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LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
township housing almost 700 000 people. When all major developments are completed in the early 1990s the new town will have a population of about 800 000 with job opportu- nities for 400 000 workers in the industrial sector.
The town has the world's second busiest container port which is being further extended by reclamation at the southern end of Kwai Chung to meet future growth.
Development on Tsing Yi Island is now progressing rapidly. This will result in a major increase in population in the next few years to be accommodated mainly in large public housing estates. On the southern and western parts of the island site formation is in progress for special land-intensive industries.
Transport continues to be a matter of prime concern. Severe congestion was experienced on the single bridge connecting Tsing Yi to the mainland, but the completion of the Tsing Yi North Bridge in late 1987 has brought about improvement of access to the island. Work has now started on the Kwai Chung Road-Castle Peak Road junction and the Route 5 tunnel connection to Sha Tin. Several other large road improvement schemes are also due to start to provide links to existing major roads and to the container port. These include the New Container Port Road and the flyover across Kwai On Road.
To meet the recreational needs of the expanding population, there is an extensive programme to provide additional park and recreational areas. The Gin Drinker's Bay controlled tip is now being turned into a park with innovative recreational facilities to make this a regional attraction. Plans have also been drawn up to relocate the Yeung Uk Road Sportsground, which is near the town centre, to an area in the Shing Mun Valley to form the nucleus of a major sports and recreation complex.
The land made available from the relocation of the Yeung Uk Road Sportsground and from the Tsuen Wan Bay reclamation will be used for modern commercial/residential development to revitalise the town centre and provide the catalyst for redevelopment of the older and congested buildings nearby. Redevelopment of some of the older public housing estates has already begun to provide better living conditions and environment for the residents.
During the year, 11 hectares of land were produced on completion of the Kwai Chung Creek reclamation and another 7.5 hectares were reclaimed in Tsuen Wan Bay and Tsing Yi Bay. Site formation projects on hillslopes provided a further 15 hectares.
Sha Tin
Sha Tin has already reached an advanced stage of development. About 460 000 people have moved into this new town since construction began about 15 years ago. By the mid-1990s the population of the town is expected to reach 750 000, about 46 per cent of whom will be accommodated in public housing, 17 per cent in Home Ownership and Private Sector Participation Schemes and the remainder in private housing.
Improvement to external transport continues to be a principal concern in the planning of the new town. Work has started on Route 5 linking Sha Tin with Tsuen Wan and on Nai Chung Road linking Sha Tin to the Sai Kung district. Construction of the Tate's Cairn Tunnel, which will provide an additional link between Sha Tin and east Kowloon, is expected to begin in 1988.
A new road and sewer providing access and drainage connections to the first public housing estate in Ma On Shan with a population of about 30 000 has been completed. Further engineering works for the reclamation, land formation and other supporting infrastructure are in progress. About 11 hectares of land were reclaimed in Ma On Shan during the year, using fill from borrow areas and public dumped material.