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at the magnitude of what are termed the "multiplier effects" of an airport in the NWNT. These effects certainly will be felt however and they can, with careful study, be quantified. It can nevetheless be safely assumed that the direct and indirect effects of an airport upon employment and economic growth. in the NWNT will be such as to render the Base Stra- tegy, as currently proposed, unrealistic in conjunction with an airport. Even allowing for commuting into the North West New Territories (from Tuen Mun or, in the case of skilled or professional employees, from further afield) the level of population growth im- plicit in the Base Strategy would be unlikely to provide an adequate workforce to sustain the economic growth stimulated by the airport. The following com- ment relating to the effects of the airport on the Base Strategy must therefore be seen in that context.
5.4.3
LAND USE PROPOSALS : As it stands the Base Strategy is largely protected from the adverse effects of the airport, and indeed in its attempts to restrain development in areas of speculative development pres- sure, the noise restrictions imposed by the airport may justificably be considered as an advantage. The major area of growth proposed in the Base Strategy is the Yuen-Long to Tuen Mun corridor where noise effects are minimal. The area of fishponds in the vicinity of Fairview Park forms part of the rural hinterland where, despite obvious pressure, no further permissions for development are proposed. Wherever the 25dB NEF contour eventually lies, the effect of noise will have a considerable effect upon development pres- sure in this locality. Whilst existing and committed development in this area remain a problem (see section 5.3.5 above), the adverse noise environment could help to reinforce one of the principal aims of Base Strategy to direct growth to the corrider between Yuen Long and
Tuen Mun.
5.4.4
San Tin, however, raises issues in relation to the Base Strategy, for the San Tin area is likely to suffer from noise impact. The Base Strategy recommends that the San Tin villages are consolidated into a planned rural centre with a population of 10-15,000 people. As such it would be a link in the rural hierachy of centres between
on the one hand,
the large district and sub-regional centres at Yuen Long and Hung Shui Kiu, and on the other, the smaller villages. As such San Tin would provide a focus for some of the more important services and activities needed in a rural area. If noise levels cannot be reduced in the San Tin area (i.e. if the airport ope- rations cannot be handled in such
a way as to approxi- mate to the "best case" in figure 5.1) then this aspect of the Base Strategy will need to be examined again. It should be noted, however, that the claims of San Tin to that "rural centre" role are not outstanding
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5-18
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