7
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1979
+ IN 1978 THE GOVERNMENT SOLD A TOTAL OF 23.2 HECTARES OF LAND, WHICH IS ABOUT DOUBLE THE AMOUNT SOLD IN THE TWO PREVIOUS YEARS,+ SAID MR. JONES.
+THE 1979 SALES PROGRAMME WILL DISPOSE OF ABOUT 54 HECTARES, MUCH MORE THAN TWICE THE 1978 FIGURE.
+THESE FIGURES DO NOT INCLUDE LAND FOR, FOR INSTANCE, THE TWO NEW POWER STATIONS AT TAP SHEK KOK AND LAMMA ISLAND, NOR DOES IT INCLUDE THE INDUSTRIAL ESTATES.
THE POTENTIAL INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT WHICH COULD BE PRODUCED FROM THIS LAND WAS ABOUT 1.3 MILLION SQUARE METRES OF FLOOR SPACE OR ABOUT 17.5 PER CENT OF THE EXISTING STOCK OF INDUSTRIAL FLOOR SPACE.
+ WOULD THEREFORE RISK THE PREDICTION THAT THE LEVEL OF SUPPLY, WHICH IS CAPABLE OF BEING NOT ONLY MAINTAINED BUT CONSIDERABLY INCREASED OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, SHOULD GO A LONG WAY TO MEET DEMANDS AND HELP TO BRING ABOUT A MORE RATIONAL MARKET THAN WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THE PAST TWO YEARS,+ SAID MR. JONES.
THE GOVERNMENT NOW HAD A MASTER PLAN FOR LAND PRODUCTION AND A STRATEGIC LAND PLANNING UNIT WAS BEING SET UP IN THE ENVIRONMENT BRANCH.
ALTHOUGH LAND PRODUCTION IN OTHER AREAS WAS FAR FROM BEING NEGLIGIBLE, THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT LAND PROGRAMME CAME FROM THE NEW TOWNS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES.
+I DO NOT THINK IT IS PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT A VAST EFFORT THESE PROGRAMMES ENTAIL,+ SAID MR. JONES.
+PROGRAMMED LAND DEVELOPMENT IN THE SIX NEW TOWNS AND OTHER TOWNSHIPS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES DURING THE PERIOD 1978-79 TO 1988-89 AMOUNTS TO SOME 2,000 HECTARES, THAT IS ABOUT 5,000 ACRES, AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF ABOUT $7,300 MILLION.+
THE GEARING UP OF LAND PRODUCTION FROM THESE AREAS HAD NOT BEEN EASY INVOLVING RESUMPTIONS AND CLEARANCES NOT PREVIOUSLY TACKLED IN SIMILAR PERIODS, AS WELL AS VAST RECLAMATIONS,
IN THE EARLY STAGES OF EACH NEW DEVELOPMENT AREA MUCH OF THE EFFORT AND LAND PRODUCED HAD TO BE PUT INTO THE PROVISION OF ACCOMMODATION IN PUBLIC HOUSING AND SUPPORTING FACILITIES SO THAT SQUATTERS COULD BE CLEARED BEFORE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT COULD PROCEED.
+ THE RESULTS ARE NOW BEING CLEARLY SEEN IN THE LAND PRODUCTION PROGRAMME WHICH PRODUCES FAIRLY IMPRESSIVE FIGURES OF TOTAL PRODUCTION,+ MR. JONES SAID.
MR. JONES SAID THAT HE DID NOT THINK THE SCOPE FOR PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES TO SUPPLEMENT GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES WAS PARTICULARLY LARGE.
/+THIS IS