XN000022-1982-12-10 — Page 3

FRIDAY, DECEBER 10, 1982

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+THESE WORKS WILL INVOLVE THE EXCAVATION OF ABOUT 4.5 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF FILL MATERIAL TO BE USED IN THE RECLAMATION,+ MR TUCKER SAID.

THE EIGHT-KILOMETRE ROAD TO BE BUILT UNDER THE CONTRACT WOULD START AT THE WESTERN END NEAR MA YAU TONG AND WOULD LINK UP WITH THE SECTION OF THE PO LAM ROAD EXTENSION TO SAU MAU PING ROAD NOW BEING CONSTRUCTED UNDER ANOTHER CONTRACT, MR TUCKER SAID.

+THIS ROAD WILL BE CAREFULLY LANDSCAPED TO PROVIDE OCCUPANTS OF HOUSING ESTATES EXPECTED TO MOVE IN AROUND 1986 WITH A PLEASANT ACCESS, HE ADDED.

WORKS ON THE CONTRACT WILL COMMENCE NEXT WEEK AND ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE ABOUT 40 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

RESUMPTION OF PRIVATE LAND FOR VILLAGE IMPROVEMENTS

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ABOUT 9 760 SQUARE METRES OF PRIVATE LAND IN TIN SAM, SHA TIN NEW TOWN, WILL BE RESUMED BY THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PILÓT SCHEME AIMED AT MEETING THE DEMAND FOR ADDITIONAL VILLAGE HOUSING AND IMPROVING THE VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT TO STANDARDS SIMILAR TO THOSE IN THE SURROUNDING NEW TOWN.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT ABOUT 3.2 HECTARES OF LAND WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR 110 HOUSE SITES TOGETHER WITH LOCAL OPEN SPACE, 116 PARKING SPACES, AN EMERGENCY VEHICULAR ACCESS ROAD, A CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND, A LATRINE, A REFUSE COLLECTION POINT AND A TRANSFORMER COMPOUND.

HE SAID THAT THE SMALL HOUSE POLICY FOR INDIGENOUS VILLAGERS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, INTRODUCED IN DECEMBER 1972, WAS AIMED AT PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR VILLAGERS WHO WERE IN NEED OF ACCOMMODATION TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVING ENVIRONMENT.

ON THE WHOLE. THE POLICY HAS BEEN EFFECTIVELY PURSUED AND THE HOUSING NEEDS OF A LARGE NUMBER OF INDIGENOUS VILLAGERS HAVE BEEN MET, HE SAID.

+AT THE BEGINNING OF 1981 A TOTAL OF 7 390 SMALL HOUSE GRANTS (3 516 BY MEANS OF PRIVATE TREATY GRANTS AND 3 874 THROUGH THE İSSUE OF BUILDING LICENCES) WERE APPROVED. HOWEVER, 7 213 APPLICATIONS WERE OUTSTANDING.+

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT AT PRESENT THE LACK OF CROWN LAND HAD PROVED A MAJOR OBSTACLE TO THE FURTHERANCE OF THE SMALL HOUSE POLCIY AS MOST OF THE LAND ADJOINING THE 650 ESTABLISHED VILLAGES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WAS PRIVATELY OWNED.

IN ADDITON,