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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity of congratulating Mrs. ELLIOTT on her very constructive suggestions, and if I may seem to pour a little bit of cold water on them, perhaps she will forgive me, as I too, try to be constructive. I do very much welcome the opportunity presented by this motion to air some of the problems which arise and which have arisen for many years when we have been considering the location of resettlement estates.
Our prime consideration has always been to ensure that adequate opportunities for employment are available within a reasonable distance of the estates for all members of the resettled families. Whenever possible, resettlement estates are planned in association with industrial expansion: I realize that this ideal cannot always be achieved and I realize also that in the case of Hong Kong squatters going to Tsz Wan Shan, Mrs. ELLIOTT has a very valid point in referring to the difficulties they have in travelling back to Hong Kong for work, but I am talking now of generalities rather than particular instances.
Second to the need for employment are questions of schooling, medical services including hospitals, police, fire protection, and facilities for entertainment. Again, Mrs. ELLIOTT has rather got ahead of me in that respect. I did not have the opportunity of knowing what she was going to say and judging from the motion where only ferries were mentioned, I thought that possibly these ancillary services were going to be overlooked. Although primary education and clinical services are incorporated in the estates, the other community services such as hospitals, police and fire protection, facilities for entertainment, and many others are not specially provided for in resettlement estates and therefore must form part of an overall development scheme to be carried out within a relatively short space of time if the needs of the tenants are to be adequately met. Clearly these needs will be met far more quickly and far more conveniently if they are part and parcel of the overall development of the area. In other words, the settlers can become integrated with the general population and not be segregated with just their own flatted factories and their own schools, and so on.
Thirdly, it is vital that such services as water and electricity should be provided because without these we cannot build the estates and certainly cannot maintain them.
The possibility of using nearby islands for resettlement has been considered within the context of these factors. Some years ago sites were reserved on Ap Lei Chau Island, just off Aberdeen, but were not proceeded with due to the relatively small population which could be housed and the difficulties of the site. More recently, two large areas have been earmarked on Tsing Yi Island, which is mentioned by Mrs. ELLIOTT, situated a short way by water from Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung, and it is hoped to proceed with these as part of the expansion
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programme outlined in the Government White Paper. A ferry service already exists at Tsing Yi Island from and to Tsuen Wan and Hong Kong and this could no doubt be expanded. Some industrial employment already exists on Tsing Yi Island and more is planned. Much industrial employment and other facilities are available close at hand at Tsuen Wan.
Much thought has been given to a large resettlement estate on Lantau, but this was considered premature due to the lack of local employment possibilities and the distance that this island lies away from any existing urban area.
Mrs. ELLIOTT also mentioned, in particular, Lamma Island. Here also we have already considered in some detail, the pros and cons. There is virtually no water on Lamma and all other services are lacking. Besides, any large-scale resettlement estate there, would require the simultaneous development of community services and facilities for employment. Compared with other sites which are available the construction of a large resettlement estate on Lamma Island would be uneconomic and has no apparent advantages, and here my friend Mr. Li Yiu-bor hit the nail on the head, concerning the effort, apart from money, that would be needed in putting in all the ancillary services, not only water and electricity, but also hospitals, secondary schools as well as primary schools, factories which must get beyond the ordinary resettlement factory to try and encourage industrialists to go to Lamma, and the need to form sites for them to put up quarters for their workers. All these will simply absorb the time of staff who could well be concentrating on getting on with housing in the areas that we have already earmarked as such.
On the Island of Hong Kong itself the clearance problem exists chiefly on the north side, and the nearest offshore area is the mainland - Kwun Tong and Yau Tong in the east and Kwai Chung in the west. In each of these areas we are building very, very large resettlement estates and they are part and parcel of the overall development. Good ferry services already exist and the coastal areas of Kowloon are, I suggest, much more convenient to Hong Kong than Lamma Island, or Lantau, or Tsing Yi. I feel that as long as we can develop the coastal areas of Kowloon we are meeting many of the points that Mrs. ELLIOTT has put forward, with the added advantage that the settlers are being integrated with the general population.
I would mention, however, that we do not propose to leave matters here, but we hope to find room for additional estates at Chai Wan, so as to avoid, as far as possible, having to move too many people from the north side of Hong Kong Island to Kowloon.
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