Public housing estates in Sha Tin

Fung Wo Estate

Fung Wo Estate opened beside Wo Che Estate in 2013 on the site of the former Sha Tin Police Married Quarters, which were demolished in 2007. It comprises three blocks housing 3,500 people.^[2]

Lek Yuen Estate

Lek Yuen Estate

Lek Yuen Estate (Chinese: 瀝源邨) was the first public housing estate in Sha Tin, and is built on the reclaimed land of Sha Tin Hoi, located near Wo Che Estate and Sha Tin Station. The estate consists of seven residential blocks completed in 1975.^[3]

Lek Yuen Estate was one of the first of a "new generation" of estates which were more self-contained with regard to the provision of amenities and shopping.^[4] Covered walkways allow tenants to do their shopping close to home, without relying on cars or trains. This is now a standard element of housing estate design in Hong Kong. When the old Sha Tin market was being demolished, many merchants were relocated to the Lek Yuen Estate shops, though some complained of comparatively "exorbitant" rents.^[5]

The shopping centre is now owned by The Link REIT. The estate locality has several other facilities including a market, a park, a public clinic, an entertainment building called "Sha Tin Fun City", and numerous schools. An elevated walkway runs through the estate, linking it to Sha Tin Town Centre (to the south) and Wo Che Estate (to the north).

Pok Hong Estate

Pok Hong Estate

Pok Hong Estate (Chinese: 博康邨) is a mixed estate consisting of eight residential blocks completed in 1982, 1983 and 1985.^[6] Its site was originally a shallow sand beach near Sha Tin Hoi. Some of the flats were sold to the tenants through Tenants Purchase Scheme Phase 5 in 2002.^[1]

Sha Kok Estate

Bean Goose House and Sand Martin House in Sha Kok Estate

Sha Kok Estate (Chinese: 沙角邨) is located near Pok Hong Estate, Jat Min Chuen and Sha Tin Wai Station.^[8]

The blocks in the estate are named after birds.

The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education (HKAGE) moved in 2012 into the former Sha Kok Primary School in Sha Kok Estate, sharing the same building with Hong Kong Education City. It is located next to Buddhist Kok Kwong Secondary School.

Shui Chuen O Estate

Shui Chuen O Estate bordering Lion Rock Country Park and Ma On Shan Country Park

Shui Chen O Estate, Shatin (Hong Kong)

Shui Chuen O Estate comprises 18 blocks opened between 2014 and 2016, offering 11,123 public rental flats. It also includes a commercial complex with 59 shops and an indoor market.^[10] The new estate sits on a hillside and will be connected to the lower-lying areas by footbridges and lift towers, providing easy access to Pok Hong Estate and Sha Tin Wai Station.

Wo Che Estate

Twin Tower buildings in Wo Che Estate.

Wo Che Estate (Chinese: 禾輋邨) is the second public housing estate in Sha Tin, after Lek Yuen Estate.^[11] Built on the reclaimed land of Sha Tin Hoi,^[12] the estate consists of 13 residential blocks completed in 1975, 1980 and 2003.

The 13th house in the estate, King Wo House, was originally the HOS house called "Fung Sui Court", but the Hong Kong Housing Authority decided to transfer it to rental house before it was occupied in 2003.^[14]

Kwong Yuen Estate

Kwong Yuen Estate

Kwong Yuen Estate (Chinese: 廣源邨) is a mixed public and TPS estate in Siu Lek Yuen. Unlike other public estates in Sha Tin, Kwong Yuen Estate is built on sloping platform, instead of reclaimed land.^[15] In 2001, some of the flats were sold to the tenants through Tenants Purchase Scheme Phase 4.^[16]

The Commercial Centre Complex of the estate was designed to merge into the village environment in the vicinity. Unlike the commercial centres of other public housing estates, the Complex consists of five two-level blocks which are standing on two platforms.^[15] The 26m clock tower of the Complex is to reinforce the image of the Commercial Centre.^[15] In 1992, the design of the commercial centre won a Certificate of Merit in the annual design competition which was organized by The Hong Kong Institute of Architects.^[15][17]

Shek Mun Estate

Shek Mun Estate

Shek Mun Estate (Chinese: 碩門邨) is a public housing estate built on reclaimed land in Shek Mun, Sha Tin, near the MTR Shek Mun Station.^[19] It consists of two residential buildings completed in 2009.^[20][21][22]

A second phase, comprising four more blocks, started construction in 2015. This phase occupies a 2.25 ha site across the road from the existing estate and also includes a commercial centre, a welfare block, a kindergarten, a car park, and public space.^[23]

Jat Min Chuen

Sign of Jat Min Chuen

Jat Min Chuen (Chinese: 乙明邨) is the only one estate in Sha Tin developed by the Hong Kong Housing Society. It consists of three residential buildings completed in 1981 and 1982.^[25] It was named for Mr. Tan Jat Ming (陳乙明), the former honorary treasurer of the Society.^[26][27]

Unlike other estates, the Hong Kong Housing Society financed the construct of Jat Min Chuen using a bank loan at a high interest rate, rather than from the Government. Therefore, the rent in the estate was forced to be put up as the Society needed to return money to banks afterwards.^[28]

Short-piling scandal

In 2000, Block C and D of the court was found short-piling, in which only four of the 18 piles of the blocks could meet the specifications.^[33][34] Finally, the government decided to demolish the two blocks for safety reasons. The site was then reconstructed as a garden.^[35]