Recently there has been criticism from some Legislative Council and District Council members about the imposition of rules and systems for approving publicity materials for display on the notice boards in the common areas of our public housing estates. I wish to reiterate that our system is entirely legitimate. It is essential for an organisation as large as the Housing Department (HD) to establish a set of criteria for vetting publicity materials. It is also worth bearing in mind that the guidelines have been in place since 1999 and have been operating smoothly all along.

The primary objective of the HD in managing public housing estates is to provide a safe, clean and tranquil environment for our tenants. The aim of setting up notice boards in common areas in public housing estates is to provide a simple and convenient information platform through which Legislative Councillors, District Councillors, non-governmental organisations and resident associations may disseminate relevant information, especially those of welfare or service-providing in nature, to public housing residents. The guidelines are in place simply to help our colleagues to coordinate the display of publicity materials and to ensure a fair allocation of space available on the notice boards. The use of simple, fair and user-friendly guidelines helps protect our colleagues from accusation of favouritism or bias and avoid disputes amongst eligible parties.

To uphold the basic principle that publicity materials should not be used to criticise any individuals regardless of their position, we have further clarified the guidelines on the arrangements in 2011, making it clear to all front-line staff that publicity materials shall not carry any negative or derogatory remarks against individual persons or parties. This is in line with the original aim of setting up such notice boards to be a reliable source of information, and not something that should be used to criticise individual persons or parties; or worse, a channel through which individuals or parties criticise each others.

One of the criticisms is that our guidelines allow us to censor the content of publicity materials. I want to stress that we do not censor publicity materials. If it complies with the guidelines, the material will be posted. Since the guidelines are well understood by most people, it is very rare that publicity materials are not approved. In order to ensure consistency we have now put in place a system to allow front-line staff to refer to Housing Managers in the Headquarters for advice on difficult cases. Anyone who is dissatisfied with a decision may also seek to have the decision reviewed by staff at the Headquarters.

Our only objective is to provide a simple channel through which our tenants may seek and be given information of interest to them. Our simple guidelines help us to achieve that aim.

D W Pescod
Director of Housing

A number of public housing estates in Hong Kong were built as far back as the 1950s or 60s. Upon its establishment in 1973, the Housing Authority (HA) began to take on the management of these estates. The HA has ever since been making efforts to provide new facilities and improve the living environment of these estates, while also striving to maintain their distinct characteristics.

Model Housing Estate, located in North Point, commenced its residential in-take in 1954. It is the oldest estate among our existing public housing stock. Five of the older residential buildings are only five- or six-storey tall. The remaining high-rise block was built in 1979. Despite its old age, the estate has been maintained in an excellent condition as the peaceful ambience and general tidiness show. A sitting-out area covered in greenery and some recreational facilities have been put in place despite spatial constraints.

Sai Wan Estate in Western District, with its residential in-take in 1958, was the third public housing estate to be built on Hong Kong Island, after North Point Estate (now demolished) and Model Housing Estate. Built on the hillside, the estate consists of five old slab buildings. One of the blocks, East Terrace, has its main entrance at the bottom of the hill while the other four linked blocks occupy the upper part of the slope. In 2009, the HA installed a new lift to serve between the ground floor entrance and the first floor of East Terrace, to provide easier and more convenient access for the residents.

The name of Choi Hung Estate literally means "rainbow". With its colourful outlook, the estate has been a landmark in Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon for a good half-century. The names of the avenues and blocks inside the estate are associated with the seven colours of the rainbow, with references to the red plum, orange blossom, yellow chrysanthemum, green crystal, purple crape myrtle, red sepal, etc. The estate has recently undergone improvement works including structural repairs, construction of new lifts, re-pavement of pedestrian walkways, as well as enhancements to the landscape design and green areas. Residents have been enjoying easier access and a better living environment since completion of the improvement programme.

Wah Fu Estate, located in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island, was built in 1967. It was the first public housing estate to be planned and built as a self-contained community, providing a full spectrum of facilities such as a shopping complex, market, parking areas, schools and a public library. Residents are able to obtain all they need for their daily necessities. Wah Fu (I), in view of its proximity to the sea, was built in the Old Slab design, to enable more residents to enjoy the sea view; while Wah Fu (II) Estate was built in 1970, making a mark with its Twin Tower design.