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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1980
CRITICISM ABOUT INADEQUATE LAND SUPPLY PUT IN PERSPECTIVE ****
CRITICISM THAT GOVERNMENT WAS NOT MAKING ENOUGH LAND AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO PRIVATE DEVELOPERS HAD TO BE LOOKED AT AGAINST THE GENERAL DECISION THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY HAD MADE TO HOUSE ALL THE INADEQUATELY HOUSED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
THIS WAS SAID TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR. DAVID AKERS-JONES, AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF KOWLOON,
MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THIS WAS THE REASON FOR THE 10-YEAR HOUSING PROGRAMME AND NO ONE HAS CRITICISED IT. +
NO ONE HAD SAID IT WAS WRONG, BUT IT DID MEAN, IN ORDER TO MEET THOSE TARGETS, THAT 70 PER CENT OF THE PEOPLE IN OUR NEW TOWNS WOULD BE HOUSED IN PUBLIC HOUSING AND THIS MEANT ROUGHLY THAT ONLY 30 PER CENT OF THE LAND RESERVED FOR RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES WAS AVAILABLE FOR OFFER.
+THEREFORE, BY ADOPTING THE PUBLIC HOUSING POLICY, QUITE A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES HAVE THUS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR.+
THIS WAS NOT TO SAY THAT THERE WAS A DEARTH OF PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
+I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU OF THE NUMBER OF VERY LARGE SCHEMES WHICH HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE SAME PERIOD THAT WE HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING THE NEW TOWNS.
+YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT IN 1975 AND EARLY 1976 WE SOLD TWO LARGE LOTS OF SEABED IN SHA TIN AMOUNTING TO 51 ACRES (20.6 HECTARES) FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT BY WAY OF RECLAMATION,+ HE SAID.
THE RECLAMATION WORKS HAD BEEN LARGELY COMPLETED AND DEVELOPMENT WAS UNDERWAY, WITH A VIEW TO OCCUPANCY OF THE EARLY PHASES OF ONE OF THE DEVELOPMENTS LATER THIS YEAR, AND BY THE OTHER IN MID-1981, WITH A LONG-TERM OVERALL PROJECTED POPULATION OF 35 000.
IN ADDITION, AT FAIRVIEW PARK IN YUEN LONG, A FURTHER SUBSTANTIAL SITE WAS GRANTED IN 1975 TO PERMIT Á DEVELOPMENT OF SOME 5 000 HOUSES, AND THE EARLY PHASES OF THIS PROJECT HAD BEEN COMPLETED AND THE HOUSES OCCUPIED.
AT HONG LOK YUEN IN TAI PO ANOTHER ESTATE FOR 500 HOUSES WAS BEING CONSTRUCTED.
RECENTLY AT TSING LUNG TAU ANOTHER LARGE PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT WAS APPROVED, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE NEARLY 1 500 FLATS = AND AT DISCOVERY BAY WHICH, ALTHOUGH IT WAS A RECREATIONAL AND RESORT AREA WITH HOTELS AND GOLF COURSES AND PRIVATE AND PUBLIC RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, IT WOULD NEVERTHELESS PROVIDE HOUSING FOR ANOTHER 30 000 PEOPLE.
/AT SAI