45
stage. Noting that the additional handling capacity at
Hung Hom extension would be about 9 r tonnes per annum,
he thought that it should be sufficient to cope with the
increase in demand.
Airport
4.3.15 Mr. Sun enquired how many alternative sites had been
identified for the Hong Kong new airport. He said that
he hac heard both Lantau and Chek Lap Kok had been
identified as suitable sites for the new airport
development. He wished to know how many alternative
sites had been selected, the scale and the timing of the
development, the expected economic return from the
investment, as well as how the development was to be
financed.
be
4.3.16 Sir Davio replied that the Hong Kore
Korg Government had
decided that the proposed airport should
a first
class international airport fully capable of meeting
long Kong's economic needs. A study, which had establishce the engineering and operational feasibility
of the Chak Lap Kok site, was completed a few years
ago. However, the proposel was shelved at that time.
The current approach was to examine the ways and means
of extending the life of the Kai lak Airport, and to
compare the relative costs and benefits of alternative
courseS of action having regard to the economic
development of both Hong Kong and China. In this
intervening period, it has been found that Kai Tak's
capacity could be extended to meet the projected demand
up to the year 2000. On the other hand, the demand for
port facilities had grown considerably and the issue of
port development had assumed а greater degree of
urgency. Therefore, an alternative solution was to
develop a port together with the airport in the Western
harbour of long kong. At present, the Fong Kong