XN000022-1980-03-21 — Page 6

5.

FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 1980

+FOR EXAMPLE, WE MUST CONTINUE TO BRING NEW AREAS INTO THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. MOST OF OUR LAND IS HILLY AND MOUNTAINOUS AND DIFFICULT TO USE A BLESSING FOR BEAUTY, A PROBLEM FOR SITE-FORMATION- MUCH OF IT CONSISTS OF OUTLYING ISLANDS, DIFFICULT TO GET TO, USUALLY EQUALLY HILLY AND FOR THE MOST PART DEVOID OF WATER SUPPLIES.

SO THE OPENING UP OF NEW AREAS USUALLY INVOLVES AN EXPENSIVE PROCESS OF FORMING LAND AND BRINGING IT INTO USE, TOGETHER WITH THE PROVISION OF COSTLY COMMUNICATIONS AND OTHER SERVICES TO LINK IT WITH OTHER AREAS AND THE CHOICE OF DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS HAS NECESSARILY TO BE CAREFULLY AND SYSTEMATICALLY WORKED OUT.

+THUS DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE TO EXTEND SHA TIN INTO THE SO-CALLED AREA B- AND TO DEVELOP JUNK BAY, BOTH FOR HOUSING AND FOR NEW INDUSTRY. CONSIDERATION IS NOW BEING GIVEN TO FURTHER EXTENSIONS TO TUEN MUN, BOTH TO THE EAST AND THE WEST AND FEASIBILITY STUDIES ARE BEING COMMISSIONED INTO THE DEVELOPMENT POSSIBILITIES OF THE NORTH-WEST AND NORTH-EAST NEW TERRITORIES.

+SOME OF THE MORE EXCITING POSSIBILITIES UP AHEAD INVOLVE LANTAU. THESE COULD BE TRIGGERED BY A DECISION WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO TO DEVELOP A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK ISLAND, OFF THE NORTH OF LANTAU, WITH A CAPACITY WHICH COULD EVENTUALLY EXTEND TO THREE RUNWAYS AND MUCH IN EXCESS OF KAI TAK. SUCH A DECISION WOULD ENTAIL A PARALLEL ONE OF DEVELOPING A FIXED CROSSING TO THE ISLAND THROUGH TSING YI AND MA WAN IN THE FORM OF A SERIES OF BRIDGES, TOGETHER WITH A MAJOR ROAD ALONG THE NORTH SHORE OF LANTAU AND PERHAPS A LIGHT-RA IL-PUBLIC-TRANSPORT-SYSTEM. THE POSSIBILITIES OF FURTHER LAND-FORMATION BY RECLAMATION AND PLATFORM-FORMING OF THE NORTH WEST PART OF THE ISLAND ARE CONSIDERABLE AND COULD PROVIDE FOR IMPRESSIVE NEW INDUSTRIAL AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS. A VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT SPIN-OFF WOULD THEN BE THE RELEASE FROM HEIGHT RESTRICTION OF LAND IN THE AREA OF KAI TAK, INDEED THE OPENING UP OF KAI TAK ITSELF FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT, PROBABLY WITH FURTHER RECLAMATIONS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A BRIDGE CROSSING THE HARBOUR TO HONG KONG ISLAND. AND SOME OF OUR LOCAL FINANCIERS ARE ALREADY SUGGESTING THAT THESE DEVELOPMENT POSSIBILITIES COULD MORE THAN PAY FOR THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT AIRPORT.

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+AS THIS STAGE, MR PRESIDENT, I MUST SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT HIGHWAYS. THE WORKS OF THE ENGINEERS WHO CONSTRUCT THEM ARE ALL AROUND US AND ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR DAILY LIVES AS WE GO ABOUT OUR BUSINESS, AND WE ALL REJOICE IN THE COMPLETION OF THAT NEW FLY-OVER WHICH OVERCOMES THE BOTTLE-NECK OF PAST YEARS: NOW WE CAN GET TO THE OFFICE EVEN EARLIER! THESE DAYS MAJOR CONSTRUCTION WORKS ARE ALWAYS IN HAND I NEED MENTION ONLY THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL AND ASSOCIATED APPROACH ROADS THE EAST KOWLOON WAY LEADING TO THE AIRPORT TUNNEL AND KWUN TONG THE WEST KOWLOON CORRIDOR, TSUEN WAN BY-PASS- THE SECOND HALF OF THE TUEN MUN ROAD AND SO ON AND SO ON. AND IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE THEY WILL BE JOINED BY THE START OF WORK ON THE ISLAND EAST CORRIDOR ROAD AND THE SHA TIN - TAI PO COASTAL ROAD. ALL OF THEM, AND MORE, ARE BADLY NEEDED.

THE OBVIOUS