We cannot change the past, but we can learn from it. The four-alarm fire which took the lives of two firefighters aroused public concern about the safety of mini-storage facilities. We never realized that such a facility could cause a tragedy which would break the hearts of Hong Kong people. According to press reports, most of the mini-storage facilities located at old industrial buildings are not equipped with proper fire prevention measures, and some of them don't even have a water sprinkler system. These mini-storages are vulnerable to fires due to the fact they are crowded and have complicated structures. Mini-storages are just like "landmines" planted in our city.

According to Self Storage Association Asia, there are as many as 500 mini-storage facilities in Hong Kong. This information is worrying, especially after last week's tragedy. But why are there so many mini-storages in Hong Kong? The answer cannot be more obvious if you are living in this land-scarce city. According to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, among all the states or cities with a per capita income of over $10,000, only Hong Kong has a per capita living space of less than 20 square meters. The city's overall housing conditions have failed to improve in proportion to the rise in living standards. For many residents, renting a mini-storage is a cost-efficient solution to their problem of limited living space. The popularity of mini-storages is a result of unbalanced development between living space and the standard of living.

We now realize that mini-storages operating inside old industrial buildings are as dangerous as landmines and should be cleared. But "landmine clearing" is never an easy job as we all know. The task will involve the redevelopment of old industrial areas. Besides mini-storages, there are also logistic storages operating inside those old buildings. Before redeveloping the old buildings, it is necessary to find places to relocate those storage facilities. However, with land resources for logistic storage facilities having been in short supply for many years, it is hard to find alternative places to relocate those storage facilities operating inside industrial buildings. Moreover, most of the old industrial buildings are located in crowded urban areas with a plot ratio which is too low to allow any re-development project to generate attractive benefits.

Tackling the above-mentioned problems is undoubtedly the government's responsibility. Besides inspecting all mini-storages for any violations of regulations and ensuring fire safety compliance, the government should deal with the root cause of the issue by expanding land supply. It should allow social development and improve living conditions by increasing land supply. The government said that it had adopted a multi-pronged strategy to increase land supply in the short, medium and long term. But it is noteworthy that this strategy should focus on new sites with large developable areas. There are two potential sources of significant land supply - reclamation and development of North New Territories. These can effectively provide large areas for residential and other uses including logistic use.

Land supply is not only a development issue but also a welfare issue concerning the well-being of people. The fire tragedy has taught us a lesson: The problem of inadequate land resources can be life-threatening. Aside from the policy planning, the articulation of land development policy is also a concern. It seems that the government can hardly convince the public that land development is a critical issue which needs public support. People used to believe that development only benefits property tycoons and capitalists. In recent years, they have tended to underestimate the urgency of increasing land supply. Besides the difficulty of gaining public support, most of the development plans have also faced challenges such as filibusters in the Legislative Council and judicial reviews.

This fire tragedy could have been avoided. According to reports, the Lands Department had issued warning letters to several mini-storage operators. However, the existence of such risky storage facilities has its objective factors which can't be removed by merely issuing warning letters. Now that the fire is extinguished, there are many issues to be tackled. Land development is a complicated issue which involves diversified interests and stakeholders. The government and the public should place more emphasis on overall social well-being when formulating a land development policy.

The author is deputy research officer of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute.

(HK Edition 06/28/2016 page10)