Hong Kong creates two interdepartmental groups to speed up housing projects

This undated photo shows a boy playing on a slide at a playground while other family members watch, at a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong. HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has created two inter-departmental groups to speed up housing development projects.

The government said in a statement issued on Wednesday night that the Steering Committee on Land and Housing Supply, chaired by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, and the Task Force on Public Housing Projects, led by Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lunWong Wai-lun, will coordinate work related to land and housing.

After assuming office, the new governing team has been pressing ahead with various tasks in full speed to enhance governance, strengthen the momentum of development and improve people's livelihood, Chan was quoted as saying in the statement.

One important issue we focus on is land and housing, which is a subject that is relevant to meet public aspirations to improve their lives and promote the development of a better and more diversified economy. The steering committee will monitor the progress of delivering land for various uses, as well as private and public housing supply. It will look at the progress of land creation projects in their different stages, from studies to site formation, in order to ensure the supply of land for various uses.

In order to maximize the development potential of land in Hong Kong, we will fully implement the infrastructure-led and capacity-creating approaches of development, coordinate on the construction of transport and other facilities, and to ensure the timely delivery of necessary infrastructure, thus improving the lives of residents while developing and releasing more developable land, Chan said.

The committee will lead various efforts to streamline procedures, formulate proposals to unlock the development potential of private land, to expedite land and housing supply on all possible fronts.

The task force will oversee the production of public housing, including overseeing the timely handover of sites earmarked for the construction of public housing projects and formulating measures to increase the supply of public housing.

The task force will submit proposals to speed up the construction of public housing projects, as clearly led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.