XN000022-1979-03-06 — Page 4

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TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1979

YEAR BOOK SPOTLIGHTS PROGRESS ON NEW TOWNS

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THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW URBAN CENTRES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY HOUSE MORE THAN TWO MILLION PEOPLE. IS HAILED IN THE NEW HONG KONG YEAR BOOK AS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF HONG KONG.

THE THREE MAJOR NEW TOWNS

TSUEN WAN, TUEN MUN AND SHA TIN ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE REVIEW CHAPTER OF THE BOOK PUBLISHED TODAY (TUESDAY).

HONG KONG 1979, COSTING $18 AND AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE EDITIONS, IS BEING SOLD AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, CONNAUGHT PLACE, CENTRAL CITY DISTRICT OFFICES- NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT OFFICES AND AT LEADING BOOKSHOPS.

THE BOOK DESCRIBES THE NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME AS INDICATIVE OF THE TERRITORY'S TREMENDOUS PROGRESS AND ACCOMPLISHMENT.+

+THE GOVERNMENT'S AMBITIOUS PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME AIMS AT PROVIDING BY THE MID-1980S ENOUGH PERMANENT, SELF-CONTAINED HOMES, WITH GOOD AMENITIES AND IN A REASONABLE ENVIRONMENT, FOR EVERY ELIGIBLE FAMILY AT PRESENT UNSATISFACTORILY HOUSED IN HONG KONG,+ THE YEAR BOOK SAYS.

+NOWHERE HAS SUCH A PROGRAMME PROCEEDED ON SO GREAT A SCALE OR WITH SUCH SPEED, RARELY, TOO, HAVE THE ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS BEEN SO CHALLENGING.+

THE BOOK POINTS OUT THAT IN MOST COUNTRIES A NEW TOWN WILL BE PLANNED TO ACCOMMODATE FROM 50,000 TO 100,000 PEOPLE, AND PHASES WILL BE SCHEDULED OVER A PERIOD OF 30 YEARS OR MORE.

+BUT IN HONG KONG MANY PEOPLE NEED BETTER HOMES IN A SHORTER TIME AND THE NEW TOWNS, WHICH ARE SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN LESS THAN A DECADE, ARE TO HOUSE TWO MILLION PEOPLE, IT SAYS.

THE THREE MAJOR NEW TOWNS, AS WELL AS THE SMALLER CENTRES OF TAI PO, FANLING-SHEUNG SHUI-SHEK WU HUT AND YUEN LONG, ARE BEING DEVELOPED AS INTEGRATED COMMUNITIES PROVIDING A FULL RANGE OF FACILITIES AS WELL AS HOUSING.

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EACH MONTH ARE EXCHANGING THEIR FORMER HOMES IN OLDER RESETTLEMENT BLOCKS, TENEMENTS AND SQUATTER AREAS --- FOR CONTEMPORARY FLATS IN THE NEW ESTATES.

+MULTI-STOREY HOUSING BLOCKS ARE INEVITABLE BECAUSE OF SPACE LIMITATIONS BUT THEY ARE OF A FAR BETTER DESIGN THAN EARLIER HOUSING ESTATES, THE YEAR BOOK SAYS.

/+VIMI HONG KONG'S....