LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
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and to link with the proposed KCRC West Rail Station at Tin Fuk Road by the end of 2003.
Work has begun on the construction of over 60 hectares of wetlands to the north- east of the Tin Shui Wai Reserve Zone. The wetlands are being provided as an ecological mitigation measure for the land formation of the Reserve Zone and will form a buffer between the new town and the Ramsar site at the Mai Po Marshes. The project is the first constructed wetland of its kind in Hong Kong and will provide a range of fresh and salt water habitats for establishing wildlife. The newly created wetlands will be further developed into an International Wetland Park that will include a visitor facility to attract local and overseas ecotourists.
Tung Chung/Tai Ho
Hong Kong's ninth new town now taking shape on the northern shore of Lantau Island is designed as a supporting community for the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. The new town is being developed on about 760 hectares of land to modern international standards, with residential and commercial developments and all the necessary supporting infrastructure. It is served by a high-speed road link and the Mass Transit Railway.
The two urban development areas, at Tung Chung and Tai Ho, are targeted to accommodate a total population of 320 000 by 2011. Tung Chung town centre is the retail, commercial and cultural core of the development. At Siu Ho Wan, a short distance to the east, land has been used for a sewage treatment works, a railway depot, a refuse transfer station and a water treatment works, with other land set aside for future expansion.
The new town is being developed in phases. Phase 1 was included in the Airport Core Programme and was substantially completed in mid-1997 to accommodate about 20 000 residents at Tung Chung. Site formation and infrastructure works for Phase II were substantially completed in late 2000. Works on Phase 3A started in March 1999 for completion in June 2002. New plans for the remaining development are being produced as part of a comprehensive feasibility study to accommodate the ultimate population target of 320 000 by 2011. The study was substantially completed in late 2000.
North-East New Territories and North-West New Territories New Development
A planning and development study on the North-East New Territories has established the feasibility of developing Kwu Tung North (497 hectares) and Fanling North (192 hectares) as New Development Areas to house a target population of 100 000 and 80 000 respectively by 2013. These two areas will accommodate part of the projected territorial population growth during the decade.
Planning and engineering feasibility study for the development of Hung Shui Kiu in the North-West New Territories as a New Development Area to accommodate a target population of 160 000 people with 27 000 employment opportunities is under way. It covers a development area of about 435 hectares and detailed design is programmed to commence in 2001.