XN000022-1990-10-31 — Page 16

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1990

14

OF

CONSULTATION

BASED AFFECTED

FOR INFRASTRUCTURAL HONG "THE

KONG STYLE PROJECTS IS TO TAKE THE BEST ADVICE AVAILABLE, MAKE A DECISION ON THAT ADVICE AND THEN ENSURE THAT EVERYONE WHO IS DIRECTLY BY THE DECISION IS FULLY CONSULTED," HE SAID.

SHUI PO

THE CHIEF SECRETARY CITED THE EXAMPLE THAT THE SHAM

IN THE WEST KOWLOON KEEN INTEREST A WHICH HAD DISTRICT BOARD

OF THE RECLAMATION WAS ALREADY DISCUSSING THE ALIGNMENT AND IMPACT ROAD ON THE COMMUNITY THERE.

GOES ON. "MANY MORE DISTRICT BOARDS WILL BE INVOLVED AS TIME

THIS AND OF COURSE THE PLANNING PROCESS IS SUBJECT TO THE SCRUTINY OF COUNCIL AND MEMBERS OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE HAVE TO BE SATISFIED WITH THE FUNDING, THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID.

77

THERE

WAS AN

OF

METHOD THAT

ALTERNATIVE POINTED OUT HE CONSULTATION WHICH WAS ADOPTED IN SOME OTHER PLACES AROUND THE WORLD.

THE "IT IS TO HAVE A SERIES OF FORMAL PUBLIC ENQUIRIES OPEN TO MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC AT WHICH EVERY ELEMENT OF THE PROJECT IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC DEBATE.

:

BE

+

FOLLOW IN SOME "THAT MAY BE A PERFECTLY SUITABLE COURSE TO COUNTRIES BUT EXPERIENCE ELSEWHERE LEADS US TO BELIEVE THERE WOULD

KONG, HE SEVERE PENALTIES IF WE APPLIED THE SAME APPROACH IN HONG NOTED.

FOR

OVER

SIR DAVID SAID A DECISION TO GO AHEAD WITH MUNICH AIRPORT,

NOT FINISHED LARGELY EXAMPLE, WAS MADE IN 1969 AND IT WAS STILL BECAUSE OF DELAYS CAUSED BY PUBLIC ENQUIRIES WHICH TOGETHER TOOK EIGHT YEARS TO COMPLETE AND STANSTED AIRPORT IN THE UK HAD BEEN ARGUED ABOUT SINCE 1964 AND WAS DUE TO OPEN NEXT YEAR.

"SOMEHOW THAT STYLE OF DOING THINGS DOESN'T QUITE SEEM TO INTO HONG KONG'S 'GET UP AND GO' IMAGE," HE SAID.

FIT

NOT THE CHIEF SECRETARY STRESSED THAT AS A GOVERNMENT, IT DID

VITAL FOR HONG KONG'S TAKE RASH DECISIONS ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE CONTINUED ECONOMIC GROWTH.

"AS YOU'VE HEARD OUR PLANNING FOR DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY BEGAN IN 1972.

AND

HONG KONG'S TERRITORIAL

WAS THE SORT OF WE ADOPTED

AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT "THE LONG TERM NEED FOR PORT DEFINED IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES, AND CURIOUSLY ENOUGH, SOLUTION EVEN THEN PROPOSED WAS BROADLY SIMILAR TO THAT LAST YEAR," HE REMARKED.

PROBLEM HAD

DEMAND,

OVER THE INTERVENING PERIOD, SIR DAVID SAID THE BEEN EXHAUSTIVELY REVIEWED FROM EVERY ANGLE: FROM FORECAST OF THROUGH LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, TO COST AND THE DISBENEFITS OF DOING NOTHING.

THE DECISION IN OCTOBER 1989 COULD HARDLY BE DESCRIBED SURPRISE AS THE GOVERNOR DEVOTED NINE PARAGRAPHS TO PADS IN HIS SPEECH, ALMOST AS MUCH AS THIS YEAR.

AS

A

1988

/AT THAT