LCQ9: Sites for public housing
21.7.2021

Following is a question by the Hon Lau Kwok-fan and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, in the Legislative Council today (July 21): Question: As announced in the 2020 Policy Address, the Government has identified 330 hectares of land needed for constructing 316 000 public housing units to meet the demand for public housing units in the coming decade (i.e. the financial years from 2021/22 to 2030/31). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) of the annual estimated number of public housing units to be supplied in the financial years from 2026/27 to 2030/31 (i.e. the second five-year period) (set out in a table); (2) whether the said 330 hectares of land can accommodate all relevant public facilities apart from being used for constructing 316 000 public housing units; if so, of the area to be occupied by residential sites; if not, the area of land in the shortfall; and (3) of the following details of each site of the 330 hectares of land (set out in a table): (i) the location of the site/the name of the new development area in which the site is located, (ii) the Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) Number to which the site belongs (if applicable), (iii) the site area, (iv) the residential use group(s) (i.e. Groups A to E) to which the site belongs, and the restriction(s) on development intensity (i.e. the maximum plot ratio) for the site, as set out in the OZP concerned, (v) the estimated number of public housing units to be provided, and (vi) the target completion date of the public housing project concerned? Reply: President, With the Transport and Housing Bureau consulted, my reply to the various parts of the question is as follows: (1) and (3) Amongst the 330 hectares (ha) of land, according to the forecast as at March 2021, the information of public rental housing /Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme and other subsidised sale flats projects under the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society estimated to be completed during the four-year period from 2021/22 to 2024/25 is set out in the Annex. These projects concern about 90 ha of land. Information regarding public housing projects to be completed in 2025/26 is anticipated to be announced in the third quarter of 2021 under the rolling five-year production programme. Projects falling within the current 10-year period (i.e. financial year 2021/22 to 2030/31) but with completion dates scheduled for 2025/26 and beyond concern the remaining about 240 ha of land. These projects are mostly at the planning and engineering and architectural design stage, and their estimated completion years are subject to the progress of various procedures such as rezoning, consultation with local communities, infrastructure construction, land resumption, clearance or reprovisioning of affected facilities, seeking of funding from the Legislative Council, site formation works, building construction schedules, etc. Details of these projects are provided in the table below: Source of land Number of sites (based on current delineation) Land area (ha) (about) Estimated flat yield (about) Tung Chung New Town Extension 12 23 24 000 Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area 5 11 11 600 Yuen Long South New Development Area 1 1 1 800 Kwu Tung North/Fanling North New Development Area 13 37 43 300 Kai Tak Development Area 6 6 8 300 Development of Anderson Road Quarry Site 2 2 2 000 Shortlisted brownfield clusters for public housing development 7 45 19 100 Individual sites with housing development potential in the short to medium term 58 86 85 700 Partial development of the Fanling Golf Course 1 8 9 000 Other development projects 20 23 21 600 Total 125 242 226 400 Note: The land areas and flat yields are rounded to the nearest integer and hundred respectively. The figures may not add up to the total due to rounding. The plot ratios of the public housing sites within the above 10-year period depend on actual site conditions and range from 3.5 to 7.5 in general. To optimise the development potential of public housing sites, the Government has relaxed the planning policy guidelines to allow increase in maximum domestic plot ratios of certain sites where planning terms permit. (2) The figure of 330 ha refers to the approximate gross site area. This has covered some public facilities, such as the five per cent of gross floor area set aside for welfare purposes in certain projects. In addition, some public facilities relating to new population (such as water supplies facilities and transport interchanges) will be placed outside the sites concerned, and the relevant land area information is subject to detailed survey and detailed design.