SHA TIN DEVELOPMENT:
16.
GROWTH of the Sha Tin Valley
into a new suburban residential township with a population of over 350,000 is envisaged in the long- term development plan for the Valley issued by the Hong Kong Town Planning Board.
come
area
In recent years the area has be- a popular residential because of its natural beauty and easy access by road and rail from Kowloon. Road access will become even easier with the completion of the Lion Rock tunnel.
The draft plan, covering some 14.300 acres of mainly agricultural and forest land, includes the whole. of the Valley and Tide Cove. It takes in Sha Tin New Town, the village of Tai Wai, other villages and hamlets to Cheung Shue Tan on the west and the mining area of Ma On Shan in the east.
The only industrial undertaking in the area is the dyeing and finishing mill at Fo Tan.
The draft layout plan is available for inspection by the public at the Crown Lands and Survey Office, P.W.D., Lower Albert Road, and at the Government Branch Office, Farm Road. Kowloon, until the end of June.
Any person affected by the draft plan may send to the Town Planning Board a written statement of his objections to anything in the plan and may propose amendments to remove the objections.
The Board will consider all objec- tions and make such amendments as are considered desirable before the plan is submitted to the Governor- in-Council for approval.
The draft plan aims at determin- ing the best future use of land in the area. Certain portions have been set aside (see map) for specific purposes, some mainly for residen-
50
are
WITH POPULATION
tial building and others for indus- trial or commercial use, while there reserves for Government and community purposes such as parks woodlands, recreation grounds and open spaces.
The Board has allowed for a considerable increase in population and a modicum of industrial devel- opment while preserving the beauty and countryside character of the Valley.
Reclamation. of most of Tide Cove, except for a central strip to provide for a canal of about 1,000 feet wide parallel to the main shopping and commercial centre, is proposed.
Main lines of communication, in cluding the railway, roads, footways and drainage reserves are outlined in the plan, which also allows for the possible realignment of the rail. way track to the north of the canal and the building of a new through road along the line of the canal,
The proposed main through road from Kowloon to Sha Tin will follow a. route from the Lion Rock tunnel portal to the canal and then along its eastern side as far north as the mouth of the river, where it will cross the canal by bridge to join the Tai Po Road at its entrance to the Sha Tin Town Centre.
In the final stages, the road will be carried further along the eastern side of the canal, thus by-passing the town and crossing the canal by another bridge in the vicinity of Ho Tung Lau to connect with the exist ing Tai Po Road.
The detailed layouts for each of the proposed zones will provide for additional development roads and land for community uses, such as schools and clinics. At the outset, and after the plan as been approved, detailed planning will be put in hand for two of the zones. Within these
zones the tempo of development will rest largely with individual land-
owners.
The outline zoning provides for 2,045 acres of residential land in eleven separate zones. It is intended that parking facilities, to agreed standards, should be provided with- in building plots. Existing villages will, in general, remain undisturbed.
The area of land scheduled for industrial use is about 29 acres and is divided into three separate zones.
Between 30 and 40 per cent of the industrial land will be taken up by roads, drain reserves, public parking areas and other public amenities. Parking and off-street loading facili- ties, in accordance with agreed stan- dards, will be required within future industrial building sites.
an
It is not intended that Sha Tin will become
industrial town either of the magnitude of, or on the same basis as, Tsuen Wan. The three industrial areas earmarked will provide fdor service industry and a small amount of manufacturing of a specialist nature, suited to the sur- roundings.
The outline plan provides for Sha Tin to be declared an area in which smoky or noxious industry will not be allowed.
The Board recommends that the whole of the Valley, including Tide Cove, be made subject to a declara- tion prescribing it as a smoke con- trol area, under the provisions of the Clean Air Ordinance, 1959.
Two commercial zones, occupying roughly 515.8 acres, are proposed. The detailed layouts of these zones. which have to be prepared at a later date, will provide for major shop- ping facilities as well as public use, such as schools, markets and cine-
mas.
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER VOLUME 16. NUMBER 1