Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho said on Saturday that most subdivided unit homeowners have filed applications for recognition under the Basic Housing Unit regime since registration opened in March.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme, Ho said the situation was better than expected, as she initially thought most would wait until the end of a 12-month grace-period registration window to do so.

“If we take nearly 110,000 subdivided units as the benchmark, we have already received 73,800 applications – close to 70 per cent,” she said.

“We hope all homeowners can register first, whether or not they decide to continue operating in the future. Get registered first."

Owners who registered within the 12-month grace period get another 36 months to complete any necessary work to meet the new standard for a basic housing unit, which includes a minimum size of eight square metres, individual toilets, and windows.

Ho went on to say that 42 units had already obtained the recognition so far.

On the city’s overall housing supply over the next decade, she said the Northern Metropolis would play a crucial part, as it could account for about 40 per cent of the total figure.

Ho said more than 5,000 flats could be built on each plot of land in the mega project.

She pointed out that the Northern Metropolis allows more homes to be built at lower costs than in urban areas, where land levelling work is more complicated.



Edited by Robert Kemp