MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1980
TO MATCH THIS RAPID GROWTH IN POPULATION A GREAT MANY NEW RECREATIONAL AND SPORTS FACILITIES HAD BEEN PROVIDED.
+HOWEVER, SINCE THE PROVISION OF PUBLIC HOUSING IS ALWAYS GIVEN TOP PRIORITY AMONGST THE GOVERNMENT'S VARIOUS PROGRAMME AREAS AND BECAUSE OF OTHER CONTRAINTS, WE HAVE TO ADMIT THAT AS FAR AS THE PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL AND SPORTS FACILITIES IS CONCERNED WE ARE STILL FAR BEHIND THE ACTUAL NEED, THOUGH I MUST ALSO POINT OUT THAT TSUEN WAN, IN THIS ASPECT, COMPARES VERY FAVOURABLY WITH SOME OTHER DISTRICTS IN HONG KONG, MR TING SA ID.
EXISTING MAJOR FACILITIES IN THE NEW TOWN INCLUDED YEUNG UK ROAD SPORTS GROUND, SHA TSUI ROAD PLAYGROUND, KWAI SHING SWIMMING POOL COMPLEX, KWAI CHUNG SPORTS GROUND, WO YI HOP ROAD SPORTS GROUND, EIGHT GAZETTED BEACHES ALONG CASTLE PEAK ROAD, AND THE NEWLY COMPLETED 0.R. SADICK MEMORIAL GAMES HALL.
THERE WERE ALSO NUMEROUS SITTING-OUT AREAS AND PUBLIC OPEN SPACES WITHIN TSUEN WAN FOR PASSIVE RECREATION, PLUS COMMUNITY HALLS IN SOME ESTATES.
AS FOR THE FUTURE, MAJOR PROJECTS IN MIND INCLUDED CONVERSION OF YEUNG UK ROAD SPORTS GROUND INTO A STADIUM, CONSTRUCTING NORTH KWAI CHUNG SWIMMING POOL COMPLEX NEXT TO WO YI HOP ROAD SPORTS GROUND, GIN DRINKERS BAY PARK OF WHICH ABOUT 26 HECTARES OF LAND WAS EXPECTED TO BE DEVELOPED AS A BOTANICAL GARDEN, TSING YI SWIMMING POOL COMPLEX, A CULTURAL AND SPORTS COMPLEX ON TSUEN WAN SOUTH RECLAMATION, AND TSO KUNG TAM PARK WHICH WOULD INCLUDE A RECREATION AND SPORTS CENTRE AND A LANDSCAPED PARK.
+ALL THESE NEW PROJECTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE FULLY OR SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED BY THE END OF THIS DECADE, WHILE SOME SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY THE MID-EIGHTIES, MR TING SAID.
+ IN ADDITION TO THESE MAJOR FACILITIES, IT IS EXPECTED THAT MORE LOCAL AND DISTRICT OPEN SPACES, PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS WILL BE PROVIDED THROUGHOUT THE TSUEN WAN NEW TOWN FOR EITHER PASSIVE OR ACTIVE RECREATION BY THE RESIDENTS.
+AS FAR AS THE DISTRICT OFFICE IS CONCERNED, AND IN LINE WITH THE THINKING OF TSUEN WAN DISTRICT ADVISORY BOARD, WE ALWAYS CONSIDER THAT TEMPORARY SPORTS FACILITIES SHOULD BE PROVIDED AS FAR AS POSSIBLE IN THE INTERIM PERIOD WHEN PERMANENT FACILITIES ARE NOT YET READY FOR PUBLIC USE,+ HE SAID.
IT WAS WITH THIS CONVICTION IN MIND THAT THE CHAI WAN KOK TEMPORARY SPORTS CENTRE WAS ESTABLISHED. IN THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1978-79, THE RECORDS SHOWED THAT 72 395 PERSONS HAD USED THE FACILITIES PROVIDED AT THIS CENTRE. FROM APRIL 1 TILL THE END OF OCTOBER THIS YEAR, THE ATTENDANCE FIGURE TOTALLED 80 998,
+WE ARE SAD THAT THIS CENTRE WILL SOON HAVE TO BE CLOSED TO MAKE WAY FOR DEVELOPMENT, BUT I CAN ASSURE THAT VERY ACTIVE CONSIDERATION IS BEING GIVEN TO ESTABLISHING A SIMILAR SPORTS CENTRE IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO REPLACE THE EXISTING ONE, + MR TING SAID.
/A SPECIAL