XN000022-1977-11-10 — Page 15

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1977

CONSULTANTS TO BE APPOINTED TO STUDY BRIDGE TO LANTAU

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A CONSULTANCY WILL BE COMMISSIONED IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO INVESTIGATE, AND PROVIDE DETAILED DESIGNS FOR A ROAD CROSSING, PROBABLY A BRIDGE, BETWEEN LANTAU AND THE MAINLAND, THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, THE HON. DEREK JONES SAID TODAY.

SPEAKING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL'S ANNUAL POLICY DEBATE R. JONES SAID STUDIES WOULD ALSO BE UNDERTAKEN BY THE PUBLIC „ORKS DEPARTMENT OF THE DEVELOPMENT POSSIBILITIES OF THE NORTH OF LANTAU, INCLUDING THE ENGINEERING FEASIBILITY OF CONSTRUCTING A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KCK, IN CASE IT SHOULD LATER ZE DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH SUCH A PROJECT.

APART FROM SUCH A POSSIBILITY, THE MAIN AIM WOULD BE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL LAND FOR INDUSTRY ON LANTAU.

HE ALSO REVEALED THAT SITES ON NORTH EAST LANTAU WERE BEING INVESTIGATED FOR A NEW POWER STATION FOR THE CHINA LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY. THIS WOULD PROVIDE 1,400 MEGAWATTS OF GENERATING CAPACITY IN ITS FIRST STAGE, WITH ROOM BEING PROVIDED LATER FOR AN ADDITIONAL 2,000 MEGAWATTS, AND IT WAS SIGNIFICANT THAT THE FOUR GENERATING SETS IN THE FIRST STAGE ALONE WOULD PROVIDE ALMOST AS MUCH CAPACITY AS ALL 10 SETS NOW INSTALLED ON TSING YI.

MR. JONES SAID THE REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON LAND PRODUCTION HAD JUST BEEN PUBLISHED AND SHOWED THAT GOVERNMENT WOULD BE PRODUCING ALMOST 3,000 HECTARES OF NEWLY FORMED LAND BY 1981/82 AND THAT THIS WOULD INCLUDE MORE THAN 600 HECTARES - THAT IS OVER 1,500 ACRES, OR UPWARDS OF 60 MILLION SQUARE FEET INDUSTRIAL LAND OVER THE PERIOD.

+THIS IS MUCH MORE FORMED LAND THAN HAS BEEN PRODUCED IN ANY COMPARABLE PERIOD IN HONG KONG'S HISTORY.

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+BEYOND 1981/82, THE RATE OF PLANNED PRODUCTION OF LAND IN DEFINITE PROGRAMMES WILL BEGIN TO FALL OFF SOMEWHAT. SO. THE NEXT TASK OF THE GOVERNMENT, AIDED BY THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE, ILL BE TO EXAMINE IN GREATER DETAIL THAN HITHERTO THE POSSIBILITIES FOR FURTHER LAND PRODUCTION ON THE MAINLAND IN THE 80'S, HE ADDED.

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HE NOTED THAT ALL THIS INDICATED THAT CONSIDERABLE EFFORTS WERE NOW BEING MADE IN PLANNING NEW LAND PRODUCTION AND THE GOVERNMENT WOULD CONTINUE TO GIVE HIGH PRIORITY TO THESE MATTERS.

TURNING TO TRANSPORT, MR. JONES SAID GOVERNMENT RECOGNISED THAT THE PROBLEMS OF LAND PRODUCTION, LAND USE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED OUTSIDE THE CONTEXT OF ADEQUATE TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS.

+NC AREA OF LAND CAN BE PROPERLY DEVELOPED WITHOUT ADEQUATE TRANSPORT LINKS, AND CLOGGED ROADS AND STREETS WILL SLOW DOWN DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH,+ . JONES SAID.

+IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO FUTURE TRANSPORT PLAKATRE AND INVESTMENT.+

/FOLLOWING