The government proposed 8 simple public housing sites, but the society raised many concerns, including higher construction costs than ordinary public housing, and Kai Tak site selection also caused doubts about delays in the development of the area and traffic congestion. Some councilors and citizens even raised be opposed to.
The public works group of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council will discuss the simple public housing project at 8:30 am tomorrow (8th).
During the approximately two-hour session, readers may pay attention to the following three highlights.
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1. Cost details, whether it can be more economical, follow-up expenses
At present, there are 8 simple public housing proposals submitted by the government, which are located in Kai Tak, Ngau Tau Kok, Chai Wan, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Siu Lam and Sheung Shui, and will provide about 30,000 units in the next five years.
According to government documents, 3-storey buildings will be built on Yau Pok Road in Yuen Long and Liantang Mei in Sheung Shui, while others will range from 17 to 19 floors.
The foundation requirements of high-rise buildings are naturally higher, and more facilities such as elevators are also required. The requirements for roads, drinking water and sewage facilities are also different, so the project costs of short and tall buildings are also different.
The average cost per unit of a short project is about 530,000 yuan, but that of a tall project is about 650,000 yuan.
There is a gap between the total unit cost of 880,000 and the government's 650,000
However, the average cost alone has been questioned by the outside world as misleading.
In the face of social doubts, Housing Bureau Secretary Ho Wing-yin said in December last year that the average 650,000 yuan was deducted from the external facilities expenses of "canals and water".
However, external facilities such as water canals are land leveling expenses. Checking the accounts of the Housing Authority will also be included in the construction cost per unit.
A person who has been a member of the Housing Authority for many years said frankly that in the past, the calculation of construction costs was based on the overall cost of the site, "including canal connection, water, and electricity. In many cases, only the cost of the building was calculated."
According to the document, if the total cost of "design and construction engineering" is included in the simple public housing, the original cost is as high as 26.79 billion yuan. There is still 26.44 billion yuan, that is, the total cost of each 30,000 units is about 880,000 yuan. The outside world doubts that it is higher than traditional public housing.
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The project details have not been explained, so please pay attention to whether the price can be further reduced
The 950 million yuan proposed by the government includes improving foundation works with the latest technology, subtracting renewable energy facilities, and reducing simple public housing equipment, that is, not providing air conditioners and kitchen exhaust fans.
It also includes saving an additional 150 million yuan in infrastructure construction costs.
However, the document has so far failed to explain in detail the details and gaps, and whether the items can be further saved is also a question that has been raised by the society.
The total cost of the total project of 26.44 billion yuan in real money, there are still many voices in the society asking the government to "clearly explain the number of items."
In fact, even if the average construction cost of 650,000 yuan proposed by the government is calculated, it is still similar to the 650,000 yuan of ordinary public housing units.
Li Huiqiong, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong and member of the Kowloon Central Legislative Council, raised a written question at tomorrow's Public Works Subcommittee meeting, which clearly stated that the price "will inevitably make the public question whether the construction cost is still too high." She asked whether the government can provide more data to explain The rationality of the cost of simple public housing, and whether further research can be done to reduce the cost.
In the follow-up, the first batch of operating expenses is estimated to involve 2.5 billion
Secondly, in addition to construction costs, simple public housing also requires operating expenses.
The government stated in the annex submitted to the Legislative Council that the government will lead the operation and management of simple public housing, and invite experienced organizations to cooperate in operation, management and daily maintenance through a collaborative model.
The government estimates that the total operating expenditure of the first batch of 17,000 units will be about 2.5 billion yuan, while the second batch has not been estimated.
If the operating cost of the second batch is similar, the total operating expenditure of simple public housing in 5 years will be about 5 billion yuan.
Assembly and synthesis (MIC) can save costs and speed up construction, and the "Tongxin Village" project was also built using the "assembly and synthesis" construction method.
(Provided by Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Association)
Storage of components with unknown dismantling costs is a challenge
After 5 years of operation, the simple public housing needs to be returned to the land, and all parts will be dismantled or reused in other projects.
However, the government document does not account for the cost of dismantling, as well as the storage location and storage cost after dismantling.
There are 30,000 units, even if there are only "four walls", there are already 120,000 "storey-high" components. How to store and reuse and related expenses are already challenges.
As for the addition and subtraction of other costs, Li Huiqiong proposed that the sale of the original land needs to be postponed for more than 5 years, and whether the impact on government finances has been calculated.
The government stated in the document that it is currently launching a "cash subsidy pilot program". If the program continues to be implemented, residents will fall out of the program after moving into simple public housing. It is initially estimated that the program can save up to 2 billion yuan in five years.
2. With tens of thousands of new residents, traffic arrangements are a real problem
Simple public housing and nearby residents have to commute to get off work and school every day, and the traffic problem is a personal concern.
Kai Tak, one of the more controversial locations, has 10,700 simple public housing units. Li Huiqiong also predicts that the new population may exceed 30,000, which is similar to the total population of the two adjacent public housing estates. She asked the government how to deal with social resource allocation and traffic load.
It is understood that many residents who questioned the project said that MTR Kai Tak Station is already full of people during commuting hours on weekdays. If there is no new transportation facilities, they are worried that the entire area will fall into a "traffic jam" situation during peak hours.
▼Kai Tak residents went to the government headquarters on February 7 to oppose the site selection of simple public housing▼
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Kai Tak is worried about traffic jams and people in the New Territories 5. Worry about remoteness
As for other locations, there are also traffic concerns.
Legislative Council member Tian Beichen said earlier that the Tongxin Village transitional housing project, which is a 10-minute walk from the Yuen Long West Rail Station, has had a low occupancy rate for nearly a year since it started. The sites in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Siu Lam and Sheung Shui are not ideal either.
Grassroots citizens rushed out of their mouths, "My appeal is to go back to work." If the distance from work is too far and the traffic turns, it really makes them think twice.
Acting Chief Executive Chen Guoji met with reporters before the Executive Council today (7th) and also mentioned the traffic problem.
He said that the government is aware of the concerns of the public and promises to provide adequate transportation facilities so that there will be no serious congestion or insufficient transportation services.
However, at present, the government has not put forward any proposals for transportation facilities for Kai Tak or the land in the New Territories. Whether there is a preliminary solution is believed to be a link that the local residents and simple public housing residents will attach great importance to.
3. Will members of parliament change their attitudes, voting intentions and reasons
After the government announced the details of the simple public housing, many members of the Legislative Council also questioned the cost and site selection.
Among them, Kowloon neutral Legislative Council member Yang Yongjie reacted the most strongly. He was dissatisfied with Kai Tak's site selection application for the parade, but later said that the authorities were willing to meet with the residents, showing goodwill, and decided to withdraw the application.
He said that after the site selection was exposed, many residents of Kai Tak were also dissatisfied. He did not oppose the simple public housing policy, but worried that the construction of simple public housing in Kai Tak District would weaken the concept of East Kowloon as Hong Kong's second core business district .
He said a few days ago that after meeting with the authorities, the bureau failed to respond to his concerns about transportation facilities, so he would abstain from voting in the public works group.
Member of the Legislative Council of the election committee, Jiang Yuhuan, criticized the high cost of simple public housing at the beginning of the month. Based on the government’s application for funding of more than 14.9 billion yuan, the cost of a "simple public housing" unit is about 880,000 yuan. It is equivalent to 10,000 yuan per household, assuming that the household will live in it for 5 years. It is better to subsidize 10,000 yuan per household per month. How to live and how to live, I don’t know which plan the subdivided tenants prefer?”
Jiang Yuhuan also criticized that the government has never consulted the public since it proposed simple public housing. Taking the Kai Tak site selection controversy as an example, she believes that the government should respect public opinion and consult residents instead of "brutal" implementation, emphasizing that society needs trust after the epidemic For peace and unity, the government should "return to normal procedures" by conducting public consultations and liaising with residents.
She earlier asked the authorities to further explain the needs assessment, site selection and construction cost details of simple public housing, otherwise they may vote against it.
This afternoon, he said that because the information provided by the Housing Bureau is still not detailed enough, he will not attend tomorrow's meeting for the time being.
Jiang Yuhuan is expected to be absent: the meeting should not be held due to insufficient information
Jiang Yuhuan responded to the inquiry of "Hong Kong 01" and said that since the Housing Bureau has not yet received key information such as the cost of simple public housing, unit demand, demolition costs, storage methods and costs, she has decided not to attend the Public Works Group of the Standing Committee tomorrow to discuss simple public housing. Discussion on public housing project matters.
She continued to point out that her questions about the cost of simple public housing had been raised earlier in November last year at the Subcommittee on Reforming Poverty Alleviation Policies and Strategies, but the Bureau has not yet provided relevant information. It’s useless, what I want is the details, I don’t understand why the government doesn’t provide it, these are very basic information, it’s not enough to hold a meeting (meeting), I’ll do it again, the question asked in November is okay Do you want to ask again on the hearing day?"
She emphasized that she is not opposed to the concept of simple public housing, and understands that Hong Kong has the urgency to solve the shortage of housing supply, but believes that the society should rationally and seriously approve the appropriation.
After the simple public housing caused controversy, some members raised objections or doubts, and the government gave many explanations.
Whether Members finally voted against, abstained, supported or absent, as well as the reasons for each attitude, I believe it will also be the focus of tomorrow's meeting.
Simple public housing｜Chen Guoji reiterated that the time limit is 5 years without changing the land use, hoping that the society will help each other and understand Kai Tak simple public housing｜He Yongxian: It is a win-win social project to abandon public housing three times and choose a building to move out of simple public housing｜Shao Shanbo wrote an article severely criticizing the cost Disproportionate to the benefit, can’t convince people of simple public housing with reason｜District councilors’ approval and consultation are unconvincing. The government responded that there will be appropriate meetings to arrange simple public housing｜Kai Tak’s site selection has caused controversy Wu Qiubei: It’s shameful to oppose small details
