The Housing Society said on Saturday it is looking to gradually amend the ratio of flats that it will put up for sale so that they account for at least 40 percent of supply in future projects.

Chairman Ling Kar-kan told a television programme that the move is being made at a time when the public desire to buy homes is very strong.

“We will make adjustments to projects that are still in the planning and design stage," he said.

"The way we do it is when we make a change [the usage], we aim to change the whole block.

“In an estate, there might be a few blocks, say one or two, for rental, and we might choose one to change to sales.”

Ling said the actual ratio would depend on the situation with each site.

In a recent move, the society changed a project in A Kung Ngam Road in Shau Kei Wai that was initially designated as a rental estate into one for home buyers.

Ling said that as flat sizes for subsidised homes are slightly larger than those for rental purposes, the change would result in a slight reduction of supply.

However, he stressed, the impact would not be significant.

Ling said the move to roll out more subsidised flats for sale would enhance the society’s cash flow, putting it in a stronger position to build flats.

The society is in good condition financially, he stressed, amid expectations that it will record a surplus for the financial year that just concluded, just like it had in the two years before that.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden