Phase 3 Applications for Light Public Housing Open January 30, Offering 8,820 New Units in Hong Kong

Light Public Housing to open for Phase 3 application from January 30

The Housing Bureau (HB) today (January 23) announced that the Light Public Housing (LPH) will be open for Phase 3 application from January 30. The Phase 3 application will cover four projects, including Sheung On Street, Chai Wan; Olympic Avenue, Kai Tak (Phase 2); Yan Po Road, Tuen Mun; and Tsing Fat Street, Tuen Mun, which will provide a total of about 8 820 units for gradual intake anticipated from the second quarter of this year onwards.

Eligible applicants will receive the application forms by post on or before January 30, sent by the HB in batches. Application forms submitted between January 30 and February 20 will be handled with priority. Those who have submitted an application form before do not need to make another application.

A spokesman for the HB said, "The LPH application has received an overwhelming response, with over 27 700 applications received as of mid-January. Under the leadership of the HB, six projects providing a total of about 9500 units were progressively completed for tenant intake last year. Among these, four projects (including Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long; Choi Hing Road, Ngau Tau Kok; Choi Yuen Road, Sheung Shui; and Shun On Road, Kwun Tong) with over 4 600 units have already completed full intake. This fully demonstrates that with affordable rent, comprehensive facilities and services, as well as a better living environment, LPH is highly popular among citizens in need."

The spokesman added, "The Phase 3 LPH projects are located in various districts in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories, with different scales and merits. We believe that they can cater for the needs of different applicants. More importantly, the living environment and ancillary facilities of all LPH projects are far better than any inadequate housing, such as substandard sub-divided units. There are also special allowances for residents and various services and supports provided by the operating organisations for the tenants. As regards the special allowance for residents, the Commission on Poverty earlier approved an additional allocation of $57.05 million from the Community Care Fund to expand the Trial Scheme on Special Allowance for Households of Light Public Housing (Trial Scheme) to comprehensively cover all 13 LPH projects, extending it until March 31, 2028, with a view to providing timely support to more residents in need (including LPH Phase 3 applicants) and assisting them in adapting to their new communities more quickly. We encourage eligible citizens in need to submit their applications as soon as possible."

Same as the present, the expanded Trial Scheme will continue to provide a one-off special allowance to LPH residents to alleviate their pressure arising from expenditures during removal and adaptation to the new living environment and communities (such as children's school transfer, purchasing furniture and electrical appliances and re-establishing community networks). There is no restriction on the use of the allowance so as to allow households to meet their own needs in a more flexible manner. In response to the increase in living costs, the amounts of special allowance under the Trial Scheme have been slightly raised. The new amounts will come into effect from March 1. The amounts of allowance depending on the number of family members living together in the household and the location of the LPH projects are listed in the table below:

Location of the LPH projects

Urban and Extended Urban (including Tuen Mun and Ma On Shan)

New Territories (including Yuen Long and Sheung Shui)

Household Size

Special allowance amount ($)

(applicable to applications submitted

on or after March 1)

1-person

1,950

3,950

2-person

3,000

6,050

3-person

3,900

7,850

4-person

4,700

9,400

5-person

5,400

10,850

6-person and above

6,500

13,000

Details of the LPH Phase 3 application are as follows:

(1) Eligibility for priority application: General applicants who have been on the waiting list for traditional public rental housing (PRH) for three years or more are eligible, with priority given to family applicants. Those meeting the eligibility criteria will receive by post the application forms sent by the HB in batches.

(2) Application period: Applicants who submit duly completed application forms between January 30 and February 20 will be handled with priority, whilst the HB will continue to accept applications after February 20.

(3) Submission methods: Interested applicants may submit their duly completed application forms by post to P.O. Box of the Dedicated Team on Light Public Housing of the Housing Bureau (P.O. Box 28222, Gloucester Road Post Office, Wan Chai, Hong Kong); or by depositing them into drop-in boxes during office hours (from 9am to 6pm, Mondays to Fridays, except Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays) at the following locations:

• Light Public Housing Information Counter at Podium Level 2, Hong Kong Housing Authority Customer Service Centre, 3 Wang Tau Hom South Road, Kowloon

• Office of the Dedicated Team on Light Public Housing at Room 801, 8/F, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

In addition, if the applicant and all family members have registered for "iAM Smart+", they may opt to complete, sign and submit the e-Form by scanning the exclusive QR code pre-printed on the application form.

The HB will process the application forms received as soon as possible and make arrangements for the allocation. To give priority to those families in need to move into LPH, if the applicants are currently living in inadequate housing; having special medical conditions; or having minor children, newborn babies, elderly persons, etc, in the family, they will be given a higher priority for LPH allocation.

Information of the projects in the Phase 3 application is as follows:

(1) Sheung On Street, Chai Wan: Providing about 1 720 units (including units for one to two persons, three to four persons and four to five persons), with a number of franchised bus and minibus routes available in the vicinity to/from Chai Wan MTR Station, Heng Fa Chuen MTR Station, and various places in Hong Kong and Kowloon. The estimated monthly rent ranges from about $1,340 to $3,020 (Note).

(2) Olympic Avenue, Kai Tak (Phase 2): Providing about 3 180 units (including units for one to two persons, three to four persons and four to five persons) in the first stage of application, adjacent to Kai Tak MTR Station, and with a number of franchised bus and minibus routes in the vicinity travelling to/from various places in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. The estimated monthly rent ranges from about $1,310 to $2,990 (Note).

(3) Yan Po Road, Tuen Mun: Providing about 2 760 units (including units for one to two persons, three to four persons and four to five persons) in the first stage of application, adjacent to Yan Po Road Public Transport Interchange and bus stops on Yan Po Road, which provide a number of franchised bus routes to/from various places in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories, and MTR bus routes to/from Tuen Mun and Siu Hong MTR Stations. The estimated monthly rent ranges from about $900 to $2,010 (Note).

(4) Tsing Fat Street, Tuen Mun: Providing about 1 160 units (including units for one to two persons, and three to four persons) in the first stage of application, with a bus terminus within the project, which provides public transport services to/from Tuen Mun Town Centre, Tuen Mun Road Bus-Bus Interchange and other destinations in the urban area during peak hours. The estimated monthly rent ranges from about $900 to $1,610 (Note).

For more information about the LPH Phase 3 application, please refer to the enclosed LPH Promotional Pamphlet, or browse the LPH website of the HB (www.hb.gov.hk/eng/lph). For enquiries, please call 3464 0700, or send email to lphapp@hb.gov.hk.

Note: Rents vary depending on the unit size and the district. The rental level is set at around 90 per cent of the rent of newly completed traditional PRH in the same district. Having regard to the biennial rent review of the traditional PRH, the rent of LPH will be adjusted accordingly.

Light Public Housing to open for Phase 3 application from January 30 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Light Public Housing to open for Phase 3 application from January 30 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Light Public Housing to open for Phase 3 application from January 30 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Light Public Housing to open for Phase 3 application from January 30 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by SITI at Canadian Engineering Asia-Pacific Conference - A Centennial Celebration of Engineering Excellence

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the Canadian Engineering Asia-Pacific Conference -A Centennial Celebration of Engineering Excellencetoday (January 24):

Chairman Kan (Chairman of the Iron Ring 100 Organising Committee, Mr Fred Kan), Charles (Consul General of Canada to Hong Kong and Macao, Mr Charles Edwin Reeves), deans, distinguished guests and speakers, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. It is my great pleasure to join all of you here at the Canadian Engineering Asia-Pacific Conference.

Today, we mark a milestone of profound significance as we celebrate the centennial of the Iron Ring, a symbol that has guided generations of Canadian engineers in their commitment to integrity, humility and service to society. As a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, today's gathering in Hong Kong bears especial meaning to me. Like many of you, my studies and work experience in Canada have shaped my teaching and research journey in Hong Kong, and continue to inspire my work until this day.

For one hundred years, the Iron Ring has not only reminded engineers of their professional obligations, but also borne witness to the passage of time and the progress of civilisation. As we honour this century-long legacy, we must also look ahead and recognise that engineering is undergoing unprecedented transformation. The next hundred years of engineering, like the whole world, will be defined, and redefined, by innovation and technology (I&T).

Hong Kong is embracing this transformation with ambition and determination. Guided by the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint promulgated in 2022, the Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionGovernment is investing heavily to build a fast-growing, globally-connected I&T ecosystem powered by solid R&D (research and development) capability, world-class talents, and an increasingly vibrant startup community.

Home to five of the world's top 100 universities, Hong Kong has a rich pool of top-tier scientists, engineers, and tech talents, and possesses exceptional strengths in scientific research. Our flagship global research collaboration initiative, the InnoHK Clusters, which hosts 31 research centres, pools together over 30 world-renowned non-local universities and research institutes from 12 economies to collaborate with our local universities. The University of Waterloo and the University Health Network stand among our most valued partners, contributing Canadian excellence to Hong Kong's research landscape. To welcome more top-notch talent to Hong Kong, we have launched the Frontier Technology Research Support Scheme.

In recent years, Hong Kong has also taken decisive steps to strengthen its position in frontier technologies. Notably, we have established the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute in 2024 to drive third-generation semiconductor research and accelerate the transformation of R&D outcomes into industry applications. And we will also set up the Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute within this year.

Furthermore, the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone formally commenced operation last month, housing more than 60 enterprises at the moment. The Park signals our commitment to building world-class innovative platform and deepening cross-boundary collaboration. We welcome I&T talent and enterprises from around the world to join us in our I&T journey.

Over the years, Hong Kong and Canadashare many similarities and a wide range of common interests. We both thrive on engineering ingenuity, education aspiration, and a bold vision for I&T development. As we navigate an era defined by AI, robotics, and rapid technological transformation, the I&T partnership between the two economies will become ever more vital.

The presence of eight distinguished Canadian engineering deans at this conference speaks to the strength of our academic ties and the shared vision we hold for the future. Let us further strengthen the ties between Hong Kong and Canada, between engineering, innovation, and beyond.

Finally, I congratulate the organising committee on this remarkable milestone and wish you all a rewarding conference. Thank you.

Speech by SITI at Canadian Engineering Asia-Pacific Conference - A Centennial Celebration of Engineering Excellence Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases