WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1990
29
HONG KONG: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
HONG KONG'S COMMISSIONER IN THE UK, MR JOHN YAXLEY, IN A
SPEECH TO THE INFLUENTIAL LONDON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TODAY (WEDNESDAY) TITLED HONG KONG: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE, SPELT OUT THE MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLANS THE TERRITORY HAS FOR ITS FUTURE.
THESE INCLUDE LAND RECLAMATION FOR HOUSING AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS, CONTAINER PORTS WHICH WILL MAINTAIN THE TERRITORY'S POSITION AS NUMBER ONE PORT IN THE WORLD, AND A PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (PADS). ALL THIS AMOUNTS TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST BUILDING PROGRAMMES.
"TO CATER FOR THE ESTIMATED EXPANSION IN DEMAND FOR HONG KONG PORT SERVICES, AND THIS IS CRUCIAL TO OUR ECONOMIC LINKS WITH CHINA, WE HAVE PUT THE FIRST PRIORITY ON BUILDING THE NEXT CONTAINER TERMINAL ON STONECUTTERS ISLAND AND THEN TSING YI ISLAND LATER THIS DECADE, MR YAXLEY SAID.
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THEREAFTER WE PLAN TO MOVE THE FOCUS OF THE PORT WESTWARDS TO NORTH LANTAU.
"THE MASSIVE GROWTH OF AIR PASSENGERS HAS LED TO THE NEED FOR A NEW AIRPORT. IF HONG KONG DOES NOT BUILD THE NEW AIRPORT IT COULD LOSE OVER $100 BILLION BETWEEN 1996 AND 2010.
"THESE ARE THE COMPELLING ECONOMIC REASONS TO PROCEED WITH CHEK LAP KOK AIRPORT AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, MR YAXLEY SAID.
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HE SAID THE NEW AIRPORT WOULD BE CAPABLE OF HANDLING 80 MILLION PASSENGERS AND FOUR MILLION TONNES OF AIR CARGO A YEAR, THAT IS ΤΟ SAY, MORE THAN THE COMBINED CAPACITY OF HEATHROW AND GATWICK COMBINED.
"IT IS ENVISAGED THAT THE FIRST RUNWAY WILL BE OPERATIONAL BY EARLY 1997. TO KEEP THIS TIGHT SCHEDULE THE GOVERNMENT APPOINTED LAST MONTH BECHTEL, AS THE PROJECT MANAGER, HE SAID.
...
MR YAXLEY WENT ON TO EXPLAIN THAT THE NEW AIRPORT WAS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE TIMELY COMPLETION OF THE FIXED CROSSING, ROAD AND RAIL LINKS AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE.
**THESE PROJECTS ARE INDIVIDUALLY LARGE AND COMPLEX. THEY PRESENT CHALLENGING PROBLEMS WITHIN THEMSELVES."
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE AIRPORT MASTERPLAN WAS A SEPARATE CONSULTANCY WHICH WOULD SERVE AS THE BASIS ON WHICH THE GOVERNMENT WOULD INVITE BIDS FOR CONTRACTORS. ALREADY THE MAJOR TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE HAD ATTRACTED HUGA INTEREST FROM PARTICIPANTS WORLDWIDE.
IN MARCH, SEPARATE CONSULTANTS WERE APPOINTED TO CARRY OUT A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE AIRPORT RAILWAY.
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