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LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
index of property owners contained the names of 444 871 owners, an increase of 20 507 over the previous year. Some own several properties throughout the territory, but most are owners or part-owners of small, individual flats.
Important Transactions
Important land transactions during 1983 included the sale by tender of a site of approximately 5 400 square metres on the perimeter of Kowloon Park facing Nathan Road. The land will be developed to form a natural shopping extension to the Tsim Sha Tsui tourist area, and strict attention will be paid to landscaping to ensure its compatibility with the adjacent park.
A large site of some 4.5 hectares on the Kowloon Bay reclamation was sold in August for residential development under the Private Sector Participation Scheme. When completed, this will provide some 6 000 flats for sale to purchasers who will be nominated by the Housing Department from applicants within a limited income group. The development will also include recreational facilities, a nursery, a kindergarten and in excess of 8 000 square metres of commercial floor space providing a full range of facilities for this small 'township' located conveniently in north Kowloon, close to the Mass Transit Railway.
At Ocean Park on the south side of Hong Kong Island, plans are in hand to expand the popular facilities by introducing a theatre, gymnasium, restaurants, swimming pools, shops, a crafts village and a roller coaster. All the amenities will be located within an extended area reached by an extensive system of escalators leading to the headland areas of the park.
An extension is to be granted to the owners of two of the existing container port lots at Kwai Chung. The area of land forming the extension amounts to more than 15 hectares. and represents a 50 per cent increase in the size of the lots. The land granted will involve reclamation from the sea and the terms of the grant require that the owners carry out other work on behalf of the government and provide for the reprovisioning of the container port road.
Three developing new towns, Sha Tin, Tuen Mun and Tai Po, all continued to dispose of major sites for private sector development. A second hotel site and the first office site were sold in Sha Tin, while town centre lots for commercial and residential development were successfully tendered in Tuen Mun and Tai Po. In the northeast New Territories, the proposed development of a new town at Junk Bay has created much interest in the Sai Kung area. A study is under way to examine the general development of the hinterland of the new town and particular attention is being given to recreational facilities to cater for the large number of people anticipated to use this area.
Urban Renewal and Environmental Improvement
Special importance continues to be attached to urban renewal schemes including those carried out by the Hong Kong Housing Society. Following two major resumptions in 1982 for the society's urban improvement schemes at Wun Sha Street in Tai Hang, and Ap Lei Chau Main Street, efforts in 1983 have been concentrated mainly on acquisitions for other environmental improvement schemes.
Environmental improvement, particularly with regard to the provision of open space, was given considerable impetus in 1983 with substantial funds being made available for the acquisi- tion of private properties zoned for open space and government, institutional and community uses in the town plans for Western District, Wan Chai and Yau Ma Tei. By the end of the year, an estimated $45 million had been spent on the acquisition of properties in these areas.