LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
179
The focal point of Sha Tin is the town centre where a wide range of commercial and cultural facilities have been provided. These include the Sha Tin Law Courts, the Sha Tin Cultural Complex, the commercial complex - New Town Plaza and the recently-completed Sha Tin Central Park. An office block and a hotel are also currently under construction.
To meet the needs of the expanding community, further community facilities have been added, namely, two primary schools, one secondary school, one divisional police station, one area community centre and two indoor recreation centres, together with open spaces.
Other important territory-wide and regional facilities in the new town include the 1 400-bed Prince of Wales Hospital, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Sha Tin Technical Institute.
Tuen Mun
The population in Tuen Mun is at present about 300 000 and will reach over 500 000 upon full development by the mid-1990s.
High-density development is concentrated on land reclaimed from Castle Peak Bay and along the adjoining valley floor between the Castle Peak ridge and the Tai Lam Hills. In this ‘urban core', eight public housing estates have been built and are occupied by some 180 000 people. Two more public housing estates are under construction which will provide accommodation for another 70 000 people. Seven Home Ownership and Private Sector Participation schemes have been completed, accommodating some 51 000 people and another five similar schemes are to be built in the coming years.
The town centre has grown rapidly. The commercial complex is substantially complete and will provide a variety of retail and commercial facilities. The development of the adjoining civic and cultural complex is also well advanced with the recent completion of the auditorium and the magistracy. The facilities of the town centre are complemented by the Tuen Mun Town Park.
To keep pace with the population build-up, a wide range of community facilities are under construction, including a regional hospital, two indoor recreation centres and a community centre. The predominantly young age structure of the population has created an abnormally high level of demand for primary and secondary school places and as a result, construction of a number of schools has been advanced under the school building programme.
Work is proceeding quickly on the Tuen Mun-Yuen Long Light Rail Transit System which will provide rail links within the new town and to Yuen Long. At the southern end of the system, a transport interchange is being constructed to provide facilities for light rail trains, buses, taxis, and public light buses. It adjoins the new ferry pier which provides a direct hoverferry service to the Central business area on Hong Kong Island.
In the low-density residential areas along the coast to the southeast of the town, work on a marina is in progress. This will provide berths for 300 crafts as well as hotel and commercial facilities.
Land production during the year included about six hectares of reclamation and three hectares on terraced slopes.
Tai Po
Historically, Tai Po served as a market town for its rural hinterland, but a rapid population build-up in recent years has overshadowed this traditional role. The present population is about 150 000 and this will grow to about 290 000 in the mid-1990s. About 180 000 people will be accommodated in six public housing estates, four of which will include flats for the