Wu Chi-wai says many directors didn’t know single people would be allowed to buy subsidised flats by same criteria as families
PHILA.SIU@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 25 November, 2015, 10:59am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 25 November, 2015, 10:59am
The De Novo development site under construction at Kai Tak. Photo: Sam Tsang
The Urban Renewal Authority did not give its board of directors details of its controversial proposal to allow single people to buy flats in one of its new developments prior to making the announcement public, an authority director alleged.
The controversy centred on the authority's decision on Tuesday to allow single people – instead of only families of two people or more under its original plan – to buy units at its De Novo development at Kai Tak.
Hackles were raised as all applicants, single or not, were to meet the same eligibility criteria, which stipulated that their total monthly household income must not exceed HK$60,000 and their asset value must not exceed HK$3 million.
Many would-be family applicants were shocked by yesterday’s announcement, as it meant their
chance of being able to buy would be diminished.
Speaking this morning as a phone-in guest on Commercial Radio, Wu Chi-wai, a Democratic Party lawmaker and one of the authority’s non-executive directors, said management had not given board directors details of its plan at the board’s meeting on Tuesday.
“Many directors were not aware of it,” said Wu, who added that the policy U-turn was relegated to “AOB”, or the agenda’s section titled ‘any other business’.
“(The management) only said the application eligibility would be extended to single people. No other details were available,” he explained. “The authority later issued a press release and announced that the management had exercised its discretion to set the same application criteria for both single and family applicants.”
Wu accused management of bypassing the board of directors.
Located next to Kai Ching and Tak Long estates, De Novo was set to offer 338 subsidised flats, ranging in size from 332 to 568 square feet, selling at 80 per cent of the market rate.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1883134/caught-unaware-hong-kong-urban-renewal-authority-director
