THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1981
GOVERNOR VISITS TSING YI
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THE GOVERNOR SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, TOURED TSING YI THIS MORNING (THURSDAY, AND SAW HOW THE ISLAND IS BEING DEVELOPED INTO A FLOURISHING NEW TOWN CENTRE.
TSING YI, LINKED TO TSUEN WAN BY BRIDGE SINCE 1974, HAS A POPULATION OF 42 470 WHICH IS EXPECTED TO GROW TO 200 000 BY THE EARLY 1990S. BEFORE DEVELOPMENT BEGAN IN THE 1960S THE ISLAND WAS POPULATED BY A FEW THOUSAND FISHERMEN.
ACCOMPANIED BY SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, THE TSUEN WAN TOWN MANAGER, DR JAMES HAYÉS AND OTHER SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICERS, THE GOVERNOR BEGAN HIS TOUR AT HONG KONG UNITED DOCKYARD (HUD).
THE PARTY TOURED THE DOCK INSTALLATIONS ACCOMPANIED BY THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HUD, MR DAVID HALL, AND OTHER SENIOR STAFF OF THE COMPANY.
HUD'S PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY IS SHIP-REPAIRING, SHIP CONVERSION AND HEAVY ENGINEERING.
THE COMPANY DRY DOCKS AND REPAIRS SHIPS UP TO 100 000 DEAD WEIGHT TONS.
WORK ON THE TSING YI DOCKYARD BEGAN IN 1977 AND THE FIRST SHIP WAS DRY DOCKED IN APRIL THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
THE YARD WILL COVER AN AREA OF OVER 204 000 SQUARE METRES WHEN FULLY COMPLETED EARLY NEXT YEAR.
FROM THE DOCKYARD THE GOVERNOR DROVE ROUND THE ISLAND, VIEWING FACTORIES AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTS ON THE WAY.
HE WAS TOLD ABOUT PROPOSED RECLAMATION FOR AN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE AND SAW A LARGE PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX FOR 12 000 PEOPLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AS WELL AS SITES NORTH OF THE BRIDGE WHICH ARE BEING DEVELOPED AS MULTI-STOREY FLATTED FACTORIES.
THE GOVERNOR WAS NEXT MET BY THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (WEST) OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, MR CHAN PAK, AND TOURED CHEUNG CHING AND CHEUNG HONG ESTATES,
AT PRESENT, THE ESTATES HOUSE 32 000 PEOPLE IN 12 BLOCKS. CHEUNG HONG WILL PROVIDE ACCOMMODATION FOR A FURTHER 30 000 PEOPLE WHEN AN ADDITIONAL EIGHT BLOCKS ARE CONSTRUCTED BY 1985/86.
ANOTHER HOUSING ESTATE IS TO BE BUILT ON RECLAIMED LAND IN THE EXISTING TYPHOON SHELTER AT MOON TSAI TONG, ON THE NORTH-EAST SIDE OF THE ISLAND.
FROM THE ROOF OF A HOUSING BLOCK THE GOVERNOR HAD A PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE MAIN DEVELOPMENT AREAS OF TSING YI.
LATER, SIR MURRAY HAD LUNCH WITH LOCAL LEADERS AT A RESTAURANT IN CHEUNG CHING ESTATE AND DISCUSSED WITH THEM LOCAL PROBLEMS AND THE FUTURE OF TSING YI.
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