A residential site, originally earmarked for a pilot scheme allowing private developers to build subsidised homes, will be allocated to Hong Kong’s second-largest public housing provider, marking the latest setback for a venture aimed at boosting the supply of affordable flats.
The government said on Tuesday that the site in Tung Chung, originally designated for the Private Subsidised Sale Flat Pilot Scheme, would be handed over to the Hong Kong Housing Society.
The announcement marks yet another blow to the scheme, after the government rejected the sole bid for the first site under the pilot project in Chai Wan last year.
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“The government has all along been pragmatically adjusting the development arrangements of different sites based on social demands and actual circumstances,” a spokesman for the Housing Bureau said.
“Having reviewed the latest situation, the government believes that the handover of [the Tung Chung site] to the [Housing Society] could expedite the development of the [subsidised flats].”
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The government said the Tung Chung site would be turned into one of the Housing Society’s subsidised sale flat projects, providing about 1,600 homes, which were expected to be completed by 2031-32.
In 2023, the government announced a policy framework for a pilot scheme allowing private developers to participate in building subsidised flats for sale, aiming to boost the overall housing supply by leveraging market forces.