XN000022-1984-10-25 — Page 27

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1984

THE NEW TOWN WILL HAVE A FULL RANGE OF GOVERNMENT, COMMUNITY AND COMMERCIAL FACILITIES, WHICH WILL BENEFIT NEWCOMERS AS WELL AS EXISTING RESIDENTS OF NEARBY VILLAGES AT PING SHAN AND HA TSUEN.

+A WIDE RANGE OF MAJOR IMPROVEMENT WORKS WHICH WILL BE BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE TIN SHUL WAI PROJECT WILL ALSO BENEFIT VILLAGES IN THE SURROUNDING AREAS, + MR WILSON SAID.

+ HISTORICALLY, THE AREA IS VULNERABLE TO FLOODS DURING HEAVY RAINS BECAUSE IT IS A LOW-LYING AREA, BUT THERE ARE PROPOSALS TO BUILD A NEW DRAINAGE SYSTEM AND TO DEVELOP A FLOOD PROTECTION SCHEME.

+ | MPROVEMENTS WILL ALSO BE MADE TO EXISTING ROADS TO ALLOW BETTER ACCESS TO VILLAGES IN THE AREA.+

SINCE THE NEW TOWN WILL BE BUILT ON LOW-LYING LAND CURRENTLY OCCUPIED BY FISHPONDS, IT IS PROPOSED TO FILL THE SITE TO A LEVEL HIGHER THAN POTENTIAL FLOOD LEVELS.

VARIOUS SOURCES OF FILL HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED, INCLUDING MARINE FILL FROM DEEP BAY AND THE PEARL RIVER ESTUARY AS WELL AS LAND FILL FROM LOCAL BORROW AREAS.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS COMMISSIONED AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT TO EXAMINE THE VARIOUS SOURCES OF FILL AND THE METHODS OF OPERATIONS.

+ THE PURPOSE IS TO ASSESS THE ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF VARIOUS ALTERNATIVES AND TO RECOMMEND WAYS TO MINIMISE ANY ADVERSE EFFECTS ON CHANGES IDENTIFIED, + MR WILSON SAID.

+PARTICULAR AREAS BEING LOOKED AT INCLUDE NOISE POLLUTION AND THE ECOLOGY OF OYSTERS AND BIRD LIFE IN DEEP BAY.

+ TO ENSURE THAT THE HOUSING PROGRAMME IS NOT DELAYED, WORK ON THE TIN SHUI WAI PROJECT HAS TO START NOW, BEGINNING WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MAJOR DRAINAGE CULVERT WHICH IS THE FIRST STAGE OF THE FLOOD PREVENTION SCHEME.

+WORK WILL COMMENCE IN ABOUT TWO MONTHS ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN ACCESS ROAD TO THE SITE FROM CASTLE PEAK ROAD NEAR HUNG SHUT KIU,+ HE ADDED.

FILLING OF THE SITE IS EXPECTED TO START IN MID-1986. INITIALLY LAND WILL BE FORMED FOR THE NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT AND THE ADJACENT MAIN DRAINAGE CHANNEL WILL BE CONSTRUCTED.

A FURTHER LAND BANK AREA TO THE NORTH OF THE NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT ZONE MAY BE FORMED AT A LATER DATE TO CATER FOR POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL EXPANSION.

THE DELEGATION WAS ALSO BRIEFED ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM, THE PROPOSAL FOR THE YUEN LONG-TUEN UN CORRIDOR, AND THE DESIGN UF YUEN LONG TOWN.

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