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1. Kowloon facelift plan condemned

1. Kowloon facelift plan condemned

An ambitious plan to transform four ageing Kowloon districts into upmarket areas has been condemned by legislators as pointless and a threat to residents, who fear eviction. Under the plan, revealed last month, 14 public estates will be demolished and entire districts redeveloped instead of efforts being confined to the boundaries of individual estates. Adjacent government land will be incorporated in the redevelopment. The 20-year Housing Authority project covers Ngau Tau Kok, in Kowloon East, Shekkipmei and Cheung Sha Wan, in western Kowloon, and Ho Man Tin, in central Kowloon. But at a joint Legco panel meeting yesterday, legislator Chan Kam-lam, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, said it was pointless studying the plan. Mr Chan, of the Kowloon East constituency, said it was nonsensical for the authority to include in its redevelopment plans some relatively new and good-quality estates such as Ping Shek Estate. He added that many residents were worried about being made homeless as a result of the redevelopment. "It is unnecessary to announce the plan so soon if you are aiming to do it in 20 years. It has caused a lot of confusion among residents," Mr Chan said. Fourteen public estates are being redeveloped. Six are being cleared or demolished under Housing Authority plans already announced. The others - which are home to 31,900 households - are to be demolished, with the tenants housed in the new projects. Frederick Fung Kin-kee, of the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, said the plan had effectively delayed smaller redevelopment projects already planned. He said housing officials had told him the redevelopment of the aged So Uk Estate, in Shamshuipo, in Mr Fung's Kowloon West constituency, would now be held up. Public consultation on the project ends on June 15. Democrat Fred Li, of the Kowloon East constituency, said the authority should co-ordinate with the Urban Renewal Authority for more comprehensive redevelopments. Howard Young, of the Liberal Party, said more of the land made available after the public housing sites were cleared should be zoned for private residential developments. The Housing Bureau's chief assistant secretary (research and planning), Lam Lit-kwan, promised more meetings with residents to explain the plan. She also said it was premature to estimate how much land would be zoned for private housing at this stage. Under the scheme, the population of the four districts would rise from 510,000 in 163,000 private and public flats to 724,000 in 259,900 flats. That represents an extra 34,800 flats beyond previous projections, and 79,000 more people.

[Source: SCMP, 17 April 2002]