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WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 1976
MR. WHITAKER SAID THE BOOKLET WHICH WAS VIVIDLY ILLUSTRATED BY COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS AND DIAGRAMS -- CONDENSED MORE THAN A DECADE OF PLANNING AND PRELIMINARY WORK INTO ABOUT 40 PAGES OF TEXT AND ILLUSTRATIONS, OUTLINING THE VARIOUS BUILDING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING WORKS WHICH WOULD TRANSFORM THE PREVIOUS RURAL TOWNSHIP INTO A VIGOROUS, SELF-CONTAINED CITY BY 1985.
THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT A CONSTITUENT DEPARTMENT OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT -- WAS CREATED IN 1973 SPECIFICALLY TO PLAN AND PROGRAMME THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TERRITORIES NEW TOWNS, A TASK WHICH IS MAINLY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE P.W.D. IT WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE N.T.A. WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACQUISITION AND DISPOSAL OF LAND AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPLETED NEW TOWNS, AND THE HONG KONG HOUSING AUTHORITY.
AS OUTLINED IN THE BOOKLET, SHA TIN NEW TOWN WILL BE DEVELOPED IN A SERIES OF BALANCED STAGES, PROVIDING HOMES EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES FOR SOME 500,000 PEOPLE IN AN ATTRACTIVE AND COMPLETE LIVING ENVIRONMENT WHICH WILL INCORPORATE ALL ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES.
MR. WHITAKER SAID THE NEW SHA TIN NEW TOWN BOOKLET REPRESENTED THE MOST COMPLETE AND COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT YET MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC ON THE $4,100 MILLION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME OF SHA TIN NEW TOWN.
+ IT HAS BEEN COMPILED WITH BOTH THE TECHNICAL AND NON- TECHNICAL READER IN MIND, HE SAID, SO AS TO GIVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE ENTIRE SCHEME.
+EVERY MAJOR ASPECT OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IS COVERED — THE BACKGROUND LEADING TO THE CHALLENGE OF BUILDING THE NEW TOWN, THE SETTING OF THE NEW TOWN, THE TOWN PLAN ITSELF, THE VARIOUS SERVICES AND FACILITIES WHICH WILL BE PROVIDED, AND HOW THE PLANS ARE TO BE CARRIED OUT.
+THE COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHS AND MAPS SHOULD SERVE AS A QUICK AND EASY REFERENCE AS TO THE VARIOUS LAND USES AND DEVELOPMENT WORKS,+ HE ADDED.
MR. WHITAKER SAID THAT IN AN UNDERTAKING OF SUCH MAGNITUDE AS THE SHA TIN PROJECT. IT WAS ESSENTIAL THAT PEOPLE WERE KEPT AWARE OF, AND FULLY UNDERSTOOD, WHAT WAS BEING PLANNED FOR THEM. HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE PLANS FOR SHA TIN WOULD BE MUCH BETTER APPRECIATED WITH THE PUBLICATION OF THE BOOKLET.
MANY PEOPLE, HE SAID, HAD ALREADY LEARNED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE PROJECT FROM THE EXHIBITION ON THE NEW TOWN HELD BY HIS DEPARTMENT AT THE LEK YUEN ESTATE IN SHA TIN LAST MARCH, WHEN MORE THAN 70,000 PEOPLE FLOCKED TO SEE THE MODELS AND PLANS ON DISPLAY.
+THE EXHIBITION CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED THE WIDE INTEREST IN THE NEW TOWN, AND WE HOPE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE BOOKLET WILL ANSWER MANY MORE QUESTIONS, AND UNDERLINE THE EXHAUSTIVE AND CAREFUL PLANNING THAT HAVE GONE INTO THE BUILDING OF THE NEW TOWN, HE SAID.