XN000022-1990-09-17 — Page 4

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1990

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LORD CAITHNESS VISITS SHA TIN, TAI PO

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, LORD CAITHNESS, THIS (MONDAY) AFTERNOON VISITED SHA TIN DISTRICT, ONE OF HONG KONG'S LARGEST NEW TOWNS, AND THE TAI PO INDUSTRIAL ESTATE.

ACCOMPANIED BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, MR PETER TSAO, THE MINISTER FIRST HAD A PANORAMIC VIEW OF SHA TIN FROM THE ROOF OF THE GARDEN RIVERA WHERE HE WAS BRIEFED BY THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR VICTOR YUNG, ON THE PAST AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE NEW TOWN.

LORD CAITHNESS WAS TOLD THE POPULATION OF SHA TIN HAD GROWN FROM ABOUT 20,000 IN 1973 TO MORE THAN HALF-A-MILLION TODAY. ABOUT 70 PER CENT OF THE PEOPLE LIVE IN PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES INCLUDING HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEMES. THE REMAINDER LIVE IN PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS

AND VILLAGES.

SHA TIN WAS PLANNED TO PROVIDE A BALANCED DEVELOPMENT WITH ALL THE ESSENTIAL FACILITIES CONTAINED WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. A WIDE VARIETY OF RECREATION FACILITIES WAS ALSO PROVIDED FOR RESIDENTS VISITORS ALIKE.

AND

SHA HAD

:

THE MINISTER WAS INFORMED THAT THE TOTAL DEVELOPMENT COST, INCLUDING COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND CIVIL ENGINEERING WORKS, FOR TIN WAS ESTIMATED AT $17.4 BILLION, OF WHICH SOME $11.3 BILLION BEEN SPENT TO DATE.

THE FOR

DURING HIS TOUR OF THE DISTRICT, LORD CAITHNESS VISITED PRINCE OF WALES HOSPITAL WHICH SERVED AS THE REGIONAL HOSPITAL EASTERN NEW TERRITORIES WITH AN ESTIMATED POPULATION OF 1.04 MILLION.

HE ALSO VISITED THE JUBILEE SPORTS CENTRE WHICH PROVIDED A WIDE RANGE

TOP QUALITY TRAINING FACILITIES IN SPORTING ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS SCHOLARSHIPS TO PROMISING ATHLETES.

LATER ACCOMPANIED BY THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING, MR FUNG TUNG, MINISTER VISITED A PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE IN MA ON SHAN DISTRICT'S NEWEST DEVELOPMENT WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY HOUSE SOME 200,000 PEOPLE BY 1998.

THE

THE

A MAJORITY OF THE CURRENT POPULATION OF 70,000 LIVE IN PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES AND HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEMES.

A

PEOPLE

THE MINISTER WAS TOLD THAT YIU ON ESTATE AND KAM HAY COURT, PROJECT, HAVE PROVIDED ACCOMMODATION FOR MORE THAN 22,000 SINCE THE FIRST POPULATION INTAKE IN 1988.

HOS

LORD CAITHNESS TOURED THE ESTATE'S FACILITIES AND ALSO A FAMILY THERE.

VISITED

MR JOHN

ACCOMPANIED BY THE SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, CHAN, THE MINISTER LATER VISITED THE TAI PO INDUSTRIAL ESTATE WHERE HE WAS BRIEFED ON DEVELOPMENTS OF THE HONG KONG INDUSTRIAL ESTATES CORPORATION,

/THE HKIEC