TNAG-1012-FCO40-1262-Address-by-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--at-t-1981 — Page 28

DEVELOPMENT

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31.

General

It is against this economic background that your Government

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must continue to plan the development of Hong Kong. The fundamental

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problem is to plan provision for a population of over 5 million, an

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increasing in numbers and prosperity and aspirations, in a tiny

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auditors territory whose terrain seems specially designed to impede development

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on land. The problem is not only to provide the social, medical and

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security services that all communities need. In the case of Hong Kong

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one must plan also the demographic redistribution without which no

rise in the quality of life is possible, and also the land formation,

the employment opportunities, the housing, the community facilities

and of course the transport without which now development in new areas.

would not attract residents. The mismatches that recurred in Tuen Mun

and Sha Tin emphasise the importance of co-ordinating provision of

community facilities with population composition and build-up.

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This process is now going ahead fast and the New Towns outside

the old urban areas are taking shape. The conurbation of Tsuen Wan

already has a population of 607,000 and Shatin and Tuen Mun together

already total 250,000 and should reach 800,000 by 1985. Similar

development is taking place at Tai Po, Sheung Shui/Fan Ling and Yuen

Long. How to ensure that living, active, satisfied, and cohesive

communities are formed amid these towering new edifices where so

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recently was sea or paddy is one of the great social and administrative

challenges facing your government.

/Land Production ...