TNAG-1748-FCO40-2467-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1988 — Page 175

CONFIDENTIAL

March 1988, will look at the options for further expansion of the port and airport and related infrastructure facilities. The study will take 22 months but it should be possible to take decisions in mid-1989 regarding the next steps in port development, and the location and the timing of a new airport;

(b)

Metroplan study this will provide a framework for the more comprehensive restructuring of the existing and planned urban areas around Victoria harbour. An initial consultative document was completed and released this month. Further consultative documents will be produced over the next two years;

(c) planning and engineering feasibility studies will be carried out on the proposed reclamations at Central and Wan Chai, Green Island and West Kowloon. These will provide an opportunity for the replanning of the old urban areas as part of the Metroplan. The studies will be completed in late 1989;

(a) the second comprehensive transport study will recommend an infrastructural network to cope with travel demand up to 2001 and devise policies to make the most economic use of the network. A Green Paper based on the study results will be published by the end of 1988;

(e) the 1939 Town Planning Ordinance is being reviewed to bring it into line with modern requirements for urban and rural planning. Preliminary recommendations for change are expected to be drawn up by late 1988.

CONFIDENTIAL