LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
The present population of Tuen Mun is about 336 000, including about 247 000 people in nine public housing estates and seven Home Ownership, Middle Income Housing and Private Sector Participation Schemes. Three new rental housing estates are under con- struction and will be completed by late 1990. Over the next five years, seven more Home Ownership and Private Sector Participation Schemes will be constructed. Together, they will provide homes for some 105 000 people, bringing the population to over 500 000 by the mid-1990s.
A regional hospital providing 1 606 beds has been completed. It will be opened in five stages commencing from early 1990.
In the town centre a library, a post office and a garden have been built near the existing government offices. Expansion of the adjacent town park is approaching completion. At Butterfly Beach a comprehensive recreation area and promenade are substantially complete.
Along the coast to the south east of the town, a marina is being built. This development consists of residential buildings, hotels, shops and recreational facilities and includes berths for 300 boats.
Existing industrial areas provide floorspace for about 2 100 companies and jobs for about 36 000 workers, mainly in plastics, garments, metal, electronics and textiles. Over 60 per cent of the workers employed in these factories reside in Tuen Mun.
The backbone of the transport service, both within the town and to Yuen Long, is the Light Rail Transit System. Extension work is in progress with the construction of reserves for three regional links in Tuen Mun. This started in May 1988 and is scheduled for completion in the latter half of 1990.
Tai Po
Tai Po New Town is situated at the north-western end of Tolo Harbour, about 20 kilometres north of Kowloon. It is well served by the Tolo Highway and two railway stations at Tai Po Market and the new Tai Wo Station which opened in May 1989.
The present population is about 179 000 and is expected to reach 270 000 by the end of the 1990s, with 175 000 in the public housing sector. Tai Wo Estate was partly completed in 1989 and has started to take in residents. Two more public housing estates and home ownership schemes are under construction.
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Community facilities to match the increasing population of the new town have kept pace with development and about 40 hectares of land was formed and serviced for various uses in 1989.
Tai Po Industrial Estate, which is planned for industries with relatively high technology, will broaden Hong Kong's industrial base. The estate, with a total area of 70 hectares upon full development, together with other industrial areas in Tai Po, will offer about 29 000 job opportunities. By the end of 1989, about 95 per cent of land in the estate was leased.
The development of recreation facilities in Tai Po is aimed at satisfying both local and regional demand and is enhanced by the area's particularly attractive scenic setting. The strategy for recreational provision is based on the idea of linking important facilities to each other. This will be achieved by the provision of a comprehensive system of cycleways and footpaths and an extensive network of parkland. The existing cycleway linking Tai Po and Sha Tin along Tolo Highway is extremely popular during holidays. Another major cycleway along Ting Kok Road leading to Tai Mei Tuk will be completed in 1990.
Modification to the Tai Po Sewage Treatment Works is in hand to further improve the quality of effluent and the water quality of Tolo Harbour.
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