THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 1983
TSING YI LAND CLEARANCE POLICY OUTLINED
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DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES ON TSING YI ISLAND ARE BEING REVIEWED AND CLEARANCES OF SITES FOR LESS URGENT PROJECTS MAY HAVE TO BE
ÆFERRED TO TIME WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF PUBLIC HOUSING FOR THE EOPLE INVOLVED.
THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR TAM WING-PONG, SAID THIS TODAY IN A SPEECH ON THE HUMAN ASPECT OF ACQUISITION AND CLEARANCE OF LAND FOR DEVELOPMENT AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE Y'S MEN'S CLUB OF ING KON
HE ADDED THAT FOR ESSENTIAL PROJECTS THAT COULD NOT BE DEFERRED, HOUSING DEPARTMENT STAFF WOULD HAVE TO PERSUADE AFFECTED FAMILIES TO ACCEPT REHOUSING IN OTHER DISTRICTS.
HE POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS GOVERNMENT POLICY TO REHOUSE THOSE AFFECTED BY CLEARANCES IN THE SAME DISTRICT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE TO MINIMISE DISTURBANCE TO THE IR NORMAL WAY OF LIVING.
+HOWEVER, GIVEN THE MOST METICULOUS PLANNING IN THE WORLD, THERE MIGHT BE TIME WHEN GAPS DO OCCUR BETWEEN THE DEMAND AND SUPPLY OF HOUSING STOCKS,+ HE SAID.
FOR INSTANCE, THE LAST BLOCK OF SHEK WAI KOK ESTATE IN TSUEN WAN HAD BEEN COMPLETED AND OCCUPIED, AND THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY MORE HOUSING ESTATE COMING UP IN THE DISTRICT.
THOSE AFFECTED BY FUTURE CLEARANCES IN TSUEN WAN THEREFORE WOULD HAVE TO BE REHOUSED IN HOUSING ESTATES ON TSING YI WHICH, FORTUNATELY, WAS ACCEPTABLE TO MOST PEOPLE.
BUT, FOLLOWING THE OCCUPATION OF CHING TAO HOUSE IN CHEUNG CHING ESTATE NEXT MONTH, ANOTHER NEW BLOCK WOULD NOT BE READY AT LEAST UNTIL LATE NEXT YEAR.
*IN OTHER WORDS, THERE WILL NOT BE ANY SUPPLY OF SUITABLE PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS" IN THE DISTRICT FOR CLEARANCE PURPOSES,+ HE ADDED.
TURNING TO THE PROBLEM OF IMPOSTORS AND HUT-SELLERS, MR TAM ADVISED PEOPLE +NOT TO TAKE THE CLEVER SHORT-CUT OF GETTING A PUBLIC HOUSING UNIT BY MOVING INTO A CLEARANCE AREA.
OTHERWISE, THEY WOULD BE RISKING THEIR MONEY AND HOPE OF A COMFORTABLE HOME EARLIER, HE SAID.
HE CITED AN EXAMPLE ON TSING YI IN WHICH A HUT OF 93 SQUARE METRES, FORMERLY USED AS QUARTERS OF A DEFUNCT TANNERY, WAS FOUND TO BE OCCUPIED BY 23 FAMILIES WITH SOME 80 PEOPLE WHEN HOUSING DEPARTMENT STAFF WENT TO START REGISTRATION AND SCREENING.
IN THE END, 17 FAMILIES WERE PUT INTO A TRANSIT CENTRE AWAITING FURTHER SCREENING, WHILE THE OTHERS WERE EVICTED WITHOUT ANY FORM OF REHOUSING ARRANGEMENT.
/+I CAN