XN000022-1985-09-13 — Page 5

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1985

BEACHES CLOSED FOR CONTAINER TERMINAL CONSTRUCTION

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THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL TODAY (FRIDAY) GAVE ITS APPROVAL TO THE PROPOSED TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF PARTS OF ANGLER'S BEACH AND A SMALL PART OF THE HILLSIDE BEHIND GEMINI (WEST) BEACH IN TSUEN WAN TO FACILITATE WORK IN CONNECTION WITH THE RECLAMATION OF LAND FOR A NEW CONTAINER TERMINAL IN KWAI CHUNG.

THE PROJECT MANAGER (TSUEN WAN) OF THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, DR EDWARD PRYOR, SAID THAT THE SHAM TSENG AREA HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE MAJOR SOURCE OF FILL FOR THE RECLAMATION OF LAND FOR THE PROPOSED CONTAINER TERMINAL 6. RECLAMATION IS PROGRAMMED TO START IN 1986 AND TO BE COMPLETED BY LATE 1989.

HE ESTIMATED THAT 9.4 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF FILL WOULD BE REQUIRED. AND THE OVERALL RATE OF EXTRACTION WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 20 000 CUBIC METRES PER DAY FOR 25 DAYS A MONTH.

+TO REMOVE THIS QUANTITY OF FILL BY ROAD TO THE RECLAMATION SITE WOULD REQUIRE ABOUT 230 TRUCK MOVEMENTS PER HOUR ONE WAY THROUGHOUT A PERIOD OF THREE TO FOUR YEARS. THIS WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE FROM THE TRANSPORT POINT OF VIEW, DR PRYOR SAID.

IT WAS PROPOSED THAT THE FILL COULD BE MOVED FAR MORE ECONOMICALLY AND EFFICIENTLY BY A SYSTEM OF OVERHEAD CONVEYOR BELTS NEAR THE BEACHES AND ONTO BARGES TO THE RECLAMATION SITES.

THIS WOULD, HOWEVER, NECESSITATE THE PARTIAL CLOSURE OF THE TWO BEACHES FOR A PERIOD OF THREE TO FOUR YEARS FROM JANUARY 1986 TO ESTABLISH BARGE LOADING POINTS.

COMMENTING ON THE DECISION TO CLOSE THE TWO BEACHES TEMPORARILY, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT SAID THAT IN CONSIDERING THE PROPOSED CLOSURE THE DEPARTMENT HAD TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION THE FACT THAT UPON COMPLETION OF THE WORK, ANY LAND AFFECTED ABOVE THE SHORELINE WOULD BE RESTORED AND THE RECLAMATION REQUIRED TO FORM THE BARGE LOADING POINT WOULD BE HANDED OVER TO THE REGIONAL COUNCIL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF RECREATION PROJECTS.

HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT ANGLER'S BEACH WAS ALREADY POLLUTED AND +CLOSED TO SWIMMERS+.

THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT IN SPITE OF THE POLLUTION, THE ANGLER'S BEACH IS VERY POPULAR FOR PICNICKING AND BARBECUING ACTIVITIES AND THE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN RELUCTANT TO AGREE TO ALLOW WORKS TO BE DONE THERE WHICH WOULD DETRACT FROM ITS AMENITY VALUE FOR THREE YEARS.

+ BUT HAVING REGARD TO THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE TO HONG KONG OF CONTAINER TERMINAL 6 AND IN VIEW OF THE PROJECT MANAGER (TSUEN WAN)'S ASSURANCES THAT DISRUPTION TO THE EXISTING BARBECUE PICNIC FACILITIES WILL BE REDUCED TO THE MINIMUM, THE DEPARTMENT CONSIDERED THE PROPOSED PARTIAL CLOSURE WHICH WOULD AFFECT A TOTAL AREA OF ABOUT ONE HECTARE TO BE ACCEPTABLE,+ THE SPOKEMAN SAID.

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