MONDAY, MAY 16, 1983
DEVELOPMENT OF TSING YI SURGING AHEAD
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THE GOVERNMENT IS TO RECLAIM THE WHOLE OF THE TYPHOON SHEL TER ON TSING YI ISLAND TO PROVIDE LAND FOR A PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE FOR 44 000 PEOPLE AND A HOME-OWNERSHIP SCHEME FOR ANOTHER 9 000 PEOPLE.
THE DEPUTY PROJECT MANAGER (TSUEN WAN) OF THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, MR ROBIN SAUNDERS, TOLD REPORTERS AT A BRIEFING TODAY THAT THE AREA, MEASURING ABOUT 40 HECTARES, WOULD ALSO BE USED FOR ASSOCIATED COMMUNITY SERVICES AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES.
IN ADDITION, PART OF THE RECLAIMED AREA WILL BE USED TO ACCOMMODATE THE WESTERN APPROACHES TO THE NEW TSING YI NORTH BRIDGE.
MR SAUNDERS SAID THAT THE PROPOSED RECLAMATION AND THE BRIDGE FORMED PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF TSUEN WAN NEW TOWN.
+BECAUSE OF ITS RUGGED TOPOGRAPHY, DEVELOPMENT IS NOW BEING CONCENTRATED ON RECLAMATIONS AND TERRACES IN A NARROW BAND AROUND THE COAST AND IN THE VALLEY BEHIND TSING YI IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE ISLAND, HE SAID.
+ THE NEW BRIDGE IS ESSENTIAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TSING YI AS IT WILL PROVIDE ADEQUATE ACCESS FOR THE 220 000 PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPECTED TO LIVE THERE UPON COMPLETION OF ALL THE WORKS BY THE EARLY NINETIES.+
WORK ON THE TSING YI NORTH BRIDGE WILL BEGIN AFTER LAND FOR THE APPROACHES TO THE BRIDGE HAS BEEN FORMED.
TO PROVIDE FILLING MATERIAL FOR THE RECLAMATION, WHICH WILL NEED SOME 3-1/2 MILLION CUBIC METRES, ROCK AND EARTH WILL BE EXCAVATED FROM NEARBY HILLSIDES WEST OF FUNG SHUE WO. THIS WORK WILL, IN TURN, CREATE FURTHER SITES FOR DEVELOPMENT.
+SINCE THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME
10 YEARS AGO, THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAS SPENT ALMOST $400 MILLION ON ENGINEERING WORKS ON TSING YI AND A FURTHER $220 MILLION HAS BEEN SPENT SO FAR ON PUBLIC HOUSING AND COMMUNITY. FACILITIES, MR SAUNDERS SAID,
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+THE DEVELOPMENT WORK ON TSING Y!, INCLUDING THE NEW NORTH BRIDGE, WILL COST A TOTAL OF ABOUT $5.5 BILLION AND THE GOVERNMENT IS TO SPEND ANOTHER $570 MILLION ON ENGINEERING AND HOUSING PROJECTS ON THE ISLAND THIS YEAR.→
SPEAKING AT THE SAME BRIEFING, THE DISTRICT OFFICER (TSING_YI), MR TAM WING-PONG SAID THAT THE PROPOSED RECLAMATION WOULD AFFECT SOME 331 STRUCTURES, TOTALLING 294 FAMILIES OF 1 659 PERSONS.
+COMPENSATION WILL BE PAID TO ELIGIBLE SMALL BUSINESS OPERATORS AND BOAT PEOPLE. DISPLACED FAMILIES WILL ALSO BE SUITABLY REHOUSED BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT ACCORDING TO THEIR ELIGIBILITY AND EX-GRATIA DOMESTIC ALLOWANCE WILL BE PAYABLE TO FAMILIES WHO CAN PROVE RESIDENCE ON THE BOAT CONCERNED BEFORE JUNE 1, 1982,+ HE ADDED.
/HE SAID