XN000022-1979-11-14 — Page 12

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1979

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ON THE SUBJECT OF PRIVATE INTEREST AND DONATIONS FOR NEW BUILDINGS, HE SAID HE WISHED THERE WERE MORE INTEREST IN PRESERVING SOME OF THE OLD – THE RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE THAT WAS ALL TOO QUICKLY DISAPPEARING IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

+SPEAKING FROM THE NEW TERRITORIES, AND EXPRESSING A SOMEWHAT PAROCHIAL VIEW, THIS SEEMS TO ME FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN MAINTAINING THE OCCASIONAL RELICS OF NINETEENTH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE IN THE URBAN AREA, HE SAID.

NEW PWD OFFICE TO CO-ORDINATE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS ******

THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, THE HON. DAVID MCDONALD, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY) HE WILL SHORTLY BE RECOMMENDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NORTH EAST KOWLOON DEVELOPMENT OFFICE TO EXAMINE THE NEED FOR CO-ORDINATION OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR WORKS IN THE AREA.

HE WILL ALSO RECOMMEND THE SETTING UP OF A SMALL UNIT TO EXAMINE THE NEED TO CO-ORDINATE THESE WORKS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE URBAN AREA.

THE MOVE FOLLOWS THE COMPLETION OF A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT BY A SENIOR OFFICER OF THE PWD WHO WAS APPOINTED IN FEBRUARY ON A TEMPORARY BASIS TO RESEARCH A PROPOSAL TO ASSESS THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A CO-ORDINATION TEAM TO SERVE THE NORTH EAST KOWLOON AREA.

MR. MCDONALD WAS SPEAKING IN THE RESUMED ANNUAL DEBATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

REPLYING TO A POINT RAISED BY THE HON. ROGER LOBO, HE SAID. +THE PWD'S PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAMS, OPERATING ON A SYSTEM OF PACKAGED DEVELOPMENT, HAVE BEEN HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL IN PLANNING AND CO-ORDINATING ACTIVITIES IN THE NEW TOWNS BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE ASSUMED THAT THIS TYPE OF ORGANISATION IS NECESSARILY THE BEST ARRANGEMENT FOR EVERY SITUATION.+

ON THE SUGGESTION BY THE HON. LI FOOK-WO THAT AS THERE HAS BEEN AN EASING OF PRESSURE ON THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FOLLOWING THE SLOW-DOWN IN GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE IN 1979 INCREASED EXPENDITURE ON LAND PRODUCTION AND ALL RELATED INFRASTRUCTURAL WORKS IS UNLIKELY TO OVER-EXTEND THE INDUSTRY, MR. MCDONALD SAID THAT TO-DATE THERE HAS BEEN NO APPARENT EASING OF PRESSURE,

+ADMITTEDLY FEWER CONSENTS FOR PRIVATE BUILDING WORKS OF ALL TYPES WERE GIVEN DURING THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR THAN WERE GIVEN DURING THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR BUT THIS CAN ONLY BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF SOME LESSENING OF PRESSURE BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN THE FUTURE PROBABLY DURING NEXT YEAR,+ HE SAID.

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+HOWEVER, THE INDUSTRY HAS STILL TO CONTEND WITH THE VERY HIGH LEVEL OF ACTIVITY GENERATED BY THE CONSENTS GIVEN OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.

/+AS FAR