XN000022-1976-04-07 — Page 3

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ednesday, April 7, 1976

"He said, a sizeable site in north-eastern Kowloon is being processed

for the first of these projects, and the contract should be let this year,

Referring to a call by several Unofficial Councillors to involve

private developers in these schemes, Mr. Lightbody said he had recently net

representatives of the Real Estate Developers' Association.

The meeting was to reassure them that this scheme was aimed at a

special group of people already living in the Authority's estates and so was

not in competition with private developers, and also to consider in what way

private developers might contribute to the scheme.

"The Association has promised to give further thought to their possible

involvement, and I await their considered views,"

However, he pointed out that basically such involvement would import

a profit element and raise the production cost, and moreover would weaken the

Authority's control over construction standards, "and it is by no means certain

that these shortcomings will be offset by lower building costs.

"So it is not a self-evident truth, when we are trying to keep the

final selling price down, that the scheme must involve private developers.

/"Even so