Hong Kong Housing Society may one day develop homes for cross-border residents: chairman

Outgoing chairman Walter Chan says suggestion raised by industry representatives and might be ‘something for the long run’

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The Housing Society’s outgoing chairman says building on the mainland would require changes to Hong Kong’s current laws. Photo: Martin Chan

Published: 10:00am, 9 Sep 2024

Hong Kong’s second-largest public housing provider might one day develop flats for city residents in mainland China, its outgoing chairman has said, sharing the suggestion from industry representatives as his six years in office wrap up.

Walter Chan Kar-lok of the Hong Kong Housing Society stressed last week that the organisation currently did not have plans to expand its operations into the Greater Bay Area, adding that he had not raised the idea with the government.

“It is something for the long run,” he said.

Chan, whose successor will be picked on Friday of this week, also emphasised the society’s focus was its more than 20 projects in the city that were set to provide over 17,000 homes when construction finished between the 2024-25 and 2028-29 financial years.

The bay area refers to Beijing’s ambitious initiative to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province into a hi-tech powerhouse by 2035.

Chan said industry representatives had previously noted the society’s experience in building housing for the elderly and suggested the organisation explore opportunities on the mainland as it had vast land resources for development.