Public housing community gardens apply for a restricted part for up to six years to open applications for gardens to become mosquitoes in the wilderness

18 District News

Written by: Mo Jiawen

2021-07-05 18:57

Last update date: 2021-07-05 18:57

Planting flowers and plants has become the life and spiritual sustenance of some urban residents. However, tenants who live in public housing may not have the opportunity to experience farming. An organization that monitors public housing planning takes advantage of the Legislative Council Housing Affairs Committee meeting today (5th) to discuss public housing The goal and effectiveness of environmental protection work is that it took six years for housing estate community gardens to openly accept tenant applications. It is estimated that 90% of the new housing estates that have been occupied within three years have not been opened, and the gardens have become weeds and mosquitoes. The committee fully opened up gardens and lifted planting restrictions to implement the construction of a green community.

Legislative Council discusses the effectiveness of public housing environmental protection policies

During the meeting of the Housing Affairs Committee of the Legislative Council today (5th), the Supervising Public Housing Estate Welfare Planning Alliance discussed the HA’s goals and effectiveness of environmental protection work in public housing estates. It arrived at the Legislative Council building at 2 pm to petition and filed a petition. The secretary of the association submitted a petition letter requesting that all community gardens in public housing estates be fully opened to tenants to apply for farming.

According to the Legislative Council document, the Housing Authority has incorporated community garden design plans into new public housing projects with an area of ​​more than two hectares since its early years, in order to encourage public housing residents to participate in housing estates, gardening and planting, and achieve the purpose of recreation and education. However, the members of the alliance said that the current operating modes of community gardens in new housing estates in Hong Kong are different. Some people have fenced off the gardens and are not open to residents on the grounds that the Mutual Aid Committee of Residents has not been established. As a result, the gardens are deserted and overgrown with weeds.

The representatives of the alliance took Xianglongwei Village, Sheung Shui, which was acquired in 2015, as an example. The village has successively established public housing mutual aid committees and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) willing to enter the paper to undertake garden planning, but the Housing Authority has been delayed for 6 years. It was not officially opened until the 1st of this month. In other housing estates, such as Kwai Tsui Village, Baoshi Wu Village, Fai Ming Village, On Tai Village, Hung Fu Village, etc., the garden plots were left idle for one to three years. It is estimated that the public housing estates will be occupied within three years. Among the villages, 90% of them have not opened their gardens, wasting precious land resources.

Promote the establishment of housing estate social work teams to follow up the issue

Ms. Li, a resident of Kuicui Village, said that after three years of occupation in the village, she has been waiting to apply for garden farming, especially during the epidemic. There are not many parent-child activities. The garden has become a nearby outdoor recreation and entertainment. After that, the garden care group was actively established. After collecting more than 100 signatures from residents and reporting it to the Housing Authority, there has been no response yet.

The Alliance once inquired with the housing estate office and received a reply that the community gardens are for internal use only and are not open to the outside world, reflecting the chaotic and inconsistent policies of the community gardens of each housing estate.

The representative also said that even if the community gardens are opened, the application conditions are extremely harsh. For example, when the farming contract of Xianglongwei Village is received, the application conditions specify that each selected resident is limited to half a year, and it is expressly stipulated that tomatoes and other fruits cannot be planted. In disguised form, only fast-growing leafy vegetables can be grown. However, the Housing Authority has not explained the reasons for the limitation of garden planting, which makes it difficult for residents to understand.

The Alliance stated that the government’s 2018 Policy Address proposed the establishment of social work teams in housing estates to support residents’ needs. The original intention was that every village had a social work team. Handed over to social workers, let them use the community gardens, on the one hand, establish a community network of residents, but also help the Housing Department to achieve socialization of housing estates and interact with the public as soon as possible, reducing the waste of gardens and gardens.

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