XN000022-1988-10-20 — Page 10

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1988

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"MOST OF THESE OFFICE SITES ARE PRESENTLY PLANNED ON THE PART OF THE RECLAMATION SUGGESTED FOR USE FOR THE EXPO AND WE PLAN TO BE SELLING SOME OF THEM WITHIN THE NEXT EIGHT TO 10 YEARS," MR BARNES SAID.

"EXPO WOULD DELAY THE AVAILABILITY OF SITES FOR AT YEARS AND DURING THIS PERIOD, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ALTERNATIVE AREA FOR THIS KIND OF DEVELOPMENT,

HE ADDED.

LEAST TWO PROVIDE

AN

MR BARNES SAID IT WAS ESSENTIAL THAT LAND BE PROVIDED FOR THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG AS AN INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS CENTRE.

——

THE WEST KOWLOON RECLAMATION WOULD PROVIDE LAND FOR TWO MAJOR ROAD LINKS THE WEST KOWLOON EXPRESSWAY AND ITS CONNECTIONS INTO THE EXISTING ROAD NETWORK; AND THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING AND 1TS LINK TO KOWLOON AND THE EXPRESSWAY, MR BARNES SAID.

THE PROJECT WOULD ALSO PROVIDE LAND ΤΟ MAKE UP THE GLARING DEFICIENCIES IN FACILITIES AND OPEN SPACE IN WEST AND NORTH-WEST KOWLOON AS WELL AS FOR THE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME, HE ADDED.

"A CONTINUOUS PROGRAMME WILL BE IN

WHICH WOULD BE, I THINK, INCOMPATIBLE EXPOSITION IN THIS AREA,' MR BARNES SAID.

PROGRESS BY THE MID-90'S WITH THE HOLDING OF THE

OF

THE PROPOSED AREA FOR THE EXPO AT JUNK BAY WOULD BE ON PART THE FUTURE PHASE TWO RECLAMATION, PART OF WHICH HAD BEEN DESIGNATED FOR THE TOWN CENTRE, HE SAID.

MR BARNES SAID THAT IN PROVIDING A SERVICED SITE FOR THE EXPO, THE WHOLE FORMATION AND SERVICING OF THE RECLAMATION WOULD HAVE TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD BY TWO AND A HALF YEARS.

AND

IT WOULD ALSO INVOLVE BRINGING FORWARD THE CONSTRUCTION OCCUPATION PROGRAMME FOR TWO PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES PLANNED ON THE RECLAMATION AND PRESENTLY SCHEDULED FOR CONSTRUCTION BETWEEN 1991 AND 1998, HE SAID.

THIS MEANT THE ESTATES WOULD HAVE TO BE COMPLETED FOR OCCUPATION IN EARLY 1996, HE ADDED.

"THE NEED FOR THE EARLY CONSTRUCTION AND OCCUPATION IS THAT THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY, WITHOUT WHICH EXPO WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE, NEEDS A BASE RESIDENTIAL POPULATION OF 200,000 BEFORE OPENING, AND THESE ESTATES ARE ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVE THIS,' MR BARNES SAID.

"

"THE MTR CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME, WHICH ON THE BASIS OF A 200,000 POPULATION THRESHOLD IS NOW BEING PLANNED FOR COMPLETION BY ABOUT THE YEAR 2000, WOULD HAVE TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD, HE ADDED.

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/ANOTHER INVOLVEMENT

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