2600224 C.S. 84
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XCR(71)237
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It will be seen, therefore, that a process of adaption and improvement has been followed since the beginning of the public housing programme. The proposals for the Sha Tin estate are a part of this pro- gression, but with the facilities planned in a more deliberate and integrated manner than has hitherto been followed so as to give greater convenience to residents; and by attempting to include an adequate provision of those facilities needed for the daily life of the community, to foster a community spirit and thus avoid a deterioration in the environment of the housing estate, which has often arisen in the past from the illegal provision of some- thing which has been lacking in the planning of the estate. The estate at Sha Tin will house about 23, 000 people and it is planned to provide facilities for shopping, marketing and eating and for education, welfare, medical treatment and recreation in a more thoughtful manner as described in a more detail in the following paragraphs.
DOMESTIC ACCOMMODATION
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Of all the various types of public housing financed by Govern- ment, directly or indirectly, only resettlement estates have an undefined range of family incomes. The rooms provided in resettlement estates are basic and no attempt is now made to provide better accommodation for higher income tenants. Housing Authority, Housing Society and to a lesser extent Government Low Cost Housing estates provide housing tailored, in broad terms, for income brackets covering a range of monthly income from below $600 to $1,200. But, although the inhabitants of any particular area of temporary structures involved in a development clearance will cover a similar income spectrum, the rehousing provided assumes that they are from the lowest income group which qualifies for low cost housing resettle- ment standards now being equivalent to low cost housing. In planning the estate at Sha Tin regard has been paid to the varying range of income of those who will be cleared to live in the estate to take account of their differing aspirations in respect of living accommodation.
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In line with the recent decision to standardise the building of resettlement and low cost housing estates, the Sha Tin estate should pro- vide for a mixture of occupants from among those presently eligible either for resettlement or low cost housing and, since the residents will not only be persons who are there as a result of forced clearance and homelessness, this should further help to stabilise the community and to give it a sense of involvement and civic pride.
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Three basic types of accommodation are proposed, all at 35 square feet per adult with balconies, cooking areas or kitchens and lava- tories to provide in differing blocks in approximately the correct proportions for the varying sizes of family which make up the population.
COMMUNITY FACILITIES
General
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The case for many of the facilities to be provided depends very much on the locality and time scale of any specific estate development. At Sha Tin, development of the town as a whole will lag behind the building
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