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LAND AND HOUSING
1973 continued to give emphasis to the work relating to the mass transit railway scheme.
Triangulation control points were established in several areas of the New Territories where development will be taking place in connection with new town developments.
Details of the draft of a new air survey mapping contract were finalised during the year and tenders were to be invited from nine overseas air survey firms.
Preparatory work for the production of new metric 1:10,000 and 1:20,000 dual- language topographic maps were also underway and the first three sheets in the 1:20,000 series were scheduled for publication by the end of 1974. These maps will replace the existing 1:25,000 series (L882) when all 15 sheets are available by early 1977.
The first fully metric topographic map produced in this office will be the third revision of the popular 1:50,000 series which will be available in early 1974. All contours and spot-heights are in metres in this new edition.
The second edition of the official guide map with metric contours and improved colour tints, was published in August 1973. The second sheet of the 'Countryside Series', covering the west of the New Territories, was delayed because of more urgent commitments, but should be available in early 1974. Compilation work for a com- pletely new 1:7,500 scale street-plan series, to replace the existing eight inch to one milę maps was also in hand and the first block of sheets should be published in 1974.
Town Planning
The two bodies mainly responsible for town planning in Hong Kong are the Town Planning Board, chaired by the Director of Public Works and comprising nine official and five unofficial members, and the Land Development Planning Committee, chaired by the Secretary for the Environment and comprising six official members. The functions of the Town Planning Office include the servicing of these two bodies. There are three main levels of planning which proceed from general concepts to development projects. They are the Colony Outline Plan, statutory outline zoning plans, and departmental plans in the form of planning guides, outline development plans and planning layouts.
The Colony Outline Plan, which is based on a data bank of land use and demo- graphic information and the findings of six inter-departmental working committees, was prepared and revised under the guidance of the Land Development Planning Committee. It provides a framework for all other planning activities and sets out general planning concepts for future population distribution and development. The plan recommends standards for the provision of community facilities, suggests the locations of major facilities and defines the functions of areas in broad terms. It provides a framework for the preparation of statutory outline zoning plans, planning guides, outline development and layout plans. It also forms a basis for the formula- tion of land development programmes and the reappraisal of transportation pro- posals. The data bank is continuously up-dated and the plan itself requires periodical