XN000022-1987-03-10 — Page 11

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1987

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DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL IN NORTH DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTED

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NORTH DISTRICT IS FAR FROM BEING A REMOTE AREA AND HAS VAST POTENTIAL FOR MAJOR DEVELOPMENT, THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR MATTHEW CHEUNG, SAID THIS (TUESDAY) EVENING.

SPEAKING AT A DINNER MEETING OF THE LIONS CLUB OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR CHEUNG SAID WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHA TIN AND TAI PO NOW VIRTUALLY COMPLETED, THE THRUST OF DEVELOPMENT HAD SHIFTED NORTHWARDS ALONG THE RAIL-LINE TO NORTH DISTRICT.

TO DATE, HE ADDED, THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALREADY SPENT $2 BILLION ON INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DISTRICT AND ANOTHER $4.5 BILLION WOULD BE SPENT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

AMONG THEM WERE IMPROVEMENTS TO EXISTING TRANSPORT FACILITIES TO PROVIDE A MORE EFFICIENT LINK FROM THE HUB OF THE DISTRICT WITH THE URBAN AREA AS WELL AS WITH THE BORDER,

THESE INCLUDED THE COMPLETION OF THE FANLING BYPASS, EXTENSION OF THE NEW TERRITORIES CIRCULAR ROAD TO KWU TUNG IN SHEUNG SHUI, WIDENING OF THE MAN KAM TO ROAD AND UPGRADING SHA TAU KOK ROAD.

MR CHEUNG SAID THAT THE DISTRICT HAD A NUMBER OF FAVOURABLE FACTORS FOR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. ONE OF THESE WAS THE ABUNDANT SUPPLY OF LABOUR FORCE.

POPULATION IN THE FANLING-SHEUNG SHUI NEW TOWN WOULD RISE FROM THE PRESENT 110 000 TO 256 000 ON FULL DEVELOPMENT IN THE LATE 1990'S. TOGETHER WITH THE 50 000 PEOPLE LIVING OUTSIDE THE NEW TOWN AREA, THE DISTRICT'S POPULATION WOULD EXCEED 300 000 BY THE TURN OF CENTURY, HE SAID.

ON THE PROMOTION OF THE ON LOK TSUEN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, MR CHEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD INTRODUCED VERY ATTRACTIVE BASIC TERMS FOR IN-SITU LAND EXCHANGES.

+SO FAR THIS FINANCIAL YEAR, FIVE IN-SITU LAND EXCHANGES IN THE AREA HAVE BEEN COMPLETED WHILE BASIC TERMS HAVE BEEN MADE ON ANOTHER FIVE, HE SAID.

TO FURTHER ENHANCE INVESTMENT IN THE ESTATE, MR. CHEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALSO EMBARKED ON AN EXTENSIVE RIVER TRAINING SCHEME IN THE NEARBY MA WAT RIVER AND A SUBSTANTIAL ROADS AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT WHICH WOULD BE COMPLETED THIS SEPTEMBER.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT FEATURE OF THE DISTRICT WAS ITS STRATEGIC LOCATION WITH EASY ACCESSIBILITY AND PROXIMITY TO THE EXISTING BORDER CROSSINGS.

THE MAN KAM