THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1983
13
THE LAND WOULD EXTEND +STRAIGHT OUT TO THE EASTERN LIMITS OF THE TERRITORIAL WATERS, ABOUT 25 KILOMETRES, THUS CREATING A MAN-MADE PENINSULA OF FLAT LAND OF ABOUT 75 SQUARE KILOMETRES+.
+ THE REPLACEMENT AIRPORT WILL BE AT ITS EASTERN TIP,+ MR CHAN SAID.
+ IT SHOULD BE CIRCULAR IN SHAPE TO ALLOW UNRESTRICTED ORIENTATION OF THE THREE RUNWAYS OF ABOUT 5.6 KILOMETRES.+
MR CHAN SAID HE UNDERSTOOD THAT ABOUT 90 PER CENT OF SHIPS COMING TO HONG KONG USE THE EAST LAMMA CHANNEL, AND ONLY › SMALL PERCENTAGE PASS THROUGH LEI YUE MUN.
THE SUGGESTED RECLAMATION WOULD LEAVE A TEN-FATHOM SEA LANE AT TATHONG POINT WHICH IS WIDER THAN LEI YUE MUN, HE SAID.
IF THE CONDITIONS OF THE SEA PERMITTED AND THIS RECLAMATION WAS POSSIBLE, IT WOULD BOOST BY 74 PER CENT OF THE 100.64 SQUARE KILOMETRES OF BUILT-UP AREA OF THE WHOLE OF HONG KONG, ACHIEVED OVER 140 YEARS, HE SAID.
+THIS INVESTMENT FOR THE FUTURE WOULD GO A LONG WAY TO
MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF OUR INCREASE IN POPULATION AND INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN THE NEXT CENTURY, HE ADDED.
MR CHAN DESCRIBED THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION AGAINST BUILDING A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK AS A PRUDENT ONE.
HE FELT THAT DUE TO THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN OF HONG KONG, EVEN THE CHOSEN SITE OF CHEK LAP KOK WAS FAR FROM PERFECT.
IT WAS RESTRICTED IN AIRSPACE, AND FLIGHT PATHS TO THE NORTH, EAST AND SOUTH WOULD ALSO CAUSE NOISE POLLUTION TO NEIGHBOURING AREAS, HE SAID.
HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT AFTER SPENDING YEARS AND $185 MILLION OF CONSULTANCY FEES ETC. TO STUDY AND TO PLAN THE PROJECT, TO SHELVE IT WOULD BE TANTAMOUNT TO BUYING TWO TONNES OF GOLD AT TODAY'S PRICES AND BURY IT THERE.
+WE MUST TRY TO SALVAGE WHATEVER RESIDUAL VALUE FROM THIS EXPENSIVE REPORT WHICH MAY CONTAIN MANY GOOD POINTS,+ HE SAID.