Response by HA to media enquiries on flat size of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme
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In response to media enquiries on the size of flats to be sold under the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) 2019, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) stressed today (March 7) that the concept of the GSH is to change the use of suitable public rental housing (PRH) projects from rental flats to sale flats under the GSH, and therefore the designs and sizes of GSH flats are the same as those of the standard PRH flats.
In terms of "internal floor area", PRH flats at present provide four standard designs: one to two persons flat (about 14 square metres), two to three persons flat (about 21 sq m), three to four persons flat (about 31 sq m) and four to five persons flat (about 35 sq m). The HA has been adopting this standard design for all PRH flats since 2006.
"For those flats to be sold under the GSH 2019, the 'internal floor area' of the smallest flats is about 14.1 sq m. This is the same as PRH flats for one to two persons," the spokesman said.
Measurement of the "internal floor area" is different from the "saleable area" as defined by the Residential Properties (First-hand Sales) Ordinance. "Saleable area" includes enclosing walls while "internal floor area" does not include enclosing walls.
The HA provides "saleable area" figures when launching its sale schemes. The smallest flat type of King Tai Court at San Po Kong under the GSH pilot project in 2016 measured 14 sq m by "internal floor area", which was 17.8 sq m by "saleable area" as shown on the sales brochure. As for the smallest flat of Lai Tsui Court at Cheung Sha Wan under the GSH 2018, its size was 14.2 sq m by "internal floor area" and the sales brochure showed that it was 17.1 sq m by "saleable area". When the HA launches the GSH 2019 for sale towards the end of this year, the sales brochure will show the "saleable area" for all the 3 696 flats. This has been the established practice for the sale of subsidised housing scheme flats in the past.
The spokesman stressed that the design of GSH projects is the same as the established design of PRH. There are no grounds to suggest that other types of residential flats smaller than the standard PRH flats are introduced specifically for GSH projects.
Referring to the reports on concerns that smaller flats under the GSH 2019 would be less attractive to the Green Form applicants, the spokesman expressed the belief that Green Form applicants will make prudent decisions based on their own situations.
"For the sale of King Tai Court in 2016, 125 smallest flats were sold out in the first round of purchase. If some of the flats under the GSH 2019 are not sold in the first round, the HA, in accordance with its established practice, may put up the remaining flats for sale under subsequent Home Ownership Scheme or GSH sale exercises," the spokesman said.
The spokesman added that the HA will continue to adopt an incremental approach by taking account of operational experience and sales responses and consider the suitability of PRH projects for conversion to GSH projects each year.
Ends/Thursday, March 7, 2019
Issued at HKT 19:45
Issued at HKT 19:45
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