New URA boss looks into interim help for tenants of subdivided flats
New urban renewal boss says he will explore ways to help deal with the 'big social problem'
Short-term help for tenants of subdivided flats is on the agenda of the new chief of urban renewal as he acknowledged the "big social problem" the housing phenomenon posed.
Options being explored included providing interim housing to people who were ineligible for public flats, said a source close to the Urban Renewal Authority.
New URA chairman Victor So Hing-woh, meeting the media yesterday for the first time, also dismissed public worries that his close ties with developers might result in a conflict of interests.
So said he was aware that some residents affected by URA redevelopment projects had relocated from one subdivided flat to another as they were not eligible to apply for public housing - which requires applicants to be permanent residents.
"[The prevalence of subdivided flats] is a big social problem and it will increase the demand for resettlement in future renewal projects, especially those who cannot queue for a public flat," So said, referring to immigrants who had lived in the city for shorter than seven years.
He declined to say what interim measures he was considering, but said he would discuss with his staff soon.
Under the authority's current policy, tenants who have to make way for redevelopment receive only cash compensation if they do not qualify for public flats.
