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 20) approved mild adjustments to the monthly charges for private car (PC), motorcycle, light goods vehicle (LGV) and coach/bus parking spaces; the hourly charges for PC and LGV parking spaces; and the Day Pass and 24-hour Pass charges for PC parking spaces for 2018, while the existing hourly charge for motorcycle parking spaces will remain unchanged.
 
     It is an established policy of the HA to charge market fees for its parking spaces. As market research indicates that the HA's current monthly car park charges are in general slightly below the average market levels, the CPC endorsed a moderate increase in the monthly parking charges in 2018.
 
     The monthly charges for PC, LGV and coach/bus parking spaces will be slightly increased by around 6 per cent. For PCs, charges for Tier 1 fixed parking spaces will be increased from $1,460 - $2,580 to $1,550 - $2,730 for covered spaces and from $1,200 - $2,120 to $1,270 - $2,250 for open spaces. As for LGV parking spaces, the charges will be increased from $2,880 to $3,050 for covered spaces and from $2,220 to $2,350 for open spaces. Regarding monthly charges for motorcycle parking spaces, there will be an increase from $480 to $520 for covered spaces and from $370 to $400 for open spaces, while for coach/bus parking spaces, the monthly charges will be increased from $3,710 to $3,930 for covered spaces and from $2,760 to $2,930 for open spaces.
 
     The recent survey indicated that the HA's current hourly charges for PC and LGV parking spaces are generally below the current rates for most of the private sector car parks. To make the charges comparable to the market level, the CPC approved to increase the hourly rates by $1 for PC parking spaces and $2 for LGV 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 still be on average slightly below the levels of the majority of car parks in comparable sectors," a spokesman for the HA said.
 
     For the hourly charge for motorcycle 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 charge was in line with the market rates. The CPC therefore approved to maintain the existing charge.
  
     The HA's monthly charges for PC parking spaces are subject to a three-tier charging system 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) with different charges. The tier adopted for the new charges in 2018 will be based on the occupancy rates from August to October 2017. 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 rate of charges will be reduced.
 
     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 parking charges of other public bodies and comparable private sectors in determining its car park charges, with a view to maximising the occupancy rate and optimising returns. The HA had some 30 000 parking spaces in 151 car parks as at the end of September 2017.

Ends/Monday, November 20, 2017
Issued at HKT 17:25

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