Gov't to review well-being design guide regularly
Housing Secretary Winnie Ho said on Saturday that public housing tenants can expect their quality of living to keep improving. The summary of the well-being design guide was unveiled on Monday, in a bid create a more age-friendly and inclusive environment for tenants. Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, Ho emphasised that the guide will be reviewed regularly. "After the guide is published, it belongs to the Housing Department. Its staff will take care of it. Just like the chairs in the community area, if they come up with ways on how to better adjust the heights of the chairs, they could update the guide," she said. The Housing Bureau will publish a more detailed version of the guidelines next Thursday. She assured that the move will not incur any additional cost, as many government departments have a "good practice" of improving their work. Looking ahead to the next decade, Ho pointed out that the authorities have reserved a 10 percent growth in space when planning for the construction of public housing at places such as the Northern Metropolis or artificial islands. Meanwhile, the first batch of light public housing units that offer 4,400 flats has been taking in applications since June 24.  Ho revealed that the overwhelming response exceeded her expectations, with the government receiving around 11,000 applications. The results will be announced in December. But the housing secretary reminded applicants that the allocated unit would be offered to the person next in line if one does not take the offer. "Sorry, this may prove that you don't have such a pressing need. Because we really want to offer the light public housing units to families with the most pressing need to help them," she added.