Housing Problem in Hong Kong Over the Past 45 Years
Highlights 19992000
April 99
The Buy or Rent Option Scheme (BRO) was introduced to help prospective tenants on the Waiting List for Public Rental Housing to purchase their own homes from the outset.
May 99
The Authority endorsed on 6 May the broad direction on transferring the estate management and maintenance services to the private sector by way of phased service transfer.
June 99
A three-year Green Environmental Campaign was launched to promote environmental consciousness and green practices among public housing tenants and staff.
The Authority was presented with the 1999 Sir Robert Matthew Prize by the International Union of Architects (UIA) in recognition of its efforts and initiatives in solving the
housing problem in Hong Kong over the past 45 years.
July 99
An Environment Policy Statement was established. It clearly states the Authority’s commitment to continual improvement of its environmental standards and performance.
October 99
The new Housing Authority Customer Service Centre at Wang Tau Hom was officially opened on 23 October by Acting Chief Executive Mrs Anson Chan.
November 99
To facilitate the integration of new arrivals into the society, the Authority relaxed the residence requirement for Public Rental Housing applicants.
To meet the community’s aspiration for home-ownership, the Authority opened up the Home Ownership Scheme and Home Purchase Loan Scheme to single persons.
The Authority hosted the second housing conference in Hong Kong on 24-25 November under the theme "Better Homes in the Next Millennium"
December 99
In celebration of the new millennium, the Authority organised a special event “City of Light and Sound”at Lok Fu Centre on 31 December with the
participation of over 600 public housing tenants and the Chief Executive.
January 2000
A further 27 400 flats in six estates were offered for sale under Tenants Purchase Scheme Phase 3.
The Authority conducted a two-month public consultation on building quality reform. A consultative document entitled Quality Housing: Partnering for Change was published.
March 2000
The Housing Department Call Centre was set up to provide a more efficient and customer-orientated telephone enquiry service to the public on Public Rental Housing and Home Ownership Scheme applications.
During the year, public housing production was at an unprecedented peak with an annual average of some 173 000 flats under construction. A total of 48 500 domestic flats and 11 commercial centres were completed.