XN000022-1977-03-20 — Page 2

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SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 1977

+WORK IS NOW PROGRESSING ON A WIDE FRONT,+ HE SAID, +AND WE HAVE REACHED A STAGE WHERE MANY OF THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS ARE BEGINNING TO TAKE SHAPE.

+PROMINENT AMONG THESE ARE THE FIRST STAGE OF TAI HING ESTATE, THE RECLAMATION PROGRAMME AND THE $300 MILLION TUEN MUN ROAD PROJECT WHICH EARLY NEXT YEAR WILL PROVIDE A DIRECT, 15-MINUTE LINK BETWEEN TUEN MUN AND TSUEN WAN.+

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MR. WHITAKER SAID PHASE OF THE TAI HING ESTATE, NOW NEARING COMPLETION BY THE P.w.D.'S ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE, WAS THE FIRST OF SEVEN +NEW GENERATION+ ESTATES TO BE BUILT IN TUEN MUN. THE FIRST OF ITS 24,000 RESIDENTS WERE EXPECTED TO MOVE IN WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

+SOME 344,000 PEOPLE ABOUT 70 PER CENT OF THE TOWN'S EVENTUAL POPULATION WILL BE ACCOMMODATED IN PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES,+ HE SAID, WHILE ANOTHER 132,000 WILL LIVE IN PRIVATE HOUSING RANGING FROM HIGH-RISE DEVELOPMENTS TO VILLAS SURROUNDED BY OPEN GROUNDS.

+THE PLAN IS TO MAKE EACH OF THE PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES A SELF-CONTAINED COMMUNITY WITH SHOPS, SCHOOLS, PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES AND A FULL RANGE OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, + HE SAID.

MR. WHITAKER SAID ABOUT HALF OF THE NEW TOWN WOULD BE BUILT ON LAND RECLAIMED FROM THE SEA,

+ALTOGETHER SOME 240 HECTARES OF NEW LAND WILL BE RECLAIMED TO PROVIDE SITES FOR HOUSING, INDUSTRY AND ASSOCIATED FACILITIES.

+ALREADY ALMOST 93 HECTARES HAVE BEEN FORMED AND SERVICED AND WORK IS PROGRESSING WELL ON RECLAIMING ANOTHER 72 HECTARES, HE SAID.

+ IN ADDITION, MANY FACTORIES ARE MOVING INTO THE NEW TOWN. AT PRESENT, 12 FACTORIES HAVE SET UP OPERATIONS IN TUEN MUN AND 21 MORE ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.+

MR. WHITAKER SAID THAT AS TUEN MUN'S GROWTH WOULD DEPEND LARGELY ON INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT, PLANNERS WERE AIMING AT PROVIDING THE FACILITIES TO ATTRACT A FULL RANGE OF INDUSTRIES.

+WE ENVISAGE THAT SOME 125,000 PEOPLE WILL BE EMPLOYED IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES IN THE NEW TOWN BY THE MID-'EIGHTIES, HE SAID.

SOME 126 HECTARES OF LAND HAD BEEN EARMARKED FOR LIGHT INDUSTRY AND OTHER LAND HAD BEEN SET ASIDE FOR HEAVY INDUSTRY.

+DETAILS OF ALL THESE DEVELOPMENTS AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE WILL BE FEATURED IN THE EXHIBITION TO GIVE BOTH THE PRESENT POPULATION OF TUEN MUN AND PEOPLE WHO MAY EVENTUALLY LIVE THERE A CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT IS PLANNED FOR THE TUEK HUN OF TOMORROW,+ SAID MR. WHITAKER.

/ONE SECTION