Is 100 sq ft too small a minimum for subdivided flats? Hong Kong experts take the measure of controversial problem blighting city
- Expert in substandard housing says Institute of Surveyors’ minimum recommendation of 100 sq ft still on the cramped side
- But institute president highlights that at least 30,000 existing subdivided flats smaller than its suggested minimum and proposal ‘struck a balance’
Lai Kin-kwok, a senior lecturer in the Felizberta Lo Padilla Tong School of Social Sciences at Saint Francis University, said the proposed dimensions were still cramped.
“One hundred sq ft is a very minimum requirement in a sense that all the daily necessities just barely fit in,” said Lai, an expert in substandard housing.
“If it is for two people, it should be at least double.”
He was speaking after the Institute of Surveyors made a series of recommendations on subdivided flats – shoebox homes notorious for hygiene, safety and security hazards.
Lai said the government should explain why the minimum size requirement was considered adequate if it chose to adopt the institute’s recommendation when the smallest size allowed for new-build private homes was 280 sq ft.
