XN000022-1980-05-05 — Page 5

MONDAY, MAY 5, 1980

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DEVELOPMENT PLANNING FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES

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BALANCED DEVELOPMENT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE, AND CANNOT BE EXPECTED AT EVERY STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT IN EVERY DISTRICT OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR AUGUSTINE CHUI KAM, SAID TODAY (MONDAY) AT A MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THERE ARE ALWAYS UNFORESEEABLE AND UNCONTROLLABLE FACTORS WHICH WILL GIVE RISE TO TEMPORARY IMBALANCES, HE EXPLAINED.

LOOKED AT FROM THE LONG TERM POINT OF VIEW, HOWEVER, ALL THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WERE LARGELY ACHIEVING THE IR GOALS, HE SAID,

MR CHUI SAID DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TERRITORIES WAS PLAYING A VERY IMPORTANT AND SPECIAL ROLE IN THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG.

+AS GOVERNMENT HAS DETERMINED TO ACTIVELY OPEN UP AREAS OUTSIDE HONG KONG ISLAND AND KOWLOON PENINSULA TO PROVIDE NEW HOMES FOR THE EVER-INCREASING POPULATION, PUBLIC HOUSING SCHEMES ARE INCLUDED IN THE DEVELOPMENT PLANS OF THE NEW TOWNS.

+AT PRESENT, SIX NEW TOWNS AND TWO INDUSTRIAL ESTATES ARE BEING BUILT. UNDER CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PLANS, THE TOTAL POPULATION OF THE NEW TERRITORIES WILL INCREASE FROM ABOUT ONE MILLION TO TWO-AND-A-HALF MILLION IN 1980'S, WITH MORE THAN HALF OF THE PEOPLE LIVING IN PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES,+ HE SAID.

THERE WERE ALSO PLANS TO REDEVELOP THE VILLAGE TOWNS OF MUJ WO, TÀI 0, CHEUNG CHÂU AND SAI KUNG.

+MOREOVER, THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO ESTABLISH SUFFICIENT COMMUNICATION NETWORKS BETWEEN THE NEW TOWNS AND THE OLD CITIES,+ MR CHUI SAID,

FOR EXAMPLE, THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY WAS LINKING TSUEN WAN WITH KOWLOON, THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY WOULD BE ELECTRIFIED AND THE TUEN' MUN HIGHWAY PROJECT HAD ALREADY ENTERED THE SECOND PHASE.

CONSTRUCTION OF A ROAD ALONG THE SHA TIN COAST WOULD START EARLY NEXT YEAR. A ROAD PROJECT BETWEEN TUEN MUN AND SHA TIN AND A LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM LINKING TUEN MUN AND YUEN LONG WERE BEING CONSIDERED,

THESE MASSIVE PROJECTS HELP BOTH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC HOUSING PLANS AND OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TERRITORIES. FIRSTLY, THEY PROVIDE BASIC FACILITIES AND SERVICES FOR THE PUBLIC HOUSING PLANS SECONDLY, THEY MAINTAIN A BALANCED DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TOWNS AND THIRDLY, THEY IMPROVE THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT AND THUS ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LEAVE THE CROWDED CITIES OF HONG KONG AND KOWLOON TO LIVE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES,+ HE SAID.

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