TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1977
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON LAND PRODUCTION PUBLISHED
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MORE THAN 5,200 HECTARES OF LAND WILL BE PRODUCED BY EXISTING AND PLANNED PROJECTS, OF WHICH NEARLY 3,000 HECTARES WILL BE PRODUCED DURING THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD 1977/78 - 1981/82 AND THE BALANCE AFTER 1981/82. A FURTHER 777 HECTARES COULD BE PRODUCED FROM NEW DEVELOPMENT AREAS.
THIS IS REVEALED IN THE REPORT OF A SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON LAND PRODUCTION WHICH HAS JUST BEEN PUBLISHED.
THE REPORT DIVIDES THE LAND TO BE PRODUCED INTO TWO CATEGORIES: THAT IN AREAS COVERED BY DEFINITE PROJECTS AND THAT IN AREAS NOT COVERED BY DEFINITE PROJECTS.
IN THE FORMER CATEGORY, 3,815.01 HECTARES WILL BE PRODUCED, OF WHICH 2,860.51 WILL BE READY BY 1981/82.
THE LAND WILL BE USED FOR INDUSTRIAL (751.42 HECTARES) PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT (923.69 HECTARES), PUBLIC HOUSING (636.48 HECTARES), GOVERNMENT (1,457.77 HECTARES) AND UNDESIGNATED (45.65 HECTARES) PURPOSES.
THE AMOUNT OF LAND TO BE PRODUCED IN THE MAIN URBAN AREAS IS 1,206.87 HECTARES, WHILE 2,608.14 HECTARES WILL BE PRODUCED IN THE NEW TERRITORIES,
THE 1,392.65 HECTARES TO BE PRODUCED IN AREAS NOT COVERED BY DEFINITE PROJECTS IS MADE UP OF 502.79 HECTARES IN THE MAIN URBAN AREAS AND 889.86 HECTARES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
A TOTAL OF 126.33 HECTARES WILL BE PRODUCED BY 1981/82 AND 1,266.32 HECTARES AFTER THIS DATE.
THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF LAND (522.42 HECTARES) WILL BE FOR GOVERNMENT USE- 488.68 HECTARES WILL BE FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT 215.74 HECTARES FOR INDUSTRIAL USE AND 109.35 HECTARES FOR PUBLIC HOUSING. THE REMAINDER - 56.46 HECTARES - WILL BE FOR UNDES IGNATED USES.
THE REPORT STATES THAT THE TOTAL COST OF LAND PRODUCTION IN +DEFINITE PROJECTS+ IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS IS ESTIMATED TO BE IN THE REGION OF $5,400 MILLION, OF WHICH ABOUT $4,600 MILLION WILL BE SPENT IN THE NEW TERRITORIES TO IMPLEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES FOR THE NEW TOWNS AND RURAL TOWNSHIPS.
WITH REGARD TO NEW DEVELOPMENT AREAS, THE REPORT SAYS THAT THE MAIN AREAS OF SEARCH WERE IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN NEW TERRITORIES: +EVEN IN THESE AREAS, HOWEVER, A VERY LARGE PROPORTION OF THE LAND IS WITHIN WATER CATCHMENTS AND CONSEQUENTLY IS NOT AVAILABLE. EVEN SO, THE MAIN IMPEDIMENT
TO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES HAS NOT BEEN LACK OF DEVELOPABLE LAND, BUT THE EXPENDITURE WHICH WOULD BE REQUIRED FOR COMPENSATION AND THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DISRUPTION WHICH WOULD BE CAUSED BY ITS DEVELOPMENT.+
THE REPORT