The Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Howe, QC, MP
Appendix
BRIEFING NOTE FOR THE HARBOUR TOUR BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMON WEALTH AFFAIRS AND LADY HOWE
10.30 AM
-
12.00 NOON, FRIDAY 21 DECEMBER 1984
(Theme : Existing and future development
around Victoria Harbour)
Territorial Development Strategy
In the late 1970's, the Hong Kong Government came under pressure from the private sector to permit new urban development in many different parts of the territory. It also became clear that, once full development of the New Towns was completed in the early 1990's, new areas would need to be found in which the requirement for further major urban growth could be
met.
2.
It was therefore decided, in 1980, to set up a Strategic Planning Unit to assess likely demand for development up to the year 2001 and to examine possible options for meeting it. The aim was to produce an overali land-use and transportation development strategy which would indicate the general lines of future development.
3.
In assessing demand, the strategic studies have examined future requirements for housing and jobs and all related urban land uses, translating them into gross land areas. The population projection used throughout the studies was 7.1 million by the year 2001. The present population is estimated to be 5.3 million and existing development programmes are predicted to produce accommodation for about 0.9 million people, bringing the total accommodated by the early 1990's to about 6.2 million. It was therefore necessary to provide for a further 900,000 people. This translates into a requirement for about 1,000 hectares of new land.
4.
Transport requirements were also assessed, as were communications and commercial requirements.
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