XN000022-1983-04-14 — Page 18

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1983

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BOLD AIRPORT PROPOSAL SET ASIDE AFTER INITIAL STUDY

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THE GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED NOT TO GIVE FURTHER CONSIDERATION TO A PROPOSAL TO STUDY THE POSSIBILITY OF FORMING A 75 SQUARE KILOMETRE RECLAMATION TO THE EAST OF HONG KONG ISLAND TO PROVIDE BOTH A SITE FOR A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT AND AN EXTENSIVE LAND BANK AFTER AN INITIAL EXAMINATION OF THE +BOLD+ CONCEPT.

SPEAKING AT THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY, THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, THE HON DAVID MCDONALD, SAID IN REPLY TO THE PROPOSAL MADE EARLIER BY THE HON CHAN KAM-CHUEN THAT SUCH A RECLAMATION WOULD BE A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING, IN BOTH ENGINEERING AND FINANCIAL TERMS.

+ IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE, THEREFORE, TO CONSIDER WHETHER THE BROAD CONCEPT HAS SUFFICIENT MERIT, PRIMA FACIE, TO JUSTIFY DIVERTING RESOURCES SO THAT IT CAN BE STUDIED IN GREATER DETAIL,+ MR MCDONALD SAID.

+SOME ASPECTS WHICH WOULD HAVE TO BE CAREFULLY INVESTIGATED, SUCH AS POSSIBLE FLIGHT PATH CONFIGURATIONS, NOISE POLLUTION PROBLEMS AND EXISTING SHIPPING LANES, WERE MENTIONED BY MR CHAN. I DO NOT PROPOSE TO PURSUE THESE MATTERS TODAY BUT IT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE NECESSARY TO ESTABLISH THAT MR CHAN'S FAVOURABLE PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THEM ARE JUSTIFIED, HE ADDED.

AN INITIAL EXAMINATION OF THE BROAD CONCEPT HAD CONCENTRATED INSTEAD ON THE ENGINEERING ASPECTS AND THE CONCLUSIONS WERE FAR FROM FAVOURABLE.

THE RECLAMATION PROPOSED WOULD BE IN WATERS WHICH ARE ABOUT 30 TO 34 METRES DEEP, SOMEWHAT MORE THAN THE 10 FATHOMS, OR 20 METRES, ESTIMATED BY MR CHAN AND CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN THE FOUR TO FIVE METRES DEPTH AT CHEK LAP KOK.

+VERY SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTION AND A HIGH FORMATION LEVEL WOULD BE NEEDED FOR THE RECLAMATION BECAUSE OF ITS EXPOSURE TO THE VAST OCEAN REACH TO THE SOUTH-EAST,+ MR MCDONALD SAID. +BUT EVEN ALLOWING FOR A NOMINAL RECLAMATION OF SAY EIGHT METRES ABOVE PRINCIPAL DATUM AS AT CHEK LAP KOK THE RECLAMATION FOR THE AIRPORT ALONE WOULD REQUIRE ABOUT 1 620 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF FILL AS COMPARED WITH THE 77 MILLION CUBIC METRES REQUIRED FOR CHEK LAP кокоф

THE PROPOSED THREE-KILOMETRE BAND OF LAND LINKING THE AIRPORT WITH HONG KONG ISLAND WOULD REQUIRE A FURTHER 2 170 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF FILL.

/+ I MIGHT