XN000022-1978-02-03 — Page 4

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1978

IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THE RAILWAY EXTENSION TO TSUEN WAN AN IMPORTANT STEP WAS TAKEN TODAY WHEN THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS DEPOSITED THE RAILWAY AREA PLAN FOR THAT SECTION OF THE RAILWAY BETWEEN LAI CHI KOK BAY AND TSUEN WAN IN THE LAND OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MTR ORDINANCE.

THE SECTION OF THE RAILWAY EXTENSION LINKING LAI CHI KOK BAY TO THE NEW TOWN WILL HAVE FIVE STATIONS - LAI KING, KWAI FONG, KWAI HING, TAI WO HAU AND TSUEN WAN - AND WILL FORM THE FINAL STAGE OF THE 10-STATION 10.5 KILOMETRE LINE FROM PRINCE EDWARD STATION.

THIS SECTION WILL BE SEVEN KILOMETRES LONG, MOSTLY UNDERGROUND WITH ABOUT THREE KILOMETRES AT GROUND LEVEL OR OVERHEAD.

ONE SECTION OF THE OVERHEAD LINE WILL PASS THROUGH KWAI FONG HOUSING ESTATE, THE LAYOUT OF WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO ALLOW THE MASS TRANS IT RAILWAY TO PASS THROUGH IT.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THIS OVERHEAD SECTION WILL BE ENCLOSED TO REDUCE NOISE.

THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE RAILWAY THROUGH KWAI CHUNG FROM LAI CHI KOK BAY TO THE DEVELOPMENT AREA AT NORTH TSUEN WAN WOULD REQUIRE THE REMOVAL OF PART OF A LARGE TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA AT HA KWAI CHUNG AND A SMALL ONE AT KWAI HING. CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL SHORT TERM TENANCY AGREEMENTS WOULD NEED TO BE CANCELLED AND SOME OTHER INDUSTRIAL TENANTS WOULD ALSO BE AFFECTED. ALL AUTHORISED DOMESTIC TENANTS IN THE TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA WILL BE OFFERED PUBLIC HOUSING. ADDITIONALLY, EASEMENTS WILL BE NEEDED IN A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS.

THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT AS WELL AS GIVING THE GOVERNOR THE POWER TO ORDER RESUMPTIONS OR EASEMENTS, THE MTR ORDINANCE ALSO EMPOWERS THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS TO REQUIRE THE OWNER OF ANY BUILDING IN THE RAILWAY AREA TO REMOVE ANY OBJECT OR STRUCTURE WHICH IS ATTACHED TO OR PROJECTS FROM THE BUILDING IF HE CONSIDERS ITS REMOVAL NECESSARY FOR THE PURPOSE OF BUILDING THE RAILWAY. IN ADDITION THE MTR ORDINANCE GIVES THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS THE RIGHT TO INSPECT AND CARRY OUT REMEDIAL WORKS IN PROPERTIES WITHIN THE RAILWAY AREA AND WITHIN 70 METRES THEREOF.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE RALLWAY DOES NOT MEAN THAT REDEVELOPMENT OF SITES ADJACENT TO THE RAILWAY AREA WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY FROZEN. HOWEVER, AS A SAFEGUARD AGAINST POSSIBLE CONFLICT BETWEEN PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS AND THE RAILWAY WORKS, THE BUILDING AUTHORITY, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, HAS THE POWER UNDER THE MTR ORDINANCE TO REFUSE APPROVAL OR TO MODIFY BUILDING PLANS IF HE CONSIDERS THEY ARE INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE RAILWAY.

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