kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
Transcript of remarks by S for Housing at media session
21.12.2023

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Housing and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Housing Authority, Ms Winnie Ho, at a media session after attending the Hong Kong Housing Authority Strategic Planning Committee meeting this afternoon (December 21): Reporter: (About plan for the businesses in Choi Hung Estate, number of flats for affected residents of Choi Hung Estate to buy and rent didn't add up to 7 500 units, and plans to preserve the characteristics of Choi Hung Estate) Secretary for Housing: All the relocation projects (sites), including the public rental housing proposed in Mei Tung Estate and the GSH (Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme) estate in Wang Chiu Road, are within the same Wong Tai Sin District. For the numbers, we are talking about three phases, there are total (about) 7 400 units (in Choi Hung Estate). If we divide them into three phases, that means there are around 2 500 in each phase. So there is relocation possibility for the first phase. As you can see in Mei Tung Estate, we have (about) 2 860 units. So there should be more than enough for the first phase. Wang Chiu Road GSH, which they (affected residents of Choi Hung Estate) can buy as subsidised sales flats, and there are 1 467 units. There are much more than enough for the first phase. After the first phase has been relocated, there are spaces to redevelop within the Choi Hung Estate area. The redeveloped first phase area can absorb residents of the second phase. And then the area of the second phase, after redeveloping, can absorb the residents of the third phase. So that's the concept how we carry out redevelopment project. There are enough relocation sites outside Choi Hung for us to kick-start this redevelopment project. For the businesses, they have the priority to bid for (the shops in) other shopping arcades in newly developed public housing estates in other areas. (Please also refer to the Chinese version of the transcript.)
Tenders awarded for first batch of Light Public Housing projects (with photos)
28.11.2023

The Housing Bureau and the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) announced today (November 28) that the two tenders for the design and construction of the first batch of Light Public Housing (LPH) projects, i.e. Public Works Project Contract no. SS M518, Design and Construction of Light Public Housing at Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun Area 3A and Choi Hing Road, Ngau Tau Kok, has been awarded to Chevalier - China Railway Joint Venture; and Public Works Project Contract no. SS M519, Design and Construction of Light Public Housing at Olympic Avenue, Kai Tak, has been awarded to China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited respectively. The first batch of LPH projects comprises four projects, providing a total of around 17 000 units. The construction work at the four sites will commence from December 2023 by phases, among which the LPH site at Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, is expected to be completed in Q1 2025 at the earliest to provide about 2 100 units. The other three sites are expected to be completed in phases from Q2 2025 to Q3 2026. The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, said, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced the launch of LPH last year so as to fill the short-term gap of the public housing supply, and to improve the living conditions and quality of the people living in inadequate housing as soon as possible. After obtaining the funding approval from the Legislative Council (LegCo) for the first batch of LPH projects early this year, the ArchSD has been pressing ahead with relevant works at full speed. Following the award of the contracts, construction works will commence right away. We will also seek the necessary funding for the second batch of LPH projects from the LegCo shortly in order to complete about 30 000 LPH units by 2027â28."
S for Housing conducts visit to Zhuhai and Shenzhen (with photos)
19.9.2023

The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, and representatives of the Housing Department visited Zhuhai and Shenzhen today (September 19) to get an understanding of the latest development of Multi-trade Integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MiMEP) in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as the application of this innovative and efficient construction technology in Hong Kong's public housing projects. They also visited the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base. Ms Ho and other members of the delegation arrived in Zhuhai in the morning. They first visited the digital pavilion and production lines of the China Overseas Innovation & Technology (Zhuhai) Company Limited, and were briefed on the production processes of the MiMEP modules. They also learned about the highly efficient automated modes of manufacturing mechanical and engineering products. MiMEP transfers labour-intensive processes to factories. By applying modular integrated methods, it integrates multi-trade building services components into a single assembly of prefabricated modules, which are manufactured off-site in a factory and then transported to the site for connection of modules, to complete various trades of building services installations on-site more effectively and efficiently. Ms Ho met with the company representatives afterwards to exchange views on how to adopt MiMEP more extensively in Hong Kong. She said a wide adoption of MiMEP can help address labour shortage, at the same time reducing the time of installing electrical and mechanical installations on-site. This can further enhance site safety and building quality, reduce construction waste, and is conductive to enhancing the speed, efficiency, quantity and quality of housing supply. The delegation moved to Qianhai, Shenzhen, in the afternoon. Accompanied by the Party Secretary and Director-General of the Housing and Construction Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Mr Xu Songming, they toured the Qianhai Exhibition Hall and the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base, to get an understanding of the urban planning which includes indemnificatory housing. Ms Ho also shared with leaders of local housing and construction offices Hong Kong's public housing development and management experience. She exchanged views with Shenzhen's professional teams with a view to drawing on the experience of each other when setting future directions. Ms Ho said that the Government has all along been exploring and introducing new construction technologies, and welcomes more experience exchanges with the Mainland. She will return to Hong Kong this evening after the visit.
S for Housing begins Singapore visit (with photos)
23.8.2023

The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, began her visit to Singapore yesterday (August 22). She met with local government officials to exchange views in areas such as housing policies, innovative construction technologies and green building. Members of the Hong Kong Housing Authority Strategic Planning Committee, as well as representatives of the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS), the Housing Bureau and the Housing Department also joined the visit. Upon arriving in Singapore yesterday afternoon, Ms Ho first had a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the Housing & Development Board (HDB) of Singapore, Mr Tan Meng Dui, to learn about local housing policies and public housing projects. She then met with the Minister for National Development of Singapore, Mr Desmond Lee, and was briefed on overall land use planning as well as development strategies and direction of Singapore. Ms Ho continued her visit to Singapore today (August 23). She first visited the Tiong Bahru Market in the morning to learn more about the management and operation models of public markets and cooked food centres that cater for daily needs of the residents. She then visited a public housing project, SkyVille@Dawson, of which the design of the project emphasises community connection and sustainability. The delegation then attended a luncheon with representatives from the construction sector of Singapore to share views and experiences on innovative construction technologies. In the afternoon the delegation visited Kampung Admiralty, a multi-agency project developed by the HDB in partnership with a number of government departments and organisations. It is a first-of-its-kind development in Singapore, integrating housing, healthcare, commercial, retail, social and communal facilities to cope with the needs of an aging population. The delegation visited the Punggol Eco-Town afterwards to get an understanding of sustainable urban planning in Singapore. Punggol is the country's first eco-friendly public housing precinct which supports sustainable town development through effective energy, water and waste management. Ms Ho will continue her visit to Singapore tomorrow (August 24).
S for Housing to visit Singapore
21.8.2023

The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, will lead a delegation to Singapore tomorrow (August 22) to learn more about the latest development of public housing development, community facilities and construction technologies in Singapore. The delegation comprises members of the Hong Kong Housing Authority Strategic Planning Committee, and representatives of the Housing Bureau, the Housing Department and the Hong Kong Housing Society. During the visit to Singapore, Ms Ho will meet with officials from the Ministry of National Development, the Housing & Development Board and the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore, as well as the local construction sector. Ms Ho will also pay a visit to the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Singapore. The delegation will visit local public housing projects, new development areas and projects adopting the Modular Integrated Construction method and new building technologies. Ms Ho will return to Hong Kong on August 25. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Housing, Mr Victor Tai, will be the Acting Secretary for Housing.
S for Housing visits Macao (with photos)
15.8.2023

The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, visited Macao today (August 15) to exchange views with government officials of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), including the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Raimundo Arrais do Ros&aacute;rio, on public housing system and policies, overall planning of Macao and progress of public works projects, as well as inspecting housing and urban development projects in Macao. Members of the delegation included the Chairman of the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS), Mr Walter Chan; the Vice-Chairman of the HKHS, Professor Ling Kar-kan; the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the HKHS, Mr James Chan, and representatives of the Housing Department. Ms Ho and other members of the delegation visited the Economic Housing exhibition area of the New Urban Zone Area A. They met with Mr Raimundo Arrais do Ros&aacute;rio and representatives of the transport and public works sectors to learn about the five-tier system for housing provision of the Macao SAR Government. The delegation also inspected the Economic Housing exhibition area of the New Urban Zone Area A located in Mong-H&aacute;, a temporary housing project of the Macau Urban Renewal Limited, the Elderly Housing exhibition area, as well as Economic Housing and Social Housing projects. Ms Ho noted that Macao has been implementing a five-tier system for housing provision, which included Social Housing, Economic Housing, Sandwich Class Housing, Elderly Housing and Private Housing. She also shared Hong Kong's efforts in enriching the housing ladder and increasing housing supply. The delegation later toured the Economic Housing exhibition area of New Urban Zone Area A. New Urban Zone Area A is a new reclamation area adjacent to the Zhuhai-Macao Artificial Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which mainly provides Economic Housing to alleviate the housing needs of low-income families. In addition, Ms Ho visited the Elderly Housing exhibition area and a temporary housing project of the Macau Urban Renewal Limited, and shared experiences of building an age-friendly community, as well as the opportunities and challenges in urban redevelopment. Ms Ho also visited the Social Housing units in Toi San and Economic Housing units of Edif&iacute;cio do Bairro da Ilha Verde to inspect their ancillary facilities, and to get an understanding of the daily lives of the residents. Ms Ho remarked that each of the housing projects in Macao has its target. Ms Ho said she hopes that the visit will help strengthen the exchange in housing between the two places to improve housing policies for the betterment of livelihood of the citizens. Ms Ho will return to Hong Kong today after the visit.
S for Housing visits Foshan and Zhuhai (with photos)
19.7.2023

The Secretary for Housing and Chairman of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA), Ms Winnie Ho, and members of the HA Building Committee and Tender Committee, visited Foshan and Zhuhai today (July 19) to get an understanding of the latest situation regarding research and development (R&D) and applications of innovative construction technologies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities. The delegation included the Chairman of the Building Committee, Dr Johnnie Chan, and seven committee members. Ms Ho and other members of the delegation first visited the Guangdong Bright Dream Robotics Company Limited in Foshan. The company briefed the delegation on its R&D, manufacturing and applications of various construction robots, as well as development in construction technologies such as building information modelling (BIM). To meet the tremendous housing production, the HA has been following closely and applying various construction technologies and proactive in considering wider use of appropriate robotics technologies to promote safe and more efficient smart construction sites. The delegation moved to Zhuhai in the afternoon to visit the Guangdong Hailong Construction Technology Company Limited to get an understanding of the latest trends in Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) modules such as the robust production process and quality control, as well as R&D and applications in this area. The MiC method helps enhance efficiency, quality and site safety of housing construction and the HA has been adopting MiC in certain public housing projects. By the second five-year period (i.e. 2028-29 to 2032-33), no less than half of the projects should adopt the MiC approach. In collaboration with the industry, the HA will continuously enhance the operation process of MiC to optimise its benefits. Ms Ho said that technological advancement in construction in the Mainland is fast-changing, including technical skills and product R&D, as well as manpower development, thereby ensuring self-reliant and high-quality development. Members of the delegation also considered that these technologies and products are mature. Members envisaged that these would help the HA enhance the speed, efficiency, quantity and quality of housing construction, and also help make the construction environment-friendly, providing a safer and more pleasant working environment for workers. Ms Ho will return to Hong Kong this evening after the visit.
S for Housing continues visit in Beijing (with photos)
1.6.2023

âThe Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, continued her visit in Beijing today (June 1). She called on the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and met with the Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department and Director General of International Affairs Department, Office of the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, Mr Pan Jiang, in the morning to learn about the NDRC's work in national economic development. Ms Ho stated that she will lead the Housing Bureau to strengthen connections with the Mainland, grasp the opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, take part in the Belt and Road Initiative, and actively play a bridging role to better integrate into the national development. Ms Ho also met with the President of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Mr Wang Kai, to learn about the academy's work in promoting urban policy formulation. The academy collects various types of data through the national urban-rural information platform to analyse the development dimensions of different regions. Moreover, they exchanged ideas on land use, housing planning and community development. Ms Ho also shared the work in public housing management and building housing ladder in Hong Kong. Ms Ho later visited a state-owned enterprise, namely the Beijing Public Housing Center (BPHC), and toured its indemnificatory housing projects, including restaurants and other shared facilities within the projects. She also talked with residents to understand their daily lives. Furthermore, Ms Ho attended a seminar organised by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the BPHC to exchange insights. Ms Ho and the team will meet with leaders of the Beijing Municipal Government tomorrow (June 2) to explore the development of various rental housings in Beijing Municipality, and exchange views on enhancing housing policies and issues. They will also tour the Beixiaoyuan in Tongzhou District. Ms Ho will conclude her visit in Beijing and return to Hong Kong tomorrow.
S for Housing begins Beijing visit (with photos)
31.5.2023

âThe Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, called on the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HKMAO) in Beijing today (May 31). She also visited various construction projects. Ms Ho paid a courtesy call on the Director of the HKMAO, Mr Xia Baolong, in the morning, and reported on the latest work and initiatives of housing in Hong Kong, including the implementation of public rental housing, subsidised housing and Light Public Housing. Mr Xia has a deep understanding of the situation in Hong Kong. He brought encouragement to the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government as it attaches great importance to the housing needs of Hong Kong people and has implemented numerous effective policy measures to address housing problems. He hoped the HKSAR Government will continue to strive to improve the living environment of people. Ms Ho stated that housing is of the greatest concern of the HKSAR Government. The Housing Bureau will continue to enhance its speed, quantity, efficiency and quality in increasing the public housing supply to improve the livelihood of people and build a housing ladder, so as to accomplish "actively responding to people's aspirations". On the same day, Ms Ho visited the construction project for the permanent venue of the Zhongguancun (ZGC) Forum to learn about the adoption of Building Information Modelling, robotic technology and smart construction sites. The ZGC Forum provided a national-level platform facilitating global exchanges and co-operation in technology and innovation. She later toured the Yizhuang Blue Collar Apartment Project to learn about the use of the Modular Integrated Construction method in building high-rise buildings expeditiously, which increases the quality of work and shortens the construction time. Moreover, Ms Ho met with the Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Mr Ni Hong, yesterday (May 30) to introduce Hong Kong's Long Term Housing Strategy. They also exchanged views on various issues including the housing system, green buildings, and design and planning. Ms Ho will continue her visit in Beijing tomorrow (June 1).
S for Housing to visit Beijing
29.5.2023

The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, will depart for Beijing tomorrow (May 30) for a four-day visit. Representatives of the Housing Bureau and the Housing Department will also join the visit. During her stay in Beijing, Ms Ho will call on the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the National Development and Reform Commission. She will also visit the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, leaders of the Beijing Municipal Government and the Beijing Public Housing Center, to exchange views on housing issues and construction technology. Moreover, Ms Ho will tour various housing projects to learn about the latest development of planning, design and adoption of intelligence technology of housing on the Mainland. Ms Ho will return to Hong Kong on June 2. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Housing, Mr Victor Tai, will be the Acting Secretary for Housing.
Housing Bureau holds briefing session on operation of Light Public Housing (with photos)
25.5.2023

The Housing Bureau (HB) held a briefing session this afternoon (May 25) on the operation of Light Public Housing (LPH). Organisations that are interested in the operation were briefed on the operation and management plan of LPH, as well as the tender process of the operation contracts. The briefing session also provided a platform for the organisations to exchange views and share comments. Representatives from over 60 non-government organisations (NGOs) and property service agents attended the briefing session. The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, said at the briefing session that drawing reference from the experience of transitional housing, apart from spearheading the construction of LPH projects, the Government would take one step further to take the lead in the operation and management of LPH. Operating organisations, commissioned through open tenders, have to follow the criteria set by the Government to allocate flats; handle day-to-day tenancy matters; operate and manage the facilities of respective projects; provide various social services to tenants; and arrange the moving-out of tenants when a project ends, etc. Apart from the tender price, the HB places equal emphasis on the management capability, relevant experience and past service performance of the tenderers, as well as the proposed operation and management modes in their proposals. The Government will decide on the most suitable organisations for operating LPH through assessment based on a number of factors. In the coming five years (i.e. from 2023-24 to 2027-28), the Government plans to build about 30 000 LPH units. The tendering exercises for the first four LPH projects (located at Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long; Choi Hing Road, Ngau Tau Kok; Tuen Mun Area 3A; and Olympic Avenue, Kai Tak respectively) are expected to start by phases from the first quarter of 2024 at the earliest. For individual projects of larger scale, the contracts will be split into smaller ones as appropriate. The HB hopes that LPH not only improves the living conditions of people residing in inadequate housing soon, but also gathers different stakeholders in society, through operating LPH projects, to work with the Government to further enhance the living standard of the underprivileged and build a more harmonious, inclusive and caring community.