THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1982
MR CHAN SAID THAT MORE ACCURATE ESTIMATES OF THESE COSTS WOULD BE MADE WHEN DETAILED PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WERE FORMULATED.
COMMENTING ON THE SUBJECT, MR CHAN SAID THAT IT WOULD MAKE AN ESSENTIAL CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS MEETING HOUSING NEEDS IN THE LATE 1980'S.
*AS LAND PRODUCTION FROM FIRST GENERATION NEW TOWNS WILL START TO RUN DOWN FROM 1987-88 ONWARDS, ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF SUPPLY WILL BE REQUIRED, HE ADDED.
A MAJOR FEATURE OF THE AGREEMENT IS THAT THE LAND BANK FORMED WILL CREATE A STRATEGIC RESERVE WHICH WILL ENABLE THE GOVERNMENT TO RESPOND QUICKLY TO CHANGING POLICIES AND EXTERNAL FACTORS AFFECTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
MR CHAN SAID THAT WHEN LAND FOR THE PRESENT HOUSING PROGRAMME RAN OUT IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 1980'S THE TIN SHUI WAI SITE WOULD BE AVAILABLE AS MOST OF THE LAND FORMATION WORK THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY ABOUT 1987/88.
*ALSO, THE GENERAL AREA OF TIN SHUI WAI HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE NORTH WEST NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT INVESTIGATION AS AN AREA WITH GOOD LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL,+ HE SAID.
+IT WILL, THEREFORE, FORM A NUCLEUS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IN THE 1990'S WHEN THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL URBAN GROWTH IS ANTICIPATED.+
THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND MIGHTYCITY WAS REACHED AFTER PROTRACTED NEGOTIATIONS.
MR CHAN SAID THAT THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN JANUARY 1980 CALLED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TOWN OF ABOUT 535 000 PEOPLE.
UNDER THE PROPOSAL, THE PROJECT WAS TO BE CARRIED OUT IN THREE PHASES, WITH EACH PHASE HAVING A POPULATION OF 135 000, 190 000 AND 210 000 PEOPLE RESPECTIVELY,
THIS PROPOSAL COINCIDED WITH A STUDY WHICH WAS BEING CARRIED OUT BY GOVERNMENT-APPOINTED CONSULTANTS TO INVESTIGATE THE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL OF THE NORTH WEST NEW TERRITORIES.
THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY LATER CONFIRMED THE FEASIBILITY AND SUITABILITY OF DEVELOPING THIS AREA.
HOWEVER, MR CHAN SAID, THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DEVELOPER'S PROPOSAL WAS SUCH THAT A NEW TOWN OF OVER HALF A MILLION PEOPLE COULD NOT BE VIEWED IN ISOLATION FROM OTHER STRATEGIC ISSUES WHICH AFFECTED THE LONG TERM ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BALANCE OF HONG KONG.
THEREFORE, IT WAS NECESSARY TO EVALUATE THE PROJECT IN RELATION TO THE DISPOSITION OF RESOURCES AMONG THE COMPETING NEEDS FOR NEW HIGHWAYS, LAND FOR INDUSTRY, MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EXPANDED SOCIAL SERVICES AND SO ON. MOREOVER IT WAS NECESSARY TO CONSIDER THE PRESSURES SUCH REQUIREMENTS WOULD PLACE ON THE ECONOMY AND THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.
/+THE CONCLUSION