TNAG-1174-FCO40-1476-Proposed-replacement-airport-for-Hong-Kong-at-Deep-Bay-or-Ch-1982 — Page 52

CONFIDENTIAL

5.1

5.1.1

5.1.2

Introduction: The North West New Territories

Study

An airport in Deep Bay formed no part of the brief for the North West New Territories Study, the report of which has been recently circulated to Government Departments for comment. Commis- sioned in September, 1980, that study set out to provide Government with

the information necessary to make a decision as to how best to proceed with development within the sub-region

"

..

T1 and to set out ".. a preferred strategy for ordered growth of the area to its optimum deve- lopment potential". Embodied in the study therefore were two basic and inter-related elements: first, the somewhat elusive concept of optimum development potential and, secondly, physical or spatial pattern of development engen- dered by that development potential. It is import- ant when assessing,. in а very short space of time, the effects of an airport upon the preferred strategy that both of these aspects are kept in perspective, SO that the process of examining

impact" is not seen in too negative or simplistic a light.

As regards the spatial pattern of development, several points need to be made in respect of the preferred strategy:

i)

It has not as yet been formally approved as government policy, and must await the out- come of other sub-regional studies and a territorywide land use and transportation strategy before it can logically be regarded as a preferred strategy in а full

sense.

ii)

It is broad brush in nature, not a land- use plan nor an outline zoning plan, and at this stage the land-use configuration is indicative only.

5-1

CONFIDENTIAL