Housing Society sees minor impact from Wang Fuk move

Hong Kong’s second biggest public housing provider said on Saturday that reserving 400 units for those displaced by the devastating Wang Fuk Court fire in November would have minimal impact on other applicants looking for a subsidised flat. The move to give victims priority purchasing rights for the 400 Housing Society units in Fanling and Kwun Tong is part of the government’s buyout plan for owners of flats in the seven residential blocks ravaged by the blaze. For the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the society is putting up more than 1,400 flats for sale. “The total number of units the Housing Society provides is quite large," its chairman, Ling Kar-kan, said. "It’s not like taking hundreds of them away will have zero impact, but we believe it is minimal, and I believe others will understand.” Ling also told an RTHK radio programme that the society’s fourth Senior Citizen Residences Scheme project in Fanling will begin accepting residents this year. The project offers 261 flats along with a residential care home for the elderly featuring about 50 beds. The development integrates barrier-free designs in both common areas and individual units and will deploy humanoid robots to assist residents with daily tasks and enquiries. Ling said the society would, over the next decade, move away from building standalone units under this specific scheme. Instead, it will focus on incorporating elderly-friendly designs into all future developments as standard practice, such as bifold doors in bathrooms to accommodate wheelchairs, wherever possible. Edited by Robert Kemp