Chow Hin on Illegal Basements in Detached Houses and National Security
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On 6 November 2026, Chow Hin wrote in Ming Pao Daily Economy about illegal structures in detached houses. He pointed out that illegal structures in detached houses are mostly excavated basements, since peripheral illegal structures are easily noticed while basements are not; citing Henry Tang's illegal structures at the time as an example, he said that had it not been for the election, they could not possibly have been exposed. Chow Hin also mentioned that excavating basements is very costly, and that the government has for years encouraged developers to dig basement car parks, while developers have complained bitterly because basement car parks cost more than above-ground car parks.
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- 明報·每日經濟Chow Hin: Digging Basements Helps National Security
Chow Hin points out that unauthorised structures in detached houses are mostly dug basements, because external structures are easily spotted while basements are not, as in the case of Henry Tang, whose unauthorised structure would never have been exposed if not for the election. He notes that digging basements is very costly, and that the government has for years encouraged developers to dig basement car parks, drawing complaints from developers because basement car parks cost more than above-ground ones.
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