HONG KONG — Hong Kong officers on Saturday unveiled resettlement plans for 1000’s of people that had been displaced by the deadliest blaze in a long time final November, proposing to purchase again the homeownership rights from the hearth victims.
Nearly three months after the large blaze unfold throughout seven condominium buildings in Wang Fuk Courtroom, its former occupants have been dwelling in uncertainty about once they would discover someplace they might name house once more.
A lot of them are adjusting to new lives of their non permanent properties scattered throughout numerous districts, with the federal government providing rental grants to assist owners pay for the short-term lodging.
Officers stated in a information convention on Saturday that owners of the seven buildings can promote their possession rights for money to safe lodging of their alternative or purchase an condominium underneath a chosen authorities coverage. Residents preferring to not take care of a considerable amount of money can instantly trade an condominium underneath the coverage.
The federal government estimated that purchasing again the rights of some 1,700 items would value about 6.8 billion Hong Kong {dollars} ($870 million), with about 4 billion Hong Kong {dollars} ($512 million) of that sum to be from public funds and the remainder to be lined by a aid fund. The quantity of public funds concerned might ultimately be lowered, factoring in insurance coverage compensation.
Michael Wong, town’s Deputy Monetary Secretary, stated the administration was inclined to dismantle the seven buildings and wouldn’t redevelop residential properties on the hearth website. It might be remodeled right into a park or neighborhood services as an alternative.
Wong stated there is not any affordable or cost-effective approach to restore the broken buildings, and if the federal government does not intervene, it is going to be onerous for owners to seek out patrons available in the market.
“In different phrases, the funds they’ve invested in these items over time might flip to nothing,” he stated.
The federal government goals to contact the owners in March and hopes to pay the homeowners within the third quarter of this yr, he stated, whereas those that go for the condominium trade program might begin choosing new properties in September.
The proposals got here after affected residents had been surveyed about their preferences. Wong stated 74% of the respondents had been prepared to think about promoting their possession rights to the federal government. Some 9% of those that answered the survey stated they’d solely settle for redevelopment on the hearth website, which the federal government anticipated to take a couple of decade, he stated.
The blaze killed 168 folks on Nov. 26, 2025, and has shattered a close-knit neighborhood within the suburban district of Tai Po. Authorities blamed substandard scaffold netting and foam boards utilized in a upkeep challenge for quickly spreading the hearth. Though some arrests had been made, an impartial committee remains to be investigating the trigger.
