XN000022-1976-11-11 — Page 9

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1976

NON-NEW-TOWN AREAS TO GET DEVELOPMENT BOOST

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THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE HON, DAVID AKERS- JONES, TODAY ANNOUNCED A SWEEPING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR AREAS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES OUTSIDE THE NEW TOWNS.

HE TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THAT THE PLANS INCLUDED THE EXPANSION OF THE MARKET TOWNS OF TAI PO AND YUEN LONG, HOUSING PROJECTS FOR LANTAU AND CHEUNG CHAU, THE PROVISION OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SQUARE FEET OF LAND FOR INDUSTRIAL USE, AND THE BUILDING OF 26 NEW SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TSUEN WAN IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

MR. AKERS-JONES GAVE THIS OUTLINE OF THE PROGRAMME :

YUEN LONG: EXPENDITURE OF $34 MILLION HAS BEEN APPROVED TO COMPLETE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CENTRAL AREA OF THE TOWN, TO FORM LAND FOR A HOUSING ESTATE AND PROVIDE FOUR HECTARES FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT.

TAI PO WORK WILL START SOON ON THE RECLAMATION OF 37 HECTARES OF LAND - AT A COST OF $56 MILLION TO PROVIDE A HOUSING ESTATE FOR 30,000 PEOPLE, AS WELL AS LAND FOR SCHOOLS, A NEW MARKET, A SHOPPING CENTRE AND OTHER FACILITIES.

ISLANDS DISTRICT: A $22 MILLION HOUSING AND TOWN IMPROVEMENT SCHEME AT TAI 0 AND $18 MILLION EARMARKED FOR LAND TO PROVIDE A SPECIALLY-DESIGNED ESTATE FOR THE BADLY-HOUSED RESIDENTS OF CHEUNG CHAU,

NORTHERN NEW TERRITORIES: A COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO THE CLUSTER OF SMALL MARKET CENTRES OF LUEN WO HUI FANLING, SHEK WU HUI AND SHEUNG SHUI, WITH $67 MILLION SET ASIDE FOR THE FIRST STAGE OF REDEVELOPMENT OF THE OLD TANNERIES SITE, WHICH WAS CLEARED BY THE GOVERNMENT EARLIER THIS YEAR,

MR. AKERS-JONES DESCRIBED THE DEVELOPMENT PLANS AS A +CONSCIOUS AND DELIBERATE EFFORT ON THE PART OF THE GOVERNMENT TO TURN ITS ATTENTION TO AREAS OTHER THAN THE NEW TOWNS, WHICH ARE DESIGNED PRINCIPALLY TO ABSORB HUGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE FROM THE EXISTING URBAN AREA.+

THE PLANS, HE WAS SURE, WOULD BE WARMLY WELCOMED BY PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE NEW TERRITORIES.

TURNING TO INDUSTRY, MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THAT INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEW TERRITORIES HAD BEEN TAKING PLACE +ALMOST AS THOUGH THERE HAD BEEN NO RECESSION,+

+ELEVEN FACTORIES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AT TUEN MUN ON 950,000 SQUARE FEET OF LAND AND ANOTHER 12 ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION ON 600,000 SQUARE FEET,+ HE SAID.

+MANY CF THE