Sandwich Class Housing Scheme
Encyclopedia
Sandwich Class Housing Scheme (夾心階層住屋計劃) was a scheme by the Hong Kong Housing Society
for building apartments that were sold to middle-income families, i.e. sandwich class
, at concessionary prices during the 1990s. The purchases were subject to a five-year resale restriction. The first development, Tivoli Garden, was completed in 1995, and was followed by 12 other developments. In total, more than 12,000 units were built.
Three developments were converted into private properties for sale at full market values:
In the case of several projects, following a Government policy to suspend the sale of the subsidized flats in September 2001, not all units were sold under the initial Sandwich Class Housing Scheme. These projects include: Marina Habitat, The Pinnacle, Highland Park and Cascades.
All units of Mountain Shore were initially sold within 9 hours in April 2002 at an average price of HK$2,900 per sq. ft.
Hong Kong Housing Society
The Hong Kong Housing Society or Housing Society for short, is the second largest public housing provider in Hong Kong . The HKHS is a non-governmental organization and non profit organization that was founded in 1948 by "members coming from all walks of life" with a donation of £14,000...
for building apartments that were sold to middle-income families, i.e. sandwich class
Sandwich class
The sandwich class is an informal term used in Singapore and Hong Kong to refer to the middle class.Very generally, the sandwich class consists of lower middle class people who feel "squeezed" — although they are not poor, they are not able to achieve their aspirations as people with a higher...
, at concessionary prices during the 1990s. The purchases were subject to a five-year resale restriction. The first development, Tivoli Garden, was completed in 1995, and was followed by 12 other developments. In total, more than 12,000 units were built.
Developments
The housing estates built under the scheme were: (number of apartments and year of completion into brackets)- Park Belvedere (雅景臺), Ma On ShanMa On Shan (area)Ma On Shan is a new town along the eastern coast of Tolo Harbour in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Although it was initially an extension of Sha Tin New Town, it has been designed to have its own town centre and is now classified as a separate new town in government reports...
(882 - 1998) - Sunshine Grove (晴碧花園), Sha TinSha TinSha Tin, also spelled Shatin, is an area around the Shing Mun River in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District.-Geography:...
(508 - 1998) - The Pinnacle (叠翠軒), Tseung Kwan OTseung Kwan OTseung Kwan O is a bay in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. In the northern tip of the bay lies the Tseung Kwan O Village....
(1,424 - 1999) - Tivoli Garden, Tsing YiTsing YiTsing Yi , or Tsing Yi Island is an island in the urban area of Hong Kong, to the northwest of Hong Kong Island and south of Tsuen Wan. With an area of 10.69 km², the island has extended drastically by reclamation along almost all its natural shore and the annexation of Nga Ying Chau and Chau...
(1,024 - 1995) - Hibiscus Park (芊紅居), Kwai ChungKwai ChungKwai Chung is a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District of Hong Kong. Kwai Chung is the site of the container port. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a population of 287,000...
(420 - 1998) - Marina Habitat (悅海華庭), Ap Lei ChauAp Lei ChauAp Lei Chau , or Aberdeen Island, is an island of Hong Kong, located south-west of Hong Kong Island, next to Aberdeen Harbour and Aberdeen Channel, with an area of 1.30 km². Administratively, it is part of Southern District. Ap Lei Chau is the third most densely populated island in the world.-...
(992 - 1998) - Bel Air Heights (悅庭軒), Diamond HillDiamond HillDiamond Hill is a hill in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The name also refers to the area on or adjacent to the hill. It is surrounded by Ngau Chi Wan, San Po Kong, Wong Tai Sin and Tsz Wan Shan. Its northeast is limited by the ridge. It is principally a residential district.-Etymology:Contrary to its name,...
(798 - 1999) - Cascades (欣圖軒), Ho Man TinHo Man TinHo Man Tin is a mostly residential area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, part of the Kowloon City District.-History:The original area of Ho Man Tin was quite different from the present-day one. It was located in the heart of nowaday Mong Kok. With cultivated lands,...
(712 - 1999) - Highland Park (浩景臺), Kwai ChungKwai ChungKwai Chung is a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District of Hong Kong. Kwai Chung is the site of the container port. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a population of 287,000...
(1,456 - 1999)
Three developments were converted into private properties for sale at full market values:
- Cayman Rise, Kennedy TownKennedy TownKennedy Town is at the western end of Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It was named after Arthur Edward Kennedy, the 7th Governor of Hong Kong from 1872 to 1877...
- Radiant TowersRadiant TowersRadiant Towers is a private housing estate in Po Lam, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, Hong Kong, developed by Hong Kong Housing Society and located next to the MTR Po Lam Station....
(旭輝臺) Tseung Kwan OTseung Kwan OTseung Kwan O is a bay in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. In the northern tip of the bay lies the Tseung Kwan O Village....
(704 - 1999) - Mountain ShoreMountain ShoreMountain Shore is a private housing estate in Ma On Shan, Sha Tin District, New Territories, Hong Kong. The estate is one of the Hong Kong Housing Society's Sandwich Class Housing Scheme projects converted into private developments....
, Ma On ShanMa On Shan (area)Ma On Shan is a new town along the eastern coast of Tolo Harbour in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Although it was initially an extension of Sha Tin New Town, it has been designed to have its own town centre and is now classified as a separate new town in government reports...
(2002) - Serenity PlaceSerenity PlaceSerenity Place is a private housing estate in Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, Hong Kong, developed by Hong Kong Housing Society, next to MTR Po Lam Station. It is the Society’s last Sandwich Class Housing Scheme project converted to private development...
, Tseung Kwan OTseung Kwan OTseung Kwan O is a bay in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. In the northern tip of the bay lies the Tseung Kwan O Village....
(2003)
Sales
Demand for Sandwich Class Housing apartments was generally high. For example, in 1996, the Hong Kong Housing Society received 6,520 applications for the sale of a batch of 1,696 units in Radiant Towers and Marina Habitat. This level of applications was a 40% increase in comparison to those for Park Belvedere and Tivoli Gardens, in 1995 and 1994 respectively.In the case of several projects, following a Government policy to suspend the sale of the subsidized flats in September 2001, not all units were sold under the initial Sandwich Class Housing Scheme. These projects include: Marina Habitat, The Pinnacle, Highland Park and Cascades.
All units of Mountain Shore were initially sold within 9 hours in April 2002 at an average price of HK$2,900 per sq. ft.