Consent was given for works to start on 12 building projects which will provide 90,725 sq m of gross floor area for domestic use involving 2,209 units, and 69,418 sq m of gross floor area for non-domestic use.

     The department also issued 24 occupation permits - six on Hong Kong Island, nine in Kowloon and nine in the New Territories. Buildings certified for occupation have 144,016 sq m of gross floor area for domestic use involving 2,811 units, and 99,320 sq m for non-domestic use.

     The projected private flat supply for the next three to four years is 92,000 units, unchanged from the previous estimate. The Transport & Housing Bureau said earlier there were 12,000 unsold units in completed projects at the end of December last year. It added there were 57,000 units under construction, excluding those pre-sold by developers, and 23,000 units from disposed sites where construction can start any time. The number of flats under construction in the fourth quarter of last year was 200, while the number of units completed for the period was 7,200.