TNAG-1630-FCO40-2246-Visits-by-Hong-Kong-Government-officials-to-China--the-UK-an-1987 — Page 123

3.

(29)

Both Mr. Higginson and Mrs. Wong referred to studies we are intending to do on the port and the airport. These studies will culminate in a major examination which we will start at the end of the year or the best development

strategy we

I will describe can adopt to meet our port and airport needs. this process a little further. The expected high expenditure required for port expansion and

cost-effective.

a

new

airport

on

and the roads

must

be

for building Our port and airport development study will therefore involve an examination of the engineering problems and costs of different airport and container port locations and the effects of all the viability of and to water quality in Hong Kong harbour. A good strategy must also include first class links both to our OWD urban and industrial centres and also those in

Shenzhen

and

Guangdong.

cost-effective programme

То

we

must

make the best

have all the information

choice

and

to draw

we

up

car possibly

a

obtain about cargo quantities and the split between the main modes of goods transportation, that is road, rail and sea.

Clearly I cannot forecast the answers which the study will provide but I can suggest some of the options.

4.

5.

All the

a s storage,

You will recall that in Dr. Choi's talk on cevelopment strategy, he said Government's first choice for expansion of container port after completion of the Kwai Chung terminals was in Stonecutters Island. Seen from now, just one year later, one can see various possible disadvantages in this plan. land approaches are through Kwai Chung, which already has a very congested

road system.

And subsidiary container-related functions, such re-packaging, and container repair, which from past experience require at least as much land as is needed for the terminals themselves, will be loaded On to the Kwai Chung area, where the land shortage is exceptionally serious, and where even now these operations seriously affect the living environment. And finally when we have examined the development potential of Stonecutters'

would need Island,

to strike out into the

to Western Harbour

future needs, together with all the new roads and infrastructure they will require. Clearly the decision as to where we should have an airport, and when

we

meet

Our