Thursday, November 29, 1973
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Turning to the subject of pollution, Mr. Robson said that the
demand for land for special industries, including applications for petroleum
refinery and petrochemical projects, had highlighted the need for a
comprehensive system for the control of pollution arising from industry.
He added that the two environmental feasibility studies of specific
proposals for petroleum-cum-chemical industries have emphasised that these
industries are generally acceptable in Hong Kong at the sites proposed,
"but only provided that there is full control at the design stage of
their plants and that there is comprehensive legislation and an effective
authority to control the environmental standards set."
Mr. Robson's wide-ranging speech touched on a number of other
important issues. Among the main points were:
a revision of the Colony outline Plan to incorporate not
only the land use standards used in the preparation of the
present plan but also to match it with a time scale and to
relate land use both to the development of other resources
and to economic feasibility;
expanding the very limited planning controls contained in
the Town Planning Ordinance. As the law now stands, there is no statutory planning control over any part of Hong Kong
not covered by the statutory outline zoning plans, while the restrictions created by the zoning plans within the planned
areas may be too inflexible;
an interim report dealing with the feasibility and economic
sense of a bridge to Lantau Island is now being considered
by the Director of Public Works; and
more staff becoming available to push ahead with the programme for the recreational development of the countryside.
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