Hong Kong urged to curtail Instagram-famous Choi Hung Estate’s 21-year redevelopment plan

Hong Kong housing authorities should use the latest technological methods to shorten the 21-year period for redeveloping an old public estate famous as an Instagram hotspot by three to six years, lawmakers say.

Lawmakers said Thursday that more than a third of residents of the rainbow-colored Choi Hung Estate were elderly. They called on the government to allow them to move into flats in the later stages of the redevelopment so they could continue to live in the same environment.

The long-awaited development plan for the Wong Tai Sin estate will be divided into three phases, with the first expected to start in 2028 at the earliest and the third to be completed by 2049, according to authorities.

It is expected that residents will move into the first series of newly redeveloped blocks between 2035 and 2036.

The sprawling Choi Hung Estate is home to approximately 7,400 households in 11 buildings ranging from seven to 20 floors, built between 1962 and 1964. After renovation, it will provide 9,200 apartments, approximately 1,800 more than the existing number.

During a meeting with housing officials, lawmaker Frankie Ngan Man-yu urged the government to shorten the timeline and reduce the environmental impacts and noise pollution expected by the redevelopment plan.