Hong Kong urged to shorten 21-year redevelopment plan of Instagram-famous Choi Hung Estate
Latest technologies, such as modular integrated construction technique, can be used to cut down the number of years, a lawmaker says
Hong Kong housing authorities should use the latest technological methods to shorten the 21-year period set for redeveloping an old public estate famed as an Instagram hotspot by three to six years, lawmakers have said, as elderly residents express concern about their future.
Legislators said on Thursday that more than a third of the rainbow-coloured Choi Hung Estate’s residents were elderly, calling on the government to allow them to move into flats in the later phases of redevelopment so they could continue living in the same environment.
The long-awaited development plan for the estate in Wong Tai Sin will be divided into three phases, with the first expected to start in 2028 at the earliest and the third completed by 2049, according to authorities.
The sprawling Choi Hung Estate is home to about 7,400 households in 11 seven- to 20-storey buildings built between 1962 and 1964. After the revamp, it will yield 9,200 flats, about 1,800 more than the existing number.
In a meeting with housing officials, lawmaker Frankie Ngan Man-yu urged the government to shorten the timeline and reduce the environmental impact and noise pollution expected in the redevelopment.
“The whole redevelopment plan will be completed around 2048 or 2049. I really hope the duration can be compressed as there will be environmental and noise impacts in the area surrounding the project,” he said on a radio programme.
