WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1978
16
GOVERNMENT PLANS A RANGE OF
CULTURAL FACILITIES IN NEW TERRITORIES
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J
THE THREE NEW TOWNS OF SHA TIN, TUEN MUN AND TSUEN WAN ARE TO HAVE MAJOR AUDITORIA WITH RELATED CULTURAL FACILITIES, WHILE THE DEVELOPING MARKET TOWNS ARE TO HAVE SCALED DOWN FACILITIES WHICH WILL COMPLEMENT RATHER THAN COMPETE WITH THE ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES OF THE THREE MAJOR CENTRES.
THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE HON. DAVID AKERS- JONES SAID THIS TODAY IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN REPLY TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON. CHARLES YEUNG ON THE PROVISION OF AUDITORIA AND THE PROMOTION OF CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
MR. AKERS-JONES POINTED OUT THAT SHA TIN AND TUEN MUN WOULD EACH HAVE A POPULATION OF HALF A MILLION PEOPLE WHILE THE POPULATION OF TSUEN WAN WOULD EVENTUALLY REACH NEAR A MILLION AND THE BASIS OF THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY WAS TO PROVIDE MAJOR CENTRES OF CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN EACH OF THESE TOWNS.
+THE FACILITIES IN THESE MAJOR CENTRES WILL INCLUDE AN AUDITORIUM WHERE CONCERTS, DRAMAS, CHINESE OPERAS AND OTHER PERFORMANCES CAN BE HELD, AND WILL BE CAPABLE OF SEATING AN AUDIENCE OF 1,500.
+ IN ADDITION, THERE WILL BE MUSIC PRACTICE ROOMS, LECTURE ROOMS AND AN EXHIBITION OR CONFERENCE HALL, HE SAID.
MR. AKERS-JONES NOTED THAT WORK HAD ALREADY STARTED ON THE AUDITORIUM AT TSUEN WAN AND SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR, WHILE BUILDING WORK ON THE CENTRES AT TUEN MUN AND SHA TIN WOULD BEGIN IN THE MIDDLE OF 1979.
+THESE THREE MAJOR CENTRES WILL SERVE THE NEW TOWNS AND THE RURAL AREAS ADJACENT TO THEM, BUT THERE ARE OTHER TOWNS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES THAT WILL ALSO GROW TO HAVE SUBSTANTIAL POPULATIONS PARTICULARLY TAI PO, FANLING/SHEUNG SHUI AND YUEN LONG.
+OUR THINKING IS THAT CULTURAL FACILITIES IN THESE PLACES SHOULD BE SCALED DOWN PROPORTIONATELY TO COMPLEMENT RATHER THAN TO COMPETE WITH THE THREE LARGE CENTRES OF ARTISTIC ACTIVITY AND THAT BUILDINGS SHOULD, IF POSSIBLE, BE ABLE TO BE USED FOR OTHER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
+ON THIS BASIS, APPROVAL IS BEING SOUGHT TO IMPROVE AND EXTEND A SECONDARY SCHOOL HALL BEING BUILT IN YUEN LONG TO PROVIDE AN AUDITORIUM FOR LOCAL PURPOSES.
+ IN FANLING/SHEUNG SHUI IT IS PROPOSED TO BUILD A TOWN HALL WITH A SEATING CAPACITY OF 1,000 AND WHICH WILL INCORPORATE OTHER FACILITIES. A SIMILAR SCHEME IS BEING CONSIDERED FOR TAI PO, MR: AKERS-JONES SAID.
HE POINTED OUT THAT IN PLACES WITH FEW PEOPLE - SAI KUNG, FOR EXAMPLE - WHERE THE DEMAND FOR CULTURAL ACTIVITIES WAS NOT SO GREAT, NEVERTHELESS THE GOVERNMENT RECOGNISED THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR A COMMUNITY HALL TO STAGE A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES.
+BUT THE PRECISE NEED FOR AND TIMING OF PROVISION OF FACILITIES WILL VARY FROM PLACE TO PLACE,
HE ADDED.
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