TNAG-0806-FCO40-1011-Policy-of-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-land-in-the-New-Territo-1979 — Page 61

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Encl. 2

Group considered that a reasonable period would be one

of about 3-4 years, i.e. allowing a practicable

time after surrender for clearance, formation,

servicing and disposal. In the early stages of the Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung development (when private land surrendered under Letters A and B acquired an entitlement to a local exchange) this aim was

deliberately met as an integral part of the development policy but, in more recent years, when New Territories

úrban development schemes have been dominated by the need to achieve targets for public housing and the

provision of facilities therefor, the allocation of formed land to the private sector has inevitably taken

a second place to the detriment of the expectations of

holders of Letters A and B. At Enclosure 2 is a table

which shows the pattern of the creation of commitments

compared with the land which has been made available

over the last 4 years since the Government first introduced the Letter B tender system (see paragraph 8 of Enclosure 1) Also shown for comparative purposes are estimates of the creation of commitments and land

to be made available over the next four years.

2.3

•

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The present pattern shows an increasing amount of land resumed over the years, reflecting the increased

tempo of urban development in the New Territories. In

1977, the amount of land resumed was more than 10 million

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