WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1981
22
MR MCDONALD SAID ALSO THAT SEVERAL DEVELOPMENT PACKAGES AND INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS INVOLVING SUBSTANTIAL LAND PRODUCTION HAD BEEN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED BY DEVELOPERS IN RECENT YEARS.
IT IS APPROPRIATE THEREFORE THAT WE SHOULD SEEK TO EXPAND THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS TYPE OF PARTICIPATION IN HONG KONG'S DEVELOPMENT, HE SAID.
+ THE MEANS OF ACHIEVING THIS IS TO BE THE SUBJECT OF A STUDY TO BE CARRIED OUT BY A WORKING GROUP WITH OFFICIAL AND UNOFFICIAL
EMBERSHIP. THE AIM IS TO COMPLETE THE STUDY WITHIN THREE MONTHS.
+THE GROUP, LED BY MISS DUNN, WILL REVIEW OUR EXPERIENCE SO FAR AND CONSIDER THE FEASIBILITY OF INCREASING BOTH THE SCALE OF PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN LAND PRODUCTION AND THE DEGREE OF AUTONOMY IT SHOULD HAVE IN THE PROCESS. THE PROS AND CONS OF ESTABLISHING A STATUTORY CORPORATION AS SUGGESTED BY MISS DUNN WILL BE ASSESSED AND PROBLEMS RELATING TO OTHER GOVERNMENT LAND AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITMENTS, THE EXISTENCE OF PRIVATELY LEASED LAND AND THE NEED FOR CLEARANCE AS WELL AS PREMIUM PAYMENT WILL ALSO BE CONSIDERED, HE SAID.
THE LAND SALES PROGRAMMES FOR THE COMING YEAR INCLUDED SIZEABLE SITES AT SHOUSON HILL, TAI TAM ROAD AND CHUNG HOM KOK IN THE URBAN AREA AND SO KWUN WAT WHICH SHOULD BE ATTRACTIVE TO PEOPLE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR LOOKING FOR A LAND PRODUCTION ROLE, HE SAID.
+LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD, THE NEW TOWNS AT SHA TIN, TUEN MUN TAI PO, FANLING AND LARGE LAND AREAS IN THE NORTH WEST NEW TERRITORIES, SOME OF THE SMALLER UNDEVELOPED ISLANDS, AND SUBSTANTIAL SITES AT TAT CHEE AVENUE, VICTORIA ROAD AND TELEGRAPH BAY APPEAR TO OFFER THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE ACTIVITY OF THIS KIND.
+A REVIEW OF EXISTING AND FURTHER LAND PRODUCTION POTENTIAL IS BEING UNDERTAKEN AND IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE WORKING GROUP TO CONSIDER THE RESULTS OF THIS AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO THE SUITABILITY OF SITES SO IDENTIFIED FOR PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT, HE ADDED.
MR MCDONALD SAID ALSO THAT A DECISION HAD ALREADY BEEN TAKEN TO INCREASE PLOT RATIOS IN THE NEW TOWNS.
+A FLEXIBLE APPROACH TO THE ADOPTION OF HIGHER PLOT RATIOS WILL BE APPLIED IN THE FIRST GENERATION NEW TOWNS BUT WILL BE USED AS THE STANDARD IN THOSE WHICH HAVE YET TO BE DEVELOPED, HE SAID,
IN REPLY TO A PROPOSAL BY THE HON F.K. HU.
WITH REGARD TO THE OLDER URBAN AREAS, MR MCDONALD SAID, CONGESTION WAS A WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM IN SEVERAL DISTRICTS AND FACILITIES OF MANY KINDS WERE QUITE COMMONLY UNDER-PROVIDED BECAUSE OF SPACE AND OTHER LIMITATIONS.
+ VE MUST, THEREFORE, BE WARY OF COMPOUNDING SUCH PROBLEMS AND OVERLOADING INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES. NEVERTHELESS, THE PROCESS OF URBAN PLANNING AND REDEVELOPMENT IS A CONTINUOUS ONE AND OUR INTENTION IS TO ENCOURAGE GOOD URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AND COMPREHENSIVE REDEVELOPMENT SCHEMES, FOR WHICH THERE IS STILL PLENTY OF SCOPE, HE SAID.
/REPLYING TO