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CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
I feel honoured to be appointed Secretary for Transport and Housing this July and fully realise the great challenge that comes with the job.
Housing is now at the top of the list of livelihood issues
in Hong Kong in the midst of rising property prices and
rents. Under the new Chief Executive, the fourth term
administration has committed to the provision of an
adequate supply of affordable housing for low-income
residents, including assisted home ownership. The
Housing Authority (HA) is tasked to meet this challenge as
it has always done.
The HA operates a rolling public rental housing (PRH)
construction programme that aims to provide on average
of around 15 000 new units per year over the next five
years. I am pleased to report that we were able to meet
our target in 2011/12, an achievement that enabled us to
keep the average waiting time for general PRH applicants
on the Waiting List within our target of around three years.
The current administration, however, recognises the need
to meet the rising demand for PRH. We are now exploring
ways of optimising our existing land resources and utilising
appropriate land released from other uses, so that we
can expand the production of PRH in the near future.
Measures include the conversion of the Chai Wan Factory
Estate and swapping of an open space in Cheung Sha Wan
for PRH developments. Looking at housing strategically
is important. To this end, a Long Term Housing Strategy
review will be relaunched to study the changing housing
needs of different groups in the community and consider
measures to address them.
Rising property prices have meant that many middle-class
families wishing to purchase a home are finding it difficult.
To relieve this situation, the administration has revived the
Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), and the HA has been
tasked with fast-tracking the development of the new HOS
programme. We have looked carefully at ways in which the
flat production process can be streamlined at every stage,
from planning, design, tender and construction right
through the sales of HOS flats at the first batch of sites. To
enable the public to acquire their own homes before the
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completion of the new HOS flats, the administration has
announced an initiative to allow 5 000 eligible applicants
annually to buy second-hand HOS flats without paying
premium and to expedite the sale of surplus HOS flats.
The HA is now working out the implementation details to
facilitate the application for the schemes.
In recent years, the demographic makeup of Hong Kong
households has shifted noticeably; the population is
ageing, the average family size has become smaller, and
more people (both young and old) now live on their own.
There is public expectation that the HA will respond to
the changing housing needs of these various groups.
Apart from looking into increasing the supply of affordable
housing, we are now exploring ways to better manage the
increasing number of non-elderly single applicants on the
Waiting List.
Today, sustainability has become a major concern for
Hong Kong. The HA has been proactive in rising to this
particular challenge. We have rethought our designs,
enhanced the construction processes and improved our
maintenance and management practices across the board
in order to meet the community’s rising expectations
about sustainability and environmental care. For instance,
both our major new waste management and recycling
programmes, and our enhanced lighting systems and
associated technology, have enabled us to achieve
significant environmental targets. More in-depth coverage
of these initiatives can be found in this Annual Report.
Safety, too, is an issue that has taken on a much higher
profile in recent times. The HA has always placed a great
deal of importance on safety, but in response to new
expectations we are working further to upgrade our safety
practices to new and often industry-leading levels. Our
safety protocols at all our construction sites are rigorous
and comprehensive, helping us to keep our accident
statistics among the lowest of all developers in Hong Kong.
Another change in social attitude is the rising care for
inclusiveness, especially in relation to accessibility. In the
past year we have continued to take steps to enhance
pedestrian connectivity in our PRH estates – particularly
in those built on difficult terrain and incorporating steep
slopes – making them more convenient for people of
different abilities and ages. Some of the most visible results
of these accessibility initiatives can be seen in our
barrier-free works across PRH estates, which have opened
up the lives of many residents by making it easier for them
to access essential facilities. A total of $250 million will
be spent in the coming three years to implement a rolling
programme for lift addition projects within PRH estates to
enhance mobility for the elderly, the disabled and children.
In light of PRH residents’ increasing expectation of HA
service quality, we have, over the past year, lifted our
management and service standards across the board.
We have launched the Responsive In-flat Maintenance
Service (RIMS) which gives residents access to fast, free
repairs when required; we have expanded our feedback
channels; we also continue to adopt a proactive staff
training approach, so as to ensure all front-line staff are
well equipped to handle the many and diverse requests
from residents. Separately, we have devoted our efforts to
improving the living environment for our PRH residents,
for instance through extensive planting and greening
programmes, provision of new communal venues and
organising community activities.
In striving for continuous improvement, we are also
encouraged by external recognition through the
promulgation of awards and commendations. In 2011/12,
I am delighted that our efforts have once again been
recognised by a number of awards. Rather than listing
them one by one here, I would like to cite just a few,
particularly the Grand Award from the Asia Pacific
Business Excellence Standard Academy, the Asia Pacific
Federation of Project Management Award 2011, and the
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CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
Project Management Team of the Year award which was
accompanied by another two Merit awards at the Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors Hong Kong Property
Awards. I would also want to say how proud we all have
been when the Lighthouse Club and Construction Industry
Council presented the Golden Helmet Award to our Deputy
Director of Housing (Development and Construction),
Ms Ada Fung, in recognition of her outstanding work in the
field of safety.
My thanks go out to the many individuals and groups who
worked hard for us over the past year. This is no mere
formality. Every member of the HA has played his or her
essential part in enabling us to turn the year’s challenges
into success stories. Their work has been outstanding and
I deeply appreciate their efforts.
I must express my special appreciation to Ms Eva Cheng,
our former Chairman and inspirational leader. Under
her committed leadership, the HA successfully met the
never-ceasing challenges of providing affordable housing
for those in need, keeping the average waiting time for
General Applicants within our target, and ensuring decent,
green and sustainable living conditions for PRH residents.
I would also like to acknowledge those members who have
retired over the past year; they are Mr Eddie Ng
Hak-kim, Dr Andrew Chan Ping-chiu, Mr Joseph Fan
Wai-kuen, Mr Augustine Wong Ho-ming, Dr Andy Lam
Siu-wing, Professor Rebecca Chiu Lai-har, Mr Kwok
Lit-tung, Mr Simon Ip Shing-hing, Mr David Sun Tak-kei,
Mr Joseph Kwan Kwok-lok, Mr Daniel Lai and
Mr Andy Li Wai-kwan. New members, bringing fresh ideas
and energies, have included Dr Lau Kwok-yu, Mr Stanley
Wong Yuen-fai, Mrs Cheung Ang Siew-mei, Mr Raymond
Chan Yuk-ming, Mr Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan,
Mr Wallace Hong Wing-kwong, Ms Serena Lau Sze-wan,
Mr Francis Mok Gar-lon, Professor Ng Mee-kam,
Mr Thomas Pang Cheung-wai, Ms Susanna Shen
Shuk-ching, Ms Cleresa Wong Pie-yue and Ms Christine
Yip Kee-ching.
The HA Committees and Sub-committees play an
extremely important role in enabling the HA to accomplish
its many plans and tasks, and I would like to record my
particular gratitude to their dedicated Chairmen. They
are Mr Joseph Fan Wai-kuen, Chairman of the Building
Committee; Dr Andrew Chan Ping-chiu, Chairman of the
Commercial Properties Committee; Professor Raymond So
Wai-man, Chairman of the Finance Committee and Funds
Management Sub-committee; Ms Angela Lee Wai-yin,
Chairman of the Tender Committee, and Mr Eddie Ng
Hak-kim, Chairman of the Audit Sub-committee.
I would like to conclude my message by thanking the
staff and management of the Housing Department, the
executive arm of the HA. They have put in another year
of excellent service and dedication. Their work has been
essential to the HA successfully meeting challenges,
both old and new, ensuring that the HA remains a vital
and relevant part of Hong Kong’s unique social fabric.
I am confident that our professionalism and expertise,
coupled with years of accumulated experience, will stand
us in good stead and enable us to rise to challenges
successfully.
Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leungChairman
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