176
LAND AND HOUSING
Point, Chai Wan, Yau Ma Tei, Hung Hom, Ma Tau Kok, Kwun Tong Tsai Wan, Ngau Tau Kok, Cha Kwo Ling, North-east Kowloon, Sha Tin and the Central District of Victoria.
The approved plan for the Central District of Victoria provides for expansion of the business and cultural centre of the Colony, and is designed so that vehicle and pedestrian traffic will be able to move easily and safely. Elevated pedestrian ways and traffic crossings are proposed with shops at first floor level, the ground and mezzanine floors being used mainly for service deliveries and car parking. This scheme is an ambitious one, in keeping with the times, and is likely to arouse considerable interest among overseas real estate investment companies and developers.
Surveys of housing density and industrial employment intensity were carried out during 1962 and these helped to provide a firmer basis for planning than had previously existed. Research on this and other aspects of development will be stepped up following recruitment of staff for the preparation of the Colony Outline Plan, approval for which was given at the end of the year.
Buildings. Expenditure on private building reached a new peak in 1962, totalling $330 million. This was an increase of 22 per cent over last year's figure. The year followed the usual pattern and most new buildings were for residential use; 76 per cent of the new buildings completed and occupied were domestic. Consider- able progress in the field of low-cost housing was made by the various bodies engaged in this type of work. The Ma Tau Chung scheme in Kowloon was completed at a cost of over $9 million and work continued on several other large housing projects. Local Government officers' housing societies continued to make sub- stantial contributions in the field of better class domestic accom- modation. In the sphere of industrial building, steady progress continued at Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan, while the development of the new industrial area at San Po Kong (formerly part of the old airport) was in hand.
The rate of development is shown by the following figures: plans for 3,569 new buildings were submitted to the Building Authority during 1962 and of these 3,276 were for buildings primarily intended for domestic occupation. In addition several thousand other plans dealing with works other than new buildings were submitted for approval. These mainly comprised alterations