THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1987
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GOVERNOR LOOKS AT DEVELOPMENT IN KWAI TSING
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THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, TODAY (THURSDAY) TOURED KWAI TSING TO FAMILIARISE HIMSELF WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT AND HAD A WALK-ABOUT AMONG THE PEOPLE OF SHEK LEI ESTATE IN EAST KWAI CHUNG.
ACCOMPANIED BY THE REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, DR JAMES HAYES, THE GOVERNOR AND LADY WILSON ARRIVED BY HELICOPTER ON TSING YI WHERE THEY WERE GREETED BY THE KWAI TSING DISTRICT OFFICER, MR BRIAN COAK, DISTRICT BOARD CHAIRMAN, MR HO TUNG-CHING, AND PROJECT MANAGER, DR EDWARD PRYOR.
THEY FIRST WENT TO A VANTAGE POINT ABOVE THE HONG KONG UNITED DOCKYARD WHERE THE GOVERNOR WAS BRIEFED ON THE LAND USE POSSIBILITIES ON WEST TSING YI BY DR PRYOR.
ON HIS WAY TO THE TSING YI TOWN CENTRE, SIR DAVID WAS BRIEFED BY MR COAK ON POLITICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL MATTERS RELATED TO THE DISTRICT AND ON PLACES OF INTEREST INCLUDING THE RESITE VILLAGES AND CHUN KWAN TEMPLE.
ON ARRIVAL AT TSING YI GARDENS, A PRIVATE HOUSING PROJECT WHICH WOULD HOUSE 8 000 PEOPLE WHEN COMPLETED, SIR DAVID WAS GREETED BY THE TSING YI RURAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN, MR CHAN TIN-SUNG AND MR WONG DAI-HEI,
ON THE ROOF OF THE GARDENS, SIR DAVID HAD A PANORAMIC VIEW OF NORTH-EASTERN TSING YI WHERE MAJOR DEVELOPMENT WORKS WERE IN PROGRESS INCLUDING THE NORTH BRIDGE.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE $200 MILLION BRIDGE STARTED IN 1984 AND WHEN COMPLETED LATER THIS YEAR, WOULD PROVIDE A SECOND LINK BETWEEN TSING YI AND THE MAINLAND.
FURTHER RECLAMATION WORK, WHICH STARTED LAST YEAR, WOULD BE COMPLETED IN 1990 AND PROVIDE SOME 64 HECTARES OF LAND FOR COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS, TOGETHER WITH SCHOOLS, RECREATION FACILITIES AND OPEN SPACE. WHEN FULLY DEVELOPED INTO A MODERN SELF-CONTAINED TOWNSHIP IN THE 1990'S, THE POPULATION OF TSING YI WOULD INCREASE TO AROUND 200 000.
SIR DAVID AND LADY WILSON THEN TOOK TO THE AIR BY HELICOPTER FOR BUSTLING NORTH KWAI CHUNG. THEY FLEW OVER RAMBLER CHANNEL AND HAD AN AERIAL VIEW OF THE INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS AND RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS OF CENTRAL KWAI CHUNG.
ARRIVING AT THE WO YI HOP ROAD SPORTSGROUND, THEY VIEWED THE PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL AGAINST THE CONTRASTING BACKGROUND OF FACTORY AND PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT BEFORE PROCEEDING BY CAR TO SHEK LEI ESTATE.
/SIR DAVID