other than the announced redevelopment projects, viz So Uk Estate, Tung Tau Estate Block 22 and Pak Tin Estate, the HA has not taken any decisions on the redevelopment of any other aged estate.
Ends/Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Issued at HKT 14:21
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