Govt receives over 13k submissions for five-year plan

Chief Executive John Lee announced on Sunday that the government is on track to complete the city's first five-year plan, with September set as the target month for unveiling the blueprint. During a district consultation session for the five-year plan, Lee proposed the establishment of a specialized body to oversee building renovation works, aiming to ease the burden on residents and ensure quality.

Lee attended the session along with fellow cabinet members and engaged in discussions with about 120 participants, including residents, retirees, professionals, students, and ethnic minorities. The participant Wong criticized the difficulty for young people to purchase flats without wealthy support, to which Lee responded that the government is working on enriching the housing ladder and building larger homes.

An engineer suggested creating a buildings maintenance authority under the Development Bureau to handle repairs of buildings over 30 years old, which Lee welcomed. As of now, the government has received approximately 13,800 public submissions for the five-year plan and 8,500 for the annual Policy Address since consultations began in June.

The submissions cover various topics such as livelihoods, economic development, technology, and the future of the Northern Metropolis, which the government will use to determine priorities and resource allocation. Lee expressed that the public is supportive of the five-year plan and believes it will help Hong Kong better grasp opportunities and make plans.