MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1980
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THE FIRST BLOCKS HAD ALREADY BEEN SOLD, AND THE FIRST HALF OF THE DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE FINISHED BY EARLY 1982, AND THE COMPLETE PROJECT BY THE END OF 1983.
DR HASE SAID THE CONCEPT OF BALANCED DEVELOPMENT+ ALSO UNDERLINED PROPOSALS FOR PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL, SOCIAL, AND INSTITUTIONAL PROJECTS.
RECREATIONAL PROPOSALS INCLUDED, AS WELL AS THE JUBILEE SPORTS CENTRE, A MAJOR STADIUM, TWO RUNNING TRACKS WITH STADIA AND THREE SWIMMING POOL COMPLEXES, AS WELL AS TWO OR THREE AREAS OF LOCAL ACTIVE OPEN SPACE.
IN ADDITION, THE SHING MUN RIVER WOULD BE DEVELOPED AS A RECREATIONAL ASSET, WITH BOTH FACILITIES FOR SPORTS ROWING AND CANOEING AND FOR BY THE HOUR RECREATIONAL USE.
SIMILARLY, SHA TIN WAS VERY RICH IN COUNTRY PARKS, BEING SURROUNDED ON ALL SIDES BY THESE VITAL RECREATIONAL AREAS.
IT WAS HOPED TO IMPROVE THE USAGE OF THESE AREAS BY A PROGRAMME OF FOOTPATH CONSTRUCTION, AND CAMPING AND YACHTS CENTRE PROVISION, TO ENABLE THEM TO BE ACTİVELY USED BY THE POPULATION.
WITHIN THE NEW TOWN AREA ITSELF, ALL THOSE SLOPES WHICH WERE WELL-WOODED BEFORE DEVELOPMENT BEGAN HAD BEEN PRESERVED, AND WOULD BE DEVELOPED WITH SMALL UNOBTRUSIVE FOOTPATHS AS BEAUTIFUL AND RESTFUL WOODED PARKS.
EDUCATION, MEDICAL AND OTHER COMMUNITY SERVICES WERE AGAIN BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF BALANCED DEVELOPMENT: HOWEVER MUCH WAS REQUIRED BY THE ACTUAL POPULATION OF THE NEW TOWN MUST BE PROVIDED WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE NEW TOWN.
DR HASE SAID: +OF COURSE, THIS SOPHISTICATED PLAN FOR AN INSTANT CITY CANNOT BE IMPLEMENTED AT ONCE. LEAVING ASIDE THE PROBLEM OF HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW RESIDENTS, FEW WITH ANY PREVIOUS CONNECTION WITH SHA TIN, AND TO BUILD UP THEIR COMMUNITY SPIRIT AND A SENSE OF BELONGING TO SHA TIN, IT IS CLEAR THAT SOME OF THE PURELY PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENTS CANNOT PROCEED EXACTLY IN STEP WITH THE PROVISION OF HOUSING.+
THUS, BUILDING A HOSPITAL AND FITTING IT OUT WITH ALL THE SOPHISTICATED MACHINERY A MODERN HOSPITAL REQUIRES WAS A SLOW PROCESS.
THE MAIN SHA TIN HOSPITAL BEGAN CONSTRUCTION 18 MONTHS AGO BUT WOULD NOT BE READY UNTIL 1982-83- IN THIS AREA STANDARDS UP UNTIL THEN WOULD BE LESS THAN PERFECT.
AGAIN, FINANCIAL RESTRAINTS HAD DELAYED SOME PROJECTS BY A YEAR, FROM COMPLETION DATES IN 1982 TO 1983.
THE CULTURAL COMPLEX AND TWO OR THREE OPEN SPACE PROJECTS WERE CASES IN POINT PERHAPS EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT WERE THE DELAYS ON THE MAJOR ROAD PROJECTS TO TAI PO AND TSUEN WAN AND TO THE ELECTRIFICATION OF THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY..