THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1983
SIR PHILIP SEES NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT
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SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, THE DEPUTY TO THE GOVERNOR. TODAY (THURSDAY) VISITED JUNK BAY NEW TOWN AND SAI KUNG TO SEE HOW DEVELOPMENT IN THE TWO AREAS IS PROGRESSING.
THE VISIT MARKED THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, SET UP IN 1973 WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BUILDING THE NEW TOWNS.
DEVELOPMENT SINCE THEN HAS RADICALLY CHANGED THE FACE OF THE NEW TERRITORIES. DURING THIS PERIOD, THE POPULATION OF THE NT HAS INCREASED FROM 680 000 TO 1.6 MILLION.
SIR PHILIP FIRST VISITED JUNK BAY WHERE WORK HAS NOW STARTED TO PROVIDE HOMES FOR 175 000 PEOPLE UNDER PHASE ONE OF THE NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT.
THERE HE VIEWED THE PROGRESS OF THREE CONTRACTS WORTH A TOTAL OF $330 MILLION. HE WAS TOLD THAT FURTHER CONTRACTS, WITH A COMBINED VALUE OF $520 MILLION, WILL BE LET IN THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR.
AMONG THE WORKS IN PROGRESS IS THE RECLAMATION OF 37 HECTARES OF LAND AS WELL AS THE FORMATION OF ANOTHER 13 HECTARES OF DEVELOPMENT PLATFORMS.
SITE FORMATION FOR THE FIRST PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE IS WELL IN HAND AND PILING WORK, TO BE CARRIED OUT BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, WILL BEGIN EARLY NEXT MONTH.
SIR PHILIP WAS TOLD THAT THE FIRST OF THE 11 000 RESIDENTS WERE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THEIR NEW HOMES IN 1986.
SIR PHILIP ALSO VIEWED DEVELOPMENT AT TUI MIN HOI, WHERE WORK IS PROGRESSING ON A RURAL HOUSING ESTATE FOR 1 500 PEOPLE. A SEWAGE PLANT AND SITES FOR LIGHT INDUSTRIES AND VILLAGE HOUSES.
LATER, HE VISITED SAI KUNG TOWN CENTRE WHERE HE WAS BRIEFED BY THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR CHAN SUI-JEUNG, AND THE CHIEF ENGINEER, MR IAN MILLER.
HIGH
MR CHAN SAID THAT IN THE PLANNING OF THE TOWN CENTRE, PRIORITY HAD BEEN ACCORDED TO RECREATION ACTIVITIES TO MEÉT THE NEEDS OF THE POPULATION WHICH IS EXPECTED TO RISE FROM THE PRESENT 15 000 TO 40 000 BY 1996.
RECLAMATION WORK IS PROCEEDING WELL TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL LAND FOR THE TOWN CENTRE.
ON THE RECLAIMED LAND WILL BE A TRANSPORT COMPLEX, A TOWN HALL, CLINIC, TWO 12-STOREY COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS, AND A SWIMMING POOL.
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER THE VISITS, SIR PHILIP SAID A LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY STRETCHING INTO THE NEXT CENTURY IS EXPECTED TO BE LAID DOWN BY JUNE NEXT YEAR.
HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT WAS NOW IN POSSESSION OF A SERIES OF VERY DETAILED SUB-REGIONAL STUDIES.
/MESE STUDIES