THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1984

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MASSIVE RECLAMATION PROJECT TO CONTINUE

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EXTENSIVE RECLAMATION, WHICH HAS BEEN GOING ON ALONG THE NORTHERN PART OF ABERDEEN HARBOUR SINCE THE 1960'S AND ALONG THE SOUTHERN PART SINCE 1982, WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE EARLY 1990'S.

THE COST FOR THE WHOLE RECLAMATION PROJECT IS ESTIMATED AT $130 MILLION.

SPEAKING AT A ROTARY CLUB OF HONG KONG SOUTH LUNCHEON MEETING TODAY (THURSDAY), GOVERNMENT CIVIL ENGINEER MR SIU CHUEN, SAID THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS COMMENCED WITH PLANNING AND ENGINEERING STUDIES.

IT WAS FOLLOWED BY DEVELOPMENT PLANS, PROGRAMMES, POLICY APPROVAL AND ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLANS STARTED WITH CLEARANCE OF SQUATTERS, DWELLING BOATS, BOATYARDS AND MARINE ENGINE WORKSHOPS, A PROCESS WHICH DEPENDED VERY MUCH ON THE AVAILABILITY OF PUBLIC HOUSING AND REPROVISIONING SITES.

+IT IS A CHAIN LINK PROCESS AND EXPLAINS WHY RECLAMATION TAKES SO MANY YEARS TO COMPLETE, HE SAID.

THE UNIT COST OF RECLAMATION WAS AROUND $15 PER SQUARE METRE 15 YEARS AGO AND WAS NOW $50 PER SQUARE METRE, MR SIU SAID.

+THE COSTLY PART OF RECLAMATION IS OF COURSE THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEAWALL WHICH AMOUNTS TO ABOUT $40 000 PER LINEAR METRE.

+AND THE COST OF BREAKWATERS AMOUNTS TO ABOUT $72 000 PER LINEAR METRE.+

MR SIU SAID, OF THE SIX SUB-DISTRICTS IN THE AREA, ABERDEEN AND AP LEI CHAU WOULD CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE THE HIGHEST INTENSITY OF DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN THE COMING DECADE.

+THE EXISTING AND PLANNED DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN SOUTHERN DISTRICT AS A WHOLE HAVE BEEN PLANNED WITH THE AIM OF ACHIEVING, AS FAR AS IS PRACTICABLE, ADEQUATE AND TIMELY PROVISION OF ALL NECESSARY SUPPORTING FACILITIES FOR THE ULTIMATE DESIGNED POPULATION CAPACITY OF 350 000 PEOPLE FOR THIS PART OF THE ISLAND, HE SAID.

ABERDEEN AND AP LEI CHAU, WHICH HAD THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION

OF PEOPLE, WAS TO BE THE MAIN URBAN CENTRE.

THE AREA OF LAND ZONED FOR DEVELOPMENT IN ABERDEEN AND AP LEI CHAU TOTALLED APPROXIMATELY 350 HECTARES, MR SIU SAID.

ABOUT 50 HECTARES, OR 14 PER CENT, OF THE DEVELOPABLE_LAND WERE DESIGNATED FOR BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HOUSING AND THE REMAINING AREAS WERE FOR COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES, ROADS, OPEN SPACES AND GOVERNMENT, INSTITUTION AND COMMUNITY USES, HE SAID.

/TWO OTHER

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