MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1984
TOWN PLANNER SEES CONTINUED NT GROWTH
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THE NEW TERRITORIES HAS THE CAPACITY TO ACCOMMODATE MORE THAN HALF OF THE HONG KONG POPULATION BY THE 1990'S, AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, DR K.S. PUN, SAID TODAY.
DR PUN SAID THAT CONTRARY TO WHAT MANY THOUGHT, THE ROLE OF THE NEW TERRITORIES IN THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG WOULD NOT ONLY CONTINUE, BUT WOULD INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY.
DR PUN, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANNING OF NEW TOWNS, TOLD A LUNCHEON MEETING THAT SINCE THE HONG KONG TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN JULY THIS YEAR, PEOPLE HAD THOUGHT THAT GOVERNMENT WAS REVERSING ITS PAST POLICY OF CONCENTRATING MAJOR DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
+THEY THINK, WRONGLY, THAT FROM NOW ON THE GOVERNMENT WILL PAY LESS ATTENTION TO THE NEW TOWNS AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT AREAS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES IN FAVOUR OF THE URBAN AREA, HE SAID.
+SOME EVEN REGARD THIS AS A MAJOR CHANGE OF POLICY AND RELATE IT TO THE 1997 QUESTION.
+1 MUST EMPHASISE HERE THAT THIS IS NOT THE REAL SITUATION OR INTENTION. CURRENTLY COMMITTED NEW TOWNS AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WILL DEFINITELY CONTINUE UNTIL THEY ARE COMPLETED IN THE 1990'S.+
HE SAID THESE INCLUDED THE PARTLY BUILT TOWNS OF TSUEN WAN, SHA TIN, TAI PO, FANLING, YUEN LONG, TUEN MUN AND SEVERAL RURAL TOWNSHIPS.
WORK HAS ALSO STARTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INITIAL STAGE OF TIN SHUI WAI AND THE FIRST PHASE OF JUNK BAY.
HE SAID THAT THE DEVELOPMENT AREAS UNDER THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, WHEN COMPLETED IN THE EARLY 1990'S, WOULD HAVE A TOTAL ACCOMMODATION CAPACITY OF MORE THAN THREE MILLION PERSONS.
WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF IDENTIFIED DEVELOPMENT AREAS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, THERE WERE STILL FURTHER DEVELOPMENT POTENTIALS AT SOME STAGE.
+PRINCIPAL EXAMPLES ARE THE EXTENSION AREAS IN SHA TIN AND TUEN MUN, THE LAND BANK IN TIN SHUT WAI AND THE REMAINING PARTS OF JUNK BAY AFTER THE FIRST PHASE, HE SAID.
PREDICTING THAT MORE THAN HALF OF HONG KONG'S POPULATION WOULD LIVE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES IN THE NEXT DECADE, DR PUN SAID THESE PEOPLE WOULD LIVE IN WELL-PROVIDED AND WELL-MANAGED HOUSING ESTATES SET IN ATTRACTIVE ENVIRONMENT, SUPPLEMENTED WITH RECREATIONAL OUTLETS LIKE THE COUNTRY PARKS, BEACHES AND CAMPING SITES.+
/DR PUN