XN000022-1978-10-29 — Page 5

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1978

→BUT WE DON'T EXPECT TO HAVE THE PROBLEM MUCH LONGER. THE FIRST STAGE OF THE TAI HING ESTATE WITH ACCOMMODATION FOR SOME 24,000 PEOPLE HAS NOW BEEN COMPLETED AND WORK HAS STARTED ON THE SECOND STAGE AND ANOTHER ESTATE AT SAM SHING HUI, WHICH WILL HOUSE 22,400 AND 9,000 PEOPLE RESPECTIVELY,+

BY MID-1980'S, HE SAID, THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF NINE PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES TO ACCOMMODATE 70 PER CENT OF THE TARGET POPULATION OF NEARLY 500,000 PEOPLE IN THE NEW TOWN.

TO TIDE OVER THE INTERIM SHORTAGE, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY IS OFFERING PRIORITY PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS TO WAITING LIST APPLICANTS WHO HAVE SECURED FULL-TIME JOBS IN TUEN MUN.

MR. LEUNG SAID THERE WERE ALSO PLANS TO BUILD SEVERAL DAY NURSERIES TO PROVIDE A MUCH-NEEDED CHILD CARE SERVICE FOR RESIDENTS OF THE NEW TOWN.

+THESE NEW FACILITIES WILL HELP EASE THE SHORTAGE TO A CONSIDERABLE EXTENT AS MOTHERS CAN LEAVE THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN TO THE CARE OF THE NURSERIES AND GO OUT TO WORK TO SUPPLEMENT THE FAMILY INCOME.+

HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WAS A GROWING DEMAND FOR LAND FROM INDUSTRIALISTS AND THE DISTRICT OFFICE WAS PROVIDING EVERY PIECE OF AVAILABLE LAND TO MEET THE NEED.

*AND BY THE TIME THE LAND HAS BEEN DEVELOPED, NEW RESIDENTS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE TOWN PROVIDING WORK FOR THE NEWCOMERS AND A READY-MADE WORKFORCE FOR THE INDUSTRIALISTS, MR. LEUNG ADDED.

HE SAID THAT ABOUT TEN INDUSTRIAL SITES WOULD COME ON

TO THE MARKET BEFORE THE END OF NEXT YEAR.

+THEY WILL BE SOLD EITHER BY AUCTION OR BY TENDER TO HOLDERS

OF LAND EXCHANGE ENTITLEMENT DOCUMENTS.+

THE NEXT SALE WILL BE BY PUBLIC AUCTION FOR A 4,971-SQUARE- METRE INDUSTRIAL SITE AND A 693-SQUARE-METRE COMMERCIAL SITE WHICH GO UNDER THE HAMMER AT THE ST. SIMON LUI MING CHOI

SECONDARY SCHOOL AT TUEN MUN AT 2.30 P.M. NEXT TUESDAY (OCTOBER 31).

THE LAST PUBLIC AUCTION OF INDUSTRIAL LAND AT TUEN MUN IN JULY THIS YEAR FETCHED A PRICE OF $15.2 MILLION, OR $522 PER SQUARE FOOT.

*MANY INDUSTRIALISTS STILL FIND LAND IN TUEN MUN COMPARATIVELY CHEAPER, AND THE OPENING OF THE NEW TUEN MUN HIGHWAY HAS BROUGHT THE TOWN MUCH CLOSER TO KOWLOON, TSUEN WAN AND THE KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER PORT,+ MR. LEUNG SAID.

+ IN THE EARLY DAYS, THERE WERE WORRIES THAT TUEN MUN'S DISTANCE FROM THE MAIN URBAN AREAS MIGHT DETER INDUSTRIAL

INVESTMENT. BUT DEVELOPERS HAVE SHOWN A GREAT DEAL OF FAR-SIGHTEDNESS 'N COMING TO TUEN MUN.+

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