XN000022-1980-10-20 — Page 4

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1980

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SITES AT TAI SHEK KWU WOULD BEGIN TO BE SOLD FROM THE MIDDLE OF 1981, AND AT PAK SHEK FROM THE END OF 1982.

THEY WOULD BE COMPLETED BY ABOUT 1986, WHEN THE FIRST LOTS FROM THE TAI SHUI HANG AREA WERE EXPECTED TO COME ONTO THE MARKET.

THESE FOUR AREAS WERE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE SOME 145 000 JOBS (EQUAL TO 20 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL POPULATION), APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER IN EACH OF THE FOUR AREAS.

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HE SAID 750 000 PEOPLE REPRESENTED A WORKFORCE OF SOME 290 000 (40 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION) CONSEQUENTLY THE FOUR INDUSTRIAL AREAS SHOULD PROVIDE ABOUT 50 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL JOBS REQUIRED.

THE REMAINDER SHOULD BE ADEQUATELY CATERED FOR IN THE 23 NEIGHBOURHOOD COMMERCIAL COMPLEXES, THE TWO HOTELS, THE FIVE MAJOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS INCLUDING A MAJOR GOVERNMENT OFFICE BLOCK, THE 150 ODD RESTAURANTS, AND ABOVE ALL, IN THE TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENT.

A WORKFORCE SPLIT 50 PER CENT INDUSTRIAL AND 50 PER CENT COMMERCIAL AND SERVICE WAS IN LINE WITH THE NORMAL BREAKDOWN OF THE POPULATION IN HONG KONG AND SHOULD BE APPROXIMATELY CORRECT.

+OUR AIM IS TO ENSURE THAT AT ALL TIMES INDUSTRIAL JOBS EQUIVALENT TO 20 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL POPULATION ARE AVAILABLE.

+THIS IMPLIES TRYING TO GEAR OUR SALES PROGRAMME FOR INDUSTRIAL LOTS TO ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATES OF HOUSING ESTATES. SO FAR, WE HAVE NOT FALLEN BADLY BEHIND.

+PROVISION OF COMMERCIAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES, HOWEVER, HAS FALLEN BEHIND AS THE MAJOR PROVISION WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENT IN 1983, + DR HASE SAID.

TURNING TO TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENT, HE SAID: IT IS OUR HOPE THAT IT WILL GIVE A REAL HEART' TO SHA TIN, AND SO HELP US TO DEVELOP A REAL COMMUNITY SPIRIT WITHIN THE DISTRICT.+

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THIS DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE IN A 'U' SHAPE, WITH 17 MULTI-STOREY RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS USING, ABOVE, THREE FLOORS OF PODIUM TWO FLOORS PROVIDING 3 300 CARPARKING SPACES (INCLUDING 1 650 PUBLIC CARPARKING SPACES) AND ONE FLOOR WHICH, TOGETHER WITH A CENTRAL COMMERCIAL BLOCK, WOULD PROVIDE OVER 93 000 SQUARE METRES OF COMMERCIAL PREMISES.

BEHIND THIS DEVELOPMENT, ON TOP OF THE MAIN SHA TIN RAILWAY STATION, WOULD BE A 13-STOREY GOVERNMENT OFFICE BLOCK TO SERVE THE TOWN, AND TWO OR THREE MAJOR OFFICE BLOCKS. ALL WOULD BE INTERL INKED WITH PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES AND WALK..AYS.

ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE 'U' WOULD BE A 600-BED HOTEL, A CINEMA/PUBLIC AUDITORIUM BLOCK, AND A LARGE CULTURAL CENTRE, TOGETHER WITH A MAGISTRACY, ALL SEPARATED FROM THE RIVER EY A LARGE AND ATTRACTIVELY DESIGNED TO

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