Stanley Wong:mainland Can Help Fix HK Housing Woes

The chairman of the government’s Land Supply Task Force, Stanley Wong, said on Tuesday that it’s received proposals in its public consultation exercise that Hong Kong should borrow land from the mainland.

Wong said the plan would aim to build what he calls “the living zones of Hong Kong people”, to help ease the housing shortage.

Wong said it’s been proposed that the zones could include public housing as well as elderly homes, or house facilities such as container ports, so as to free up land in Hong Kong.

He said the option is worth looking into, even though it may not suit everybody’s needs.

The government is under increasing pressure to tackle the issue of soaring property prices but earlier on Tuesday the Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, dismissed a report that the government was about to discuss a plan to build public flats on top of new MTR stations.

The South China Morning Post had cited sources as saying that the government would ask the rail operator to explore the option of having public housing units built at two possible sites: Siu Ho Wan in North Lantau and a proposed new station near Tuen Mun town centre.