Flats freeze 'disappoints' members
The Housing Authority chief admitted yesterday that some committee members were disappointed with this week's sudden announcement of the suspension of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flat sales.
Cheng Hon-kwan, authority chairman, was speaking for the first time since Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's announcement on Monday that sales of more than 12,000 HOS flats would be frozen for 10 months.
The move - an attempt to boost the property market - was made without prior consultation with the authority.
Mr Cheng said he had known of the suspension last week before it was announced and did not think committee members were being by-passed. But he said some members were disappointed.
Attending an awards presentation at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, he said: 'I knew of the decision last week. Of course, any sudden changes would disappoint some members who have already planned to implement their policies, but now they need to be flexible with the changes. We need to accept whatever changes are beneficial to Hong Kong's economy and the property market,' he said.
In July, Mr Cheng rejected calls to scrap the scheme and said sales of HOS flats would continue as there was a need for them among poorer families.
New policies on land allocation would be discussed in the coming months, he said.
'It's good to sort out whether a site should be granted to the HOS, public housing estates or for private development,' he said.
