XN000022-1980-05-14 — Page 16

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1980

→WITHIN THE NEW TOWN WE ARE ENDEAVOUR ING TO KEEP ALL WOODED SLOPES THAT EXISTED BEFORE THE NEW TOWN BEGAN AS INTACT AS POSSIBLE. CONSEQUENTLY MOST OF OUR HOUSING ESTATES WILL BE BROKEN UP BY SPURS OF THE MOUNTAIN SLOPES WHICH WILL BE LEFT AS NATURAL WOODED AREAS.+

DR HASE DISCLOSED THAT A LANDSCAPE TEAM, INCLUDING AN ARCHITECT, A HORTICULTURIST AND A FORESTRY EXPERT, WERE LOOKING CAREFULLY AT ALL THE WOODED SLOPES TO SEE HOW BEST THEY COULD BE MANAGED TO PROVIDE A CONTINUING +LUNG FOR THE POPULATION. PATHS WOULD BE CUT THROUGH THE WOODS, AND SEATS AND LIGHTS PROVIDED WHERE NECESSARY TO MAKE THESE SLOPES USABLE BY THE POPULATION.

OF THE SHING MUN RIVER, DR HASE SAID IT HAD BEEN FOR MANY YEARS AN EVIL SMELLING EXPANSE OF WHAT COULD BE CALLED +OFFENSIVE MATERIAL+. THIS WAS AT PRESENT BEING DREDGED SO THAT THE MINIMUM DEPTH OF WATER WOULD BE SOME FOUR TO SIX FEET.

+HOPEFULLY, AS WE CLEAR THE REMAINING FACTORIES AND PIGFARMS THIS YEAR AND NEXT WITHIN THE SHA TIN VALLEY, THE AMOUNT OF OFFENSIVE MATERIAL ENTERING THE RIVER SHOULD DROP TO ALMOST NOTHING.

+WE ARE SEEKING NEW LEGISLATION TO CONTROL THIS RIVER TO MAKE OF IT A MAJOR RECREATIONAL FACILITY. POWER BOATS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED INTO THE RIVER, WHICH WILL BE RESERVED FOR PLEASURE ROWING CANOEING, AND SPORTS USES, EACH USE HAVING A SECTION OF RIVER ABOUT ONE MILE LONG RESERVED TO ́IT.

+GRANDSTANDS AND OTHER FACILITIES WILL, WE HOPE, BE PROVIDED TO ALLOW FOR RACES - INTERNATIONAL AS WELL AS TERRITORY WIDE,

INCLUDING DRAGON BOAT RACES - TO BE HELD HERE.+

HE SAID TO ENSURE THAT THE RIVER WAS AS BEAUTIFUL AS POSSIBLE, BOTH BANKS WOULD BE USED AS RECREATIONAL SPACE: A MILE-LONG TOWN PARK ON THE NORTHERN BANK AND A FIVE-MILE-LONG RIVER FRONT TREEL INED PROMENADE STRETCHING FROM TAI WAI RIGHT DOWN TO WU KAI SHA. HE ADDED THAT HE HOPED THE WHOLE RIVER WOULD BECOME A MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION.

TURNING TO INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEW TOWN, DR HASE SAID THE FOUR MAJOR INDUSTRIAL AREAS AT FO TAN, YUEN CHAU KOK, TIN VALLEY AND AT MA ON SHAN WERE VERY LARGE WITH MANY TENS OF SUBSTANTIAL SITES. ALL SITES - OR ALL BUT ONE OR TWO - WOULD BE SOLD FOR MULTI-STOREY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.

SHA

BECAUSE OF THE DANGER OF A LOS ANGELES TYPE SMOG DEVELOPMENT, DUE TO THE SMALL AMOUNT OF WIND IN THE VALLEY, THERE WOULD BE SEVERE RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON USERS - NO SMOKE EMISSIONS OR FUME EMISSIONS WOULD BE ALLOWED AND ONLY ELECTRICITY ALLOWED AS A FUEL. THESE BUILDINGS, THEREFORE, WOULD BE PARTICULARLY SUITED FOR USE AS GODOWNS OR FÖR REALLY CLEAN INDUSTRIES.

+ABOUT 10 SUCH SITES A YEAR WILL BE SOLD IN SHA TIN FOR THE NEXT FIVE OR SIX YEARS, HE SAID.

FOR THE BUSINESSMEN THERE WOULD BE 25 COMMERCIAL COMPLEXES IN SHA TIN PLUS ONE OLD-FASHIONED SHOPPING AREA AT TAI WAI. THE COMMERCIAL COMPLEXES WOULD BE MOSTLY INDOOR, WITH ACCESS FROM INTERNAL CORRIDORS, SIMILAR TO THE ALREADY EXISTING WO CHE COMMERCIAL COMPLEX. THREE SUCH COMPLEXES WOULD BE LET THIS YEAR AND ABOUT THE SAME NUMBER NEXT.

/+THE JOR.....