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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1976
THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR SHA TIN COVERED ABOUT 1,781 HECTARES, OF WHICH 1,497 HECTARES HAD BEEN DESIGNATED FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING OPEN SPACE, A NEW RACECOURSE, TRUNK ROADS AND DOUBLE TRACKING AND IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EXISTING RAILWAY.
BY 1980/81, HE SAID, SHA TIN'S POPULATION OF ABOUT 30,000 WAS EXPECTED TO GROW TO 230,000. BY THE MID-EIGHTIES IT WOULD BE SOME 530,000.
ABOUT 60 PER CENT OF THE PROJECTED POPULATION WOULD LIVE IN 11 HOUSING AUTHORITY ESTATES, WHICH WOULD ACCOMMODATE ABOUT 300,000 PEOPLE.
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THE FIRST ESTATE LEK YUEN, TO HOUSE 23,000 PEOPLE HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED BY THE P.W.D.'S ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE, AND PILING WORK WAS NOW UNDERWAY FOR TWO SECONDARY SCHOOLS WITHIN THE ESTATE.
NEXT TO LEK YUEN, WORK WAS PROGRESSING ON THE HOUSING AUTHORITY'S WO CHE ESTATE, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE HOMES FOR ANOTHER 16,400. PILING WORK WAS ALSO UNDERWAY FOR A PRIMARY SCHOOL TO SERVE THE ESTATE.
THE SUB-COMMITTEE MEMBERS SHOWED KEEN INTEREST IN THE PROGRESS OF THE VARIOUS CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE NEW TOWN, WHICH INCLUDED TWO ADDITIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS, THE SHA TIN NORTH SERVICE RESERVOIR, A NEW DIVISIONAL POLICE STATION, ROADWORKS AND SEWAGE TREATMENT FACILITIES.
MR. DON EXPLAINED THAT ADDITIONAL SEWAGE TREATMENT FACILITIES WERE BEING PROVIDED AS AN INTERIM MEASURE TO SERVE THE GROWING TOWN UNTIL THE COMPLETION OF THE NEW PERMANENT SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT AT FO TAN.
THE P.W.D.'S CIVIL ENGINEERING OFFICE HAD ALREADY AWARDED SEVERAL CONTRACTS FOR MAJOR PARTS OF THE PERMANENT SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT WHICH IS BEING PARTLY FINANCED FROM A US$20 MILLION LOAN FROM THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK AND FURTHER TENDERS WERE BEING CALLED.
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MR, DON SAID THE PLANT WOULD COME INTO OPERATION IN 1979, AND BE ABLE TO CATER TO A POPULATION OF 230,000. BUT PLANS WERE "IN HAND TO DOUBLE ITS CAPACITY,
FROM SHA TIN, THE PARTY PROCEEDED BY COACH TO TUEN MUN VIA TAI PO, SEK KONG AND YUEN LONG, BEING BRIEFED ON PROGRESS ON P.W.D. PROJECTS IN THE RURAL AREAS EN ROUTE BY MR. NIP KAM-FAN, GOVERNMENT ENGINEER (NEW TERRITORIES).
AT TUEN MUN, THE P.W.D.'S PROJECT MANAGER, MR. CHAN NAI-KEONG, GAVE THEM AN UP-TO-THE-MINUTE REPORT OF THE NEW TOWN'S DEVELOPMENT WHICH ENVISAGES HOUSING AND BASIC FACILITIES FOR SOME 480,000 PEOPLE BY 1985.
MR. CHAN