XN000022-1982-03-08 — Page 3

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MONDAY, MARCH 8, 1982

TUEN MUN - THE PRESENT POPULATION IS 100 000. IT COULD HAVE AN ULTIMATE POPULATION OF 550 000. IT WILL BE LINKED TO TSUEN WAN BY A ROAD WITH DUAL CARRIAGEWAYS, EACH OF THREE LANES, PLUS POSSIBLY A RAIL LINK,

TSUEN WAN - THIS IS AN ESTABLISHED INDUSTRIAL TOWN WITH A PRESENT POPULATION OF 620 000. IT COULD GROW TO 900 000. IT WILL BE LINKED TO KOWLOON/HONG KONG ISLAND BY THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY THIS YEAR AND WILL POSSIBLY BE LINKED DIRECTLY TO SHA TIN BY ROAD AND POSSIBLY TO KOWLOON BY A NEW WEST KOWLOON EXPRESSWAY.

JUNK BAY THE PRESENT POPULATION IS ABOUT 12 000. IT COULD BECOME A NEW TOWN OF 300 000, SERVED BY AN EXTENSION OF THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY FROM KWUN TONG, A NEW ROAD LINKING THE TOWN TO EAST KOWLOON AND A POSSIBLE LEI YUE MUN BRIDGE. THE MTRC IS PRESENTLY INVESTIGATING THE ECONOMICS OF THE PROPOSED EXTENSION. THE TOWN DEVELOPED ONLY TO 120 000 THE EXTENSION WOULD NOT BE NEEDED.

MA ON SHAN/THREE FATHOMS COVE - THE PRESENT POPULATION IS UNDER 2 000. THE TWO LOCATIONS COULD BE DEVELOPED INTO TWO NEW ADJUNCTS TO SHA TIN NEW TOWN OF POSSIBLY 300 000 POPULATION IN TOTAL, LINKED TO SHA TIN BY RAILWAY AND TO EAST KOWLOON BY A NEW ROAD.

IF

TIN SHUI WAI- THE PRESENT POPULATION IS 12 000. A PROPOSAL HAS BEEN MADE BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO DEVELOP A NEW TOWN OF AT LEAST 100 000 RISING TO 500 000 POPULATION WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTH WEST GENERALLY AND TO LINK IT TO YUEN LONG BY LIGHT RAIL.

NORTH LANTAU - THE PRESENT POPULATION IS 2 500. IT COULD BECOME A NEW TOWN WITH A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT AND A POPULATION OF 440 000. IF THAT HAPPENED, LANTAU WOULD HAVE TO BE LINKED TO THE MAINLAND BY BRIDGES.

+THIS RUN-DOWN INDICATES THE SCOPE OF SOME OF THE CHOICES FACING THE GOVERNMENT. SOME CHOICES WILL HAVE TO BE MADE FAIRLY SOON - WITHIN ONE YEAR OR SO, DR BUTLER SAID.

+THE SHAPE OF THE NEW TERRITORIES WILL THEN EMERGE. SOME OF THE SHAPE WILL CRYSTALLISE THIS YEAR, WITH THE OPENING OF THE TSUEN WAN EXTENSION OF THE MTR AND THE ELECTRIFICATION OF KCR TO SHA TIN,

+NEXT YEAR, THE KCR WILL BE ELECTRIFIED TO LO WU AND, BY 1984, THE BASIC TRUNK ROADS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WILL ALL HAVE BEEN BUILT TO STANDARDS INCORPORATING DUAL CARRIAGEWAYS WITH THREE LANES PER CARRIAGEWAY.+

THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE TRYING TO REACH A DECISION NEXT YEAR ON THE REPLACEMENT AIRPORT LOCATION, THE POSSIBLE EXTENSION OF THE MTR TO JUNK BAY, AND A POSSIBLE RAIL LINK TO MA ON SHAN.

+MOREOVER, THE GOVERNMENT IS STARTING THE PROCESS OF DRAWING UP PLANS FOR LINKING TSUEN WAN AND SHA TIN DIRECTLY BY ROAD AND FOR PROVIDING A HARBOUR CROSSING AT LEI YUE MUN.

+WHILE A LOT WAS STILL IN THE MELTING POT, IT WOULD NOT BE LONG BEFORE THERE WOULD BE CLEAR INDICATIONS OF THE SHAPE OF THE HONG KONG IN WHICH THE NEXT GENERATION WOULD LIVE,+ DR BUTLER SAID.

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