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SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 1978
THE DUKE, WHO TAKES A KEEN AND ACTIVE INTEREST IN INDUSTRY „ILL PARTICULARLY WISH TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROVISIONS FOR INDUSTRY IN THE NEW TOWN.
HE WILL LEARN THAT A MAJOR GOAL IN PLANNING THE NEW TOWN HAS BEEN TO ENCOURAGE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FULL RANGE OF INDUSTRIES, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR. TO ACHIEVE THIS, SOME 126 HECTARES HAVE BEEN RESERVED FOR LIGHT INDUSTRIAL USE,
ALREADY SOME 20 FACTORIES HAVE STARTED OPERATION IN THE NEW TOWN, AND ANOTHER 50-60 ARE EITHER UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR UNDER PLANNING.
THE DUKE MILL ALSO BE BRIEFED ON THE PROVISIONS FOR HEAVY INDUSTRY AND FOR LAND-INTENSIVE FACILITIES, SUCH AS A DESALINATION PLANT AND THE PLANNED NEW CHINA LIGHT AND POWER STATION.
BUT BASICALLY, THE DUKE WILL LEARN, TUEN MUN NEW TOWN WILL BE A YOUNG CITY, WITH ONE-THIRD OF THE PROJECTED POPULATION LIKELY TO BE UNDER THE AGE OF 15.
TO CATER FOR ITS YOUTH, TUEN MUN NEW TOWN WILL HAVE A TOTAL OF 26 PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND 22 SECONDARY SCHOOLS, ALL WITHIN EASY WALKING DISTANCE OF THE MAIN RESIDENTIAL AREAS. THE DUKE WILL ALSO ES INTERESTED TO LEARN THAT SITES FOR A LOCAL POLYTECHNIC AND TWO TECHNICAL INSTITUTES ARE PLANNED TO PROVIDE TRAINING FOR THE SKILLED TRADESMEN AND TECHNICIANS NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE NEW
INDUSTRIES OF TUEN MUN.
SERVING THE NEW TOWN WILL BE A NETWORK OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ROADS, HIGHLIGHTED BY THE $300 MILLION TUEN MUN HIGHWAY WHICH IS DUE TO OPEN LATER THIS YEAR. THE THREE-LANE HIGHWAY WILL SLASH TRAVELLING TIME BETWEEN TUEN MUN AND TSUEN WAN NEW TOWN, 19.3 KM TO THE EAST. TO A MERE 15 MINUTES AND. PROVIDE A CONVENIENT DIRECT LINK BETWEEN THE NEW TOWN AND THE REST OF HONG KONG.
BUT DESPITE THE IMMENSE SCALE OF THE PROJECT, THE DUKE WILL EE INTERESTED TO FIND THAT MUCH OF TUEN MUN'S NATURAL BEAUTY AND SOME OF ITS HISTORICAL FEATURES ARE BEING RETAINED -- SUCH AS YEUNG SHIU HANG VILLAGE AND THE 1,500-YEAR OLD TSING SHAN MONASTERY SO THAT WHILE THE NEW TOWN'S FUTURE RESIDENTS WILL HAVE ALL BASIC PODERN FACILITIES, THEY WILL STILL BE ABLE TO MA INTA IN A LINK WITH THEIR CULTURAL PAST.
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