WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1984
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MR CHAN SAID HE WAS ACUTELY AWARE OF THE NEED TO REVIEW THE PRESENT SITUATION AND HAD GIVEN A GREAT DEAL OF THOUGHT RECENTLY TO WAYS AND MEANS OF ENSURING THAT PROJECTS MOST DESERVING OF PRIORITY WERE ALLOCATED PLANNING RESOURCES AND CONSIDERED FOR
IMPLEMENTATION.
WHETHER INDIVIDUAL ITEMS SHOULD BE RETAINED IN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME WAS ALREADY A MATTER OF CONSTANT SCRUTINY.
THE VALUE OF ITEMS IN THE PROGRAMME FOR WHICH A START HAD NOT YET BEEN AGREED STILL REPRESENTED ABOUT 10 YEARS' INJECTIONS OF NEW PROJECTS AT THE CURRENT RATE OF ABOUT 3.5 BILLION DOLLARS' WORTH ANNUALLY.
REFERRING TO THE QUESTION OF LAND PRODUCTION RAISED BY
MR STEPHEN CHEONG, HE SAID THE GENERAL POSITION WAS KEPT UNDER REVIEW BY THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON LAND SUPPLY.
THE COMMITTEE'S CURRENT VIEW WAS THAT OVER THE NEXT SEVEN YEARS THERE SHOULD BE AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF LAND FOR INDUSTRIAL USE AND PRIVATE HOUSING.
HOWEVER, THERE WOULD REMAIN A NEED TO SUPPLY ABOUT 70 HECTARES A YEAR FOR PUBLIC HOUSING, INCLUDING HOME OWNERSHIP AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEMES.
IT HAD BEEN ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 1 000 HECTARES OF NEW LAND WAS LIKELY TO BE NEEDED IN THE 1990'S TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF POPULATION GROWTH UP TO THE YEAR 2001, MR CHAN SAID.
AT 1982 PRICES, THIS COULD COST ABOUT $10 BILLION FOR SITE FORMATION ALONE, HE SAID.
IN ADDITION, RECENT STUDIES HAD SHOWN THAT FOR THE 1990'S GREATER EMPHASIS WOULD NEED TO BE GIVEN TO TRANSPORT AND OTHER KEY INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES.
THESE WERE BEING CONSIDERED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY. PRELIMINARY RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE DEMAND FOR IMPROVEMENTS AND ADDITIONS TO THE TRANSPORT NETWORK COULD HEAVILY OUTWEIGH THE COST OF LAND PRODUCTION, THAT IN FUTURE MORE WORKS COULD BE +TRANSPORT-ORIENTED+ AND THAT THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE A SATISFACTORY BALANCE BETWEEN LAND USES AND TRANSPORT FACILITIES WOULD GREATLY INFLUENCE DECISIONS ON FURTHER LAND PRODUCTION FOR HOUSING AND OTHER USES.
MR CHAN AGREED WITH MR CHEONG THAT MUCH HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE AND THAT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE CURRENT LEVEL OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS GOVERNMENT'S CAPITAL WORKS PRODUCTION WAS RUNNING AT A HIGHER RATE THAN EVER BEFORE.
AN
HOWEVER, THE DEMANDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE GROWING POPULATION WOULD ALLOW NO RELAXATION OF EFFORTS. INDICATIONS WERE THAT TO MAKE WAY FOR MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURAL ITEMS FOR THE 1990'S URGENT NEED EXISTED TO ASSESS THE PRIORITIES OF PROJECTS ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME, HE SAID.
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