Hong Kong will renovate communal areas for about 83,000 households living in public rental estates according to “well-being” design guidelines, a minister has said.
Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said that 24 out of 193 public rental estates across the city had been selected for the pilot scheme. The minister conceded the guidelines could be viewed by some members of the public as abstract, but she gave examples of the type of work that could be carried out, including improving lobby ventilation and providing more comfortable benches in common areas.
“We realised that well-being is built from bits and pieces,” she said in an interview with media last week. “They may not be something mind-blowing. It is about fine-tuning and doing them well.”
“Consultants hired by the government began discussing with residents what sort of improvements they wanted in March and the exchanges would run until November, “Ho added.
The estates, scattered across nine districts, were between 10 and 61 years old, and the renovations were expected to be completed by 2027.
“I won’t say these are minor fixes,” the minister said. “We have elevated regular building maintenance and repair to a higher level. It can enhance mental and physical health.”
The guidelines, which will be finalised next year, will include renovations that better connect public areas and improve the image of certain districts. Design changes that focus on the elderly and promoting exercise are also expected.
The minister said the government would explore ways to measure the effectiveness of the scheme, including through distributing questionnaires to residents. One indicator of success could be whether elderly tenants were more willing to spend time outside their homes.
The refurbishment cost would be covered by the Housing Authority’s regular maintenance and improvement works budget, which was HK$4.6 billion (US$587 million) in 2022-23. The government will not need to seek extra funding from the Legislative Council, according to the minister.
The authority expects the budget to continue climbing and reach HK$5.5 billion in 2026-27. Five of the estates will undergo large-scale refurbishment, which includes renovating recreational facilities and improving the allocation of space.
Ho said the five, which were between 40 and 45 years old, were “middle aged”, so they would not need additional work for about two decades. The refurbishment would also go hand in hand with nearby neighbourhood improvement work, such as a plan by the Drainage Services Department to add viewing platforms and footpaths to the Tai Wai Nullah in Sha Tin, she said.
She added that two of the five estates had recreational facilities and shopping malls owned by two private companies, Gaw Capital and Link REIT. Ho said she hoped the principles of the new design guidelines could be adopted in such public-private partnerships for housing estates. More flowers and green areas would also be planted at the 19 other estates.
Authorities would repaint the exterior walls of 10 estates and move certain facilities to encourage residents to make better use of them, such as moving benches from darker to brighter areas, Ho said. Those minor changes were expected to be completed by the end of next year.
The secretary said the government would work on easing rules on using outdoor areas for tenants so they could better enjoy the benefits of the revamp, such as allowing them to picnic after removing fences encircling grasses. But some rules could not be changed, such as the ban on keeping dogs in public flats, as the government had to consider the feelings of all tenants and the needs of the community, she said.
The minister said she was hopeful the guidelines would be adopted for future public housing estates, as well as subsidised flats and starter homes.
