Hong Kong plan to ease housing crisis will ‘worsen car parking crunch’ in Sham Shui Po

Local councillor calls on government to build multi-storey car parks to make up for spaces to be lost to prefabricated housing

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Yuen Hoi-man urged the government to build multi-storey car parks to make up for the loss of spaces in an area. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 12:13pm, 3 Jul 2018Updated: 10:54pm, 3 Jul 2018

A plan to build 200 prefabricated flats on a temporary car park in Sham Shui Po could affect a quarter of its spaces, an architect has said, as a local representative called on the government to make up for the parking shortfall.

Marvin Chen, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, commented after Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan revealed officials planned to build transitional housing atop a temporary car park in Lai Chi Kok.

The project providing flats for people on the city’s waiting list for public housing would be run by a non-governmental group, Chan said.

The hope is to ease the local housing crisis. Hong Kong is the most expensive place on earth in which to buy property. According to official statistics, there were 272,300 applications for public housing as of March. Families face a wait of at least five years and one month, while the elderly face an average wait of two years and eight months.

Frank Chan said the housing project would be run by a non-governmental group. Photo: Winson Wong

Sham Shui Po District Council member Yuen Hoi-man, of the Democratic Party, urged officials to build multi-storey car parks to make up for the loss in an area he said already faced a shortage of parking spaces.

“Illegal parking has been rampant in the area,” Yuen added. “We hope the government will release details about which temporary car park it plans to use, so residents in the neighbourhood can express their opinions.”

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Hong Kong plan to ease housing crisis will ‘worsen car parking crunch’ in Sham Shui Po

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Local councillor calls on government to build multi-storey car parks to make up for spaces to be lost to prefabricated housing

Local councillor calls on government to build multi-storey car parks to make up for spaces to be lost to prefabricated housing