XN000022-1985-10-24 — Page 3

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1985

+ IN MY VIEW, IT WOULD BE ENCOURAGING IF THIS SENSE OF PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION WITH THE OTHER PROFESSIONS WERE TO DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN INTO A STRONG INTERDISCIPLINARY PROFESSIONAL BODY FOR THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND IDEAS, SO THAT WHEN THE TIME FOR THE NEXT ELECTIONS COMES ROUND YOU SEE YOURSELVES NOT AS SEPARATE PROFESSIONS BUT AS ONE UNIFIED +CONSTITUENCY+ WITH AN IDENTITY OF INTEREST IN THE BUILDING AND MANAGEMENT OF OUR CITY, HE SAID,

THE CHIEF SECRETARY REITERATED GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT TO THE BUILDING OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND TO THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME WHICH HAD +BECOME SUCH ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF OUR PROGRESS IN THE PAST TEN YEARS.+

BUT GOVERNMENT, HE ADDED, HOWEVER WELL INTENTIONED, COULD NOT DO IT ALL.

THERE WERE MANY AREAS IN WHICH HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE SURVEYING, PLANNING, ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURAL PROFESSIONS PLAYING A GREATER ROLE, AND EVEN TAKING A LEAD.

+ IN PARTICULAR, I BELIEVE WE ARE NOT YET PAYING ENOUGH ATTENTION AS A COMMUNITY TO THE GRADUAL DECAY OF PARTS OF OUR CITY. I AM NOT REFERRING HERE SIMPLY TO OLD PRE-WAR BUILDINGS, BUT TO THOSE OF THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES, WHICH ARE NOW SUBSTANDARD, TO SAY THE LEAST, AND IN SOME CASES BEGINNING TO SHOW SIGNS OF SERIOUS DECAY, HE SAID.

THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM WITH AN EASY SOLUTION, BUT A SOLUTION HAD TO BE FOUND AND THE BEST PROFESSIONAL BRAINS KNEW BEST HOW TO DO IT, SIR DAVID SAID.

CANTON ROAD SITE FETCHES $636 MILLION

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THE LAST MAJOR PRIME SITE IN TSIM SHA TSUI WAS SOLD AT GOVERNMENT AUCTION TODAY FOR $636 MILLION.

THERE WAS A LARGE CROWD, BUT ONLY THREE SERIOUS BIDDERS AT THE AUCTION OF THE 6 449 SQUARE METRE SITE AT CANTON ROAD.

THE BUYER WAS SCILLA LIMITED WITH AN ADDRESS IN EXCHANGE SQUARE, BUT SO FAR THE NAME OF THE PARENT COMPANY HAS NOT BEEN REVEALED. A COMPANY SPOKESMAN SAID THAT AN ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE SITE WOULD BE MADE THIS EVENING.

ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THE SALE THE SITE IS LEASED UNTIL JUNE 30, 2047 AND MUST BE DEVELOPED TO A GROSS FLOOR AREA OF AT LEAST 36 500 SQUARE METRES BY DECEMBER 1989.

/THE GOVERNMENT ............*