Housing Bureau says on-site redevelopment will take too long and over 80 per cent of residents want quicker solution, according to earlier survey
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenVivian AuPublished: 12:41pm, 9 Apr 2026Hong Kong authorities have ruled out on-site partial redevelopment as a long-term housing solution for victims of the deadly Tai Po blaze, turning down a detailed proposal submitted by 400 displaced residents to rebuild new flats on the land.
The Housing Bureau said on Wednesday evening that rebuilding the fire-hit blocks of Wang Fuk Court on its original site would take too long and was fraught with uncertainties.
“In situ redevelopment is not the most suitable option,” a bureau spokesman told the South China Morning Post, noting that more than 80 per cent of residents preferred a quicker solution, according to an earlier government survey.
The spokesman added that beyond the long time frame, some residents were traumatised and expressed lingering fear about returning to live on the same site.
The government earlier launched a survey to gauge the long-term rehousing preferences of flat owners displaced by the fire, offering nine options for new subsidised homes, including redeveloping the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court by 2035 at the earliest.
Apart from redeveloping the fire-hit estate, other rehousing options in the survey include six ongoing projects under the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) outside Tai Po, and two sites earmarked for such flats within the district.
