Two 31-storey housing blocks may have to be demolished because their foundations are inadequate, the Government said yesterday.
Work stopped on the blocks, part of a subsidised Housing Authority scheme in Sha Tin, two weeks ago after routine checks discovered a problem with two of the 36 piles supporting the buildings. More detailed inspections have now shown the problem is far worse than originally thought.
Housing Department engineers checked half the piles and none reached the standard depth of 40 metres, a source said. Some were short by 10 to 13 metres. Checking the rest of the piles will take two more weeks.
'From my point of view, demolition is the only option left,' the source said. 'No one is going to buy the flats anyway. The situation is desperate.' Director of Housing Tony Miller said preliminary reports submitted by engineers found there were serious problems with the foundations of the two Home Ownership Scheme blocks in Ngau Pei Sha Street, Yuen Chau Kok.
He told a special Legco housing panel meeting: 'We are not yet in the position to take a decision as to whether the two blocks can be saved or whether it would make more sense to demolish them.
'It would ultimately be a commercial decision by the Housing Authority as to whether in terms of time, cost, risk and reputation it makes best sense to take them down or to repair them.' A source said demolishing one block would cost $50 million plus a further $130 million to rebuild it. Repairing one block would cost $200 million. The blocks are intended to be 41 storeys high when completed in January next year.
Independent legislator Raymond Ho Chung-tai, who represents engineering professionals, described the incident as very serious.
