XN000022-1984-09-18 — Page 11

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1984

HE SAID THAT THIS PROGRAMME, WHICH THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG WAS FULLY COMMITTED TO BRING TO FRUITION, WOULD BE LARGELY COMPLETED BY THE END OF THIS DECADE OR EARLY IN THE NINETIES.

THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, HE SAID, HAD BEEN CREATED IN 1973 WITH THE SOLE OBJECTIVE OF PLANNING, CO-ORDINATING AND BUILDING THREE NEW TOWNS FOR ABOUT TWO MILLION PEOPLE.

+IN 11 SHORT YEARS THE TARGET POPULATION HAS BEEN REVISED TO 3.5 MILLION TO BE HOUSED IN SIX NEW TOWNS, AND ALREADY ALMOST ONE MILLION PEOPLE HAVE LEFT THE OVERCROWDED URBAN AREAS OF HONG KONG ISLAND AND KOWLOON FOR THE MORE RELAXED LIFE-STYLE OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, + HE SAID.

DUE TO THE HILLY NATURE OF THE TERRITORY, MUCH OF THE LAND WAS FORMED BY RECLAMATION FROM THE SEA AND BY TERRACING OF HILLS AFTER THE REMOVAL OF FILL MATERIAL.

+BECAUSE OF TIME AND COST INVOLVED IN SITE FORMATION IT HAS TO BE INTENSIVELY USED AND CONSEQUENTLY THE POPULATION DENSITIES ADOPTED FOR THE NEW TOWNS ARE STILL HIGH BY WORLD STANDARDS, HE SAID.

+THE TOWNS ARE PLANNED TO PROVIDE A BALANCED SOCIAL MIXTURE TYPICALLY OF ABOUT 60 PER CENT PUBLIC HOUSING TO 40 PER CENT PRIVATE HOUSING AND ARE SO ARRANGED INTO WORK PACKAGES SO THAT JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES SUCH AS EDUCATIONAL, RECREATIONAL, LAW AND ORDER, MEDICAL, CULTURAL, WELFARE ARE PROVIDED IN STEP WITH THE GROWING POPULATION.+

AND

THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAS 200 CIVIL ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS, TOWN PLANNERS AND LANDSCAPING SPECIALISTS.

IT ALSO EMPLOYS ALMOST 30 CONSULTANCIES TO UNDERTAKE DETAILED DESIGN AND CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND CERTAIN LANDSCAPING PROJECTS.

DR CHAN ALSO SAID THAT WHEN FULLY COMPLETED IN THE NINETIES, TSUEN WAN WILL HAVE A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION, SHA TIN 800 000, TUEN MUN 500 000, TAI PO 113 000 AND FAN LING 195 000.

THE GOVERNMENT HAD IN THE PAST THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS CONDUCTED STUDIES LEADING TO THE FORMULATION OF AN OVERALL LAND-USE AND TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AS A FRAMEWORK FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT IN THE 1990'S AND EXTENDING WELL INTO THE NEXT CENTURY, DR CHAN SAID.

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