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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA)'s Commercial Properties Committee (CPC) today (November 22) approved a slight adjustment in its monthly carpark charges for 2013, while other charges including those for the hourly carparks, Day Pass (from 8am to 8pm) and 24-hour Pass will remain unchanged.
It is established policy to charge market licence fees for HA's parking spaces. As the HA's market research indicates that its current monthly carpark charges are in general below the average market level, the CPC today endorsed a mild increase in monthly parking charges for 2013.
Monthly parking charges for private cars will increase slightly by 3 per cent, from $1,010-$2,100 to $1,040-$2,160 for covered spaces and from $810-$1,730 to $830-$1,780 for open spaces. For light goods vehicles, monthly parking charges will also be increased by 3 per cent, from $2,350 to $2,420 for covered spaces and from $1,810 to $1,860 for open spaces. Regarding monthly parking charges for motorcycles, there will be an increase from $330 to $350 for covered spaces and an increase from $270 to $280 for open spaces.
"The approved increases are moderate and the resultant carpark charges will on average still be slightly below the level of the majority of carparks in comparable sectors," said a spokesman for the HA.
As for hourly carpark charges, Day Pass charges and 24-hour Pass charges, research indicates that the HA's charges are comparable to the average market level. Therefore, the CPC endorsed that the three charges would be maintained at the current levels.
The following discounts currently in use for monthly parking will continue to apply in 2013:
(a) a 15 per cent discount under a floating allocation system as determined by the local management to optimise utilisation;
(b) a 40 per cent discount for part-time parking from 6pm to 8am of the following day; and
(c) a 50 per cent discount on private car and motorcycle parking spaces for disabled persons who live or work in public housing estates/Home Ownership Scheme courts.
"The existing parking coupon discount scheme for HA's shop tenants with a bulk purchase discount of 20 per cent for 50 parking coupons or its multiples to boost patronage will continue to apply in 2013," added the spokesman.
Moreover, monthly carpark charges for private cars are subject to a three-tier charging system based on occupancy rates (namely 90 per cent or above, 50 per cent to below 90 per cent, and below 50 per cent) with different concessionary charges. The new carpark charges under the three-tier charging system for 2013 will be determined in accordance with the occupancy rates based on the most recent three-month records available on November 1, 2012. Monthly charges for private cars at some carparks may be adjusted accordingly.
To support Government's policy in promoting the wider use of Electric Vehicles (EV), the CPC approved to continue a pilot practice adopted since June 2012 to waive EV users' parking fees during electricity charging in the hourly parking spaces up to a maximum of two hours.
The HA's carpark charges are reviewed annually and the approved charges take effect from January 1 of the following year. The HA makes reference to the current market level including the carpark charges of other public bodies and comparable private sectors in determining its carpark charges, with a view to maximising occupancy and optimising returns. The HA had some 27 800 parking spaces in 125 carparks at end-September 2012.
Ends/Thursday, November 22, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:41
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