The Government has set a new target of providing up to 9,000 public housing units within five years and, at the same time, introduce a housing scheme for the 'sandwich class' who are presently not eligible for such housing. This was disclosed today by the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, when he attended a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly this afternoon, to answer questions from legislators on public issues. Mr Ho said that the Government had obtained some land from developers and philanthropic societies which would allow it to speed up the construction. The Government's new target is to build 4,000 units within three years, bringing the total to between 8,000 to 9,000 within five years. Mr Ho also revealed that the Government had plans to introduce a housing scheme for the 'sandwich class', leasing them flats by collecting only a reasonable proportion of their income as rent, offering them opportunities to buy the flats at a fair price after a certain period of time. He also disclosed that the Government would amend outdated provisions in the home-ownership scheme, and that homes provided in this scheme in the future will have two or three bedrooms. The Government expects to provide 10,000 units in total for the home-ownership scheme and the housing scheme for the 'sandwich class'. Mr Ho also said that the Government would adjust the equation for calculating land premiums about the middle of the year, so that premiums would better conform to Macao's current real estate market. Moreover, the Government would soon set up a consultative panel for urban planning and land concession to enhance transparency and public faith in decisions of land concessions and changes in land use, he said. The Government was also studying plans to introduce an 'automated transit system' for pedestrians, which could help ease the traffic between light rail stations and tourist attractions.
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