Government has decided to build at least 30, 000 public rental flats and 5,000 HOS flats per annum, to develop the New Towns of Tsuen Wan, Shatin, Tuen Mun Tai Po, Fanling and Yuen Long as well as the Rural New Territories in order to provide sites and services for new housing, and to continue to improve the infrastructure and facilities in the main urban areas. The total cost of these works over the next 6 years in late 1980 prices is expected to be as follows
1981-82 1982-83
1983-84 ($billion)
1984-85 1985-86 1986-87
Public works *
Programme items
(excluding land)
4.6
6.0
6.8
7.0
6.8
6.7
Housing Authority
projects
3.9
3.9
3.9
3.9
3.9
3.9
•
Total
8.5
9.9
10.7
10.9
10.7
10.6
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* This expenditure includes the development of Junk Bay and Ma
On Shan and such major transport projects as the West Kowloon Corridor, the HK Island Eastern Corridor, the Sha Tin to Tai Po Road and the N. T. Circular Road widening.
This means that, at constant 1980 prices, capital expenditure in the public sector over the next four years would have to average about 24% per annum higher than the 1981-82 level. However, after 1984-85, the present development programmes begin to tail off and by 1990-91 PWP expenditure on the present New Towns and Junk Bay, together with a steady commitment of about $2.7 billion for the urban areas, is expected to be about $4.7 billion. This figure can be expected to fall further as the present New Towns are largely completed and, by 1995-96, expenditure on the existing programmes would be around $3. 25 billion.
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As to other priorities not yet included in current development programmes, the principal potential commitment Government may have to undertake in the near future is the reprovisioning of Kai Tak airport. If a decision is taken at the end of 1982 to build a replacement airport on North Lantau, it would be necessary to construct a bridge joining Lantau to the mainland, together with a high capacity road access to the airport. In addition, it would be desirable to proceed with land development on North Lantau to maximise the land potential made available by the construction of the very costly transport infrastructure. The orders of cost for these developments would be as follows:-