MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1987
MAJOR EXPANSION OF PORT NEEDED
TO COPE WITH THE
A MAJOR EXPANSION OF THE PORT IS NEEDED GROWING THROUGHPUT, THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, BARNES, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE PACIFIC RIM FORUM ORGANISED BY THE INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS, MR BARNES SAID THE PORT WAS INCREASING STRAIN.
MR GRAHAM
AUSTRALIAN
NOW UNDER
CHINESE EXPORTS TRANS-SHIPPED THROUGH HONG KONG INCREASING AT 15 PER CENT PER ANNUM AND THE CONTAINER TERMINAL WORKING AT VIRTUALLY FULL CAPACITY.
WERE
WAS
BACK-UP AREAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE PORT WERE NOTHING LIKE BUFFICIENT, AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS CONTAINER STORAGE AND REPAIR, WERE SPREAD CHAOTICALLY THROUGHOUT THE URBAN AND RURAL AREAS.
"WE NEED A MAJOR EXPANSION OF THE PORT WHICH CANNOT TAKE PLACE AROUND THE EXISTING KWAI CHUNG TERMINALS, MR BARNES SAID.
TR
"SO EXPANSION INTO A NEW AREA OR AREAS IS URGENT AND WE ARK JUST NOW STARTING ON THE STUDY WHICH WILL ESTABLISH WHERE THESE AREAS WILL BE.
RUNWAY.
"
HE SAID HONG KONG HAD A VERY CENTRAL AIRPORT WITH ONLY ONE
"WE MAKE DO NOW, AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DO SO TILL THE END OF THE CENTURY, BUT BY THEN IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO COPE.
"SO THERE ARE MAJOR STRATEGIC DECISIONS TO BE MADE ABOUT A NEW ONE, AND, BECAUSE A NEW AIRPORT IN HONG KONG MEANS NEW RECLAMATION AND WE HAVE DONE ALL THE EASY RECLAMATIONS ALREADY, THIS COULD BE A VERY LONG JOB," HE SAID.
HE SAID HONG KONG HAD NEAR CRITICAL PROBLEMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, WHICH, WITH OTHER SEEMINGLY MORE VITAL PRIORITIES, HAD BEEN PUT OFF FACING UP TO.
IN PARTICULAR SEWERAGE SCHEMES WERE LIKELY ΤΟ ABSORB A VERY MUCH LARGER PROPORTION OF CAPITAL BUDGET THAN BEFORE.
MR BARNES SAID THE NEW TOWNS WHICH HAD BEEN BUILT IN THE SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES WERE PLANNED WITH BETTER HOUSING AND ENVIRONMENT THAN THE URBANISED AREAS AROUND THE HARBOUR WHICH WERE DEVELOPED EARLIER.
THE OLD STREETS WERE
PLANNED FOR FOUR STOREYS, BUT NOBODY BUILT LESS THAN 15 NOWADAYS, SO VERY RADICAL URBAN RENEWAL WAS A VERY HIGH PRIORITY,
ON HOUSING, HE SAID HONG KONG WAS NOW IN SIGHT OF MEETING BASIC HOUSING TARGETS.
/BUT IN