XN000022-1985-04-30 — Page 14

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TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1985

*WITH THE PROVISION OF MORE NURSERIES AND THE STREAMLINING OF THE NURSERY SYSTEM IN RECENT YEARS, THE SCALE OF LANDSCAPE PLANTING IN THE URBAN AREAS HAS GAINED CONSIDERABLE MOMENTUM,+ HE ADDED.

LAST YEAR, OVER 789 000 TREES, SHRUBS AND FLOWERS WERE PLANTED THROUGHOUT THE URBAN AREAS. THE FIGURE REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF ALMOST 250 PER CENT OVER THAT OF 1978. THIS YEAR'S PLANTING PROGRAMME WILL AIM AT 890 000 TREES, SHRUBS AND FLOWERS. THE TARGET, IF ACHIEVED, WILL MEAN AN INCREASE OF 13 PER CENT OVER LAST YEAR'S.

WITH THE OPENING OF THE COUNCIL'S 11TH NURSERY, THE LOWER SHOUSON HILL NURSERY, EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE PLANTING FIGURE FOR 1986 IS LIKELY TO EXCEED ONE MILLION PLANTS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

NOT ONLY DOES THE COUNCIL SEEK TO BRIGHTEN UP ITS PARKS, GARDENS, AMENITY PLOTS AND SITTING OUT AREAS, IT ALSO AIMS TO GREEN UP HONG KONG'S HIGHWAYS. THE HIGHWAY BEAUTIFICATION SCHEME, WHICH WAS LAUNCHED BY THE COUNCIL IN 1979 IN COLLABORATION WITH THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE OF THE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, HAS MADE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS IN ENLIVENING THE BARE ROADSIDES.

SAID THE SPOKESMAN: +AMONG THE MANY SCHEMES ON THE DRAWING BOARD ARE THE LANDSCAPE AND RECREATION DEVELOPMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEVERAL NEW ROADS IN ABERDEEN AND THE WAN CHAI RECLAMATION.

+ IN AN EFFORT TO ACHIEVE A BIGGER EFFECT ON HIGHWAY LANDSCAPE, THE DEPARTMENT IS ALSO PLANNING TO PLANT FLOWERING CREEPERS AND CLIMBERS IN FRAMES UNDER FLYOVERS AND A TRIAL SCHEME WILL BE LAUNCHED SHORTLY. AT PRESENT, MOST PLANTS GROWN UNDER FLYOVERS ARE SHRUBS.+

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