XN000022-1977-08-05 — Page 4

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1977

3

PUBLIC HOUSING FOR OLD TANNERIES SITE

****

THE GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT TO EMBARK ON A PROGRAMME TO REHOUSE 5,000 PEOPLE LIVING IN SHEK WU HUI AND SHEUNG SHUI IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE MOVE IS PART OF THE GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO REDEVELOP THE FAN LING-SHEK WU HUI-SHEUNG SHUI AREA INTO A SELF CONTAINED MARKET TOWN OF 100,000 PEOPLE -- ALMOST TREBLE THE PRESENT POPULATION.

THE TAI PO DISTRICT OFFICER, MR. CLIVE OXLEY, SAID TODAY THE 5,000 PERSONS WOULD BE MOVED SO THAT WORK COULD START IMMEDIATELY ON MAJOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE AREA.

THESE INCLUDED THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE FOR 30,000 PEOPLE AT SHEK WU HUI - ON THE TANNERIES SITE CLEARED BY THE GOVERNMENT LAST YEAR - A TOWN HALL AND BUS TERMINAL AT SHEUNG SHUI AND A NEW ROAD FROM WONG KONG SHAN TO THE FAN LING ROUNDABOUT AND THEN ON TO SHEK WU HUI.

MR. OXLEY SAID THAT THE SITE FORMATION COSTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE WOULD RUN TO ABOUT $73 MILLION.

+IT IS PLANNED TO BUILD THE SHEK WU HUI HOUSING ESTATE IN TWO STAGES, THE FIRST BEGINNING EARLY NEXT YEAR, HE SAID.

+SITE FORMATION WORK WILL ALSO BEGIN ON AN AREA OF 20.8 HECTARES WHICH WILL BE GIVEN OVER TO PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT ALONG WITH SOME LIGHT INDUSTRY.

+THE SHEUNG SHUI TOWN HALL IS STILL IN THE PLANNING STAGE, BUT IT IS ESTIMATED THAT IT WILL COST $4.2 MILLION.

+ THE TOWN HALL WILL HAVE A HALL, STAGES, BASKETBALL GROUNDS, A CANTEEN, A CHILDREN'S NURSERY, A LIBRARY AND OTHER FACILITIES.

+TO MAKE THESE PROJECTS POSSIBLE, WE WILL HAVE TO MOVE 5,000 PEOPLE FROM THE AREA BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT YEAR, MR. OXLEY SAID.

+THEY WILL BE PROVIDED WITH HOMES IN A TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA AT FAN LING, THE FIRST STAGE OF WHICH IS DUE FOR COMPLETION AT THE END OF THE YEAR.

HE SAID THAT THE NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION WOULD BE RESUMING ABOUT 16,132 SQUARE METRES (173,645 SQ. FT.) OF PRIVATE AGRICULTURAL LAND AND ABOUT 568 SQUARE METRES (6,114 SQ. FT.) OF PRIVATE BUILDING LAND TO PROVIDE SPACE FOR THE SECOND STAGE OF THE TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA.

A MONTH'S NOTICE OF THE RESUMPTION WAS PUBLISHED IN TODAY'S GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.