XN000022-1980-01-10 — Page 7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1980

40

6

AT SAI KUNG WE HAD APPROVED THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MARINA PROJECT WHICH WOULD PROVIDE 230 HOUSES, AND THERE WERE A NUMBER OF OTHER SCHEMES IN THE PIPELINE WHICH WOULD ADD SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE STOCK OF PRIVATE HOUSING,

+BY ALL MEANS LET US TRY TO DO MORE, BUT LET US ALSO REMEMBER THE VAST SCALE ON WHICH BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT IS NOW TAKING PLACE.+

MR. AKERS-JONES SAID HE DID NOT INTEND HIS SPEECH TO BE A DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT, BUT TO GIVE A PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AND PERHAPS TO SEE AGAINST THIS PERSPECTIVE HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND TO THE PRESENT PRESSURE TO MAKE MORE LAND AVAILABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT, THAT WE ARE NOT BUILDING ENOUGH HOUSING AND THAT ONLY BY MAKING MORE LAND AVAILABLE COULD WE BRING THE PRICE OF LAND AND PROPERTY DOWN.

+WE HAVE HAD A HOUSING SHORTAGE FOR YEARS, BUT WE HAVE NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THE PRESENT PRESSURE THAT WE HAVE NOW FOR PROPERTY OF ALL KINDS AND THIS IS EVIDENCED IN ESCALATING RENTS AND HIGH LAND AND BUILDING PRICES,

+LET US NOT FORGET THAT IT IS ONLY COMPARATIVELY RECENTLY IN THE 1970'S THAT, WITH THE RESOURCES DEVELOPED FROM OUR ECONOMIC EXPANSION, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ADOPT A MORE PROGRESSIVE POLICY NOT MERELY RESPONDING TO PRESSURE BUT ATTEMPTING TO GET ON TOP OF OUR PROBLEMS, BUT IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS THE PRESSURES GENERATED FROM PROSPERITY AND FROM OTHER SOURCES HAVE INCREASED FASTER THAN OUR ABILITY TO COPE WITH THEM.+

THIS WAS OUR REAL PROBLEM, AND THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME ON WHICH WE SO CONFIDENTLY EMBARKED IN 1973 NOW FELL FAR SHORT OF WHAT WAS REQUIRED.

MOREOVER, THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING MORE LAND AVAILABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT WAS MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE THERE WAS A LIMIT TO HOW MUCH THE ECONOMY AND THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY COULD BEAR.

ANOTHER FACTOR WAS THAT IT WAS VERY EASY TO SEE IN 1973 WHAT WE HAD TO DO WE HAD TO PICK UP THE PLANS THAT HAD BEEN PREPARED IN THE 1960'S FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHA TIN AND TUEN MUN AND NORTH TSUEN WAN AND GET ON WITH THEM.

*BUT IT IS NOT SO EASY TO SEE NOW WHERE WE OUGHT TO BE GOING NEXT AND WHERE WE ARE GOING TO PUT OUR EXPANDING POPULATION, + MR. AKERS-JONES SAID.

+IF YOU PUT MORE PEOPLE IN THE YUEN LONG AREA, IN THE NORTH-WEST, THEN IT PUTS FURTHER STRAIN ON THE TUEN MUN HIGHWAY.

+IF YOU PUT MORE PEOPLE IN SHA TIN AND TAI PO, THEN IT WILL PUT MORE STRAIN ON THE LION ROCK TUNNELS AND WATERLOO ROAD.

+IF YOU PUT PEOPLE IN JUNK BAY, IT WILL PUT INCREASING PRESSURE ON THE COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH EAST KOWLOON AND KWUN TONG, AND SO FORTH.

/+SIMILARLY