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The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority:
The 40-year-old So Uk Estate in Sham Shui Po with 5,316 public rental housing flats will be cleared in two phases in 2008 and 2011.
"Although a comprehensive structural investigation completed in January this year concluded that all the 16 public rental housing blocks in the estate are structurally safe, extensive structural repair works have to be carried out to sustain the buildings for the next 15 years causing extensive nuisance and disturbance to tenants," a spokesman for the Housing Authority said.
The repair works include strengthening of cantilever corridors, recasting of toilet floor slabs and replacement of roof water tanks, balcony parapet beams, corridor parapets and screeds.
"A financial viability assessment also found that the proposed repair works, estimated at about $245 million, are not cost effective," the spokesman added.
In reaching the decision at a meeting today (March 30), members of the Authority's Strategic Planning Committee endorsed the phased clearance programme. Ten blocks in the uphill terrains north of the estate road is to be cleared under Phase 1 in November 2008 and the remaining six blocks under Phase 2 in late 2011.
On rehousing arrangements, the spokesman said that over the years, vacant flats had already been frozen from reletting.
"We have also arranged for early thinning of the population in So Uk Estate by transferring some of the families to the newly completed neighbouring estates," he added.
New public rental housing flats are coming on stream with about 3,500 flats in Un Chau Estate Phase 2 and 4 scheduled for completion in February 2008 and about 1,600 flats in the Cheung Sha Wan Flatted Factory redevelopment tentatively scheduled for completion in 2011.
"Together with the HA's stock of available vacant flats for allocation each year, we are confident of rehousing the affected tenants in good time," the spokesman said.
Completed between 1960 and 1963, So Uk Estate comprises 5,316 flats in 16 Linear or Trident type blocks of eight to 18 storeys high with a population of around 13,400. There are currently around 5,000 households. Use of the site after clearance will be studied.
At today's meeting, the Committee also noted that the 40-year-old Sai Wan Estate in Kennedy Town would be sustained for the next 15 years following the completion of a comprehensive structural investigation.
"All buildings are structurally safe but repair works including local repairs and re-screeding to cantilever corridor slabs in the buildings will be carried out," the spokesman said, adding that the $4.4 million repair cost will be absorbed in the routine maintenance programme.
Sai Wan Estate was completed between 1958 and 1959 with 640 flats in five Linear blocks of 10 to 14 storeys high.
Ends/Thursday, March 30, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:53
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