TNAG-2144-FCO40-3063-Hong-Kong-Port-and-Airport-Development-Strategy-(PADS)-1990 — Page 100

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Lantau will of course continue to be based on demand, it

will therefore be incremental and it will also be largely

financed by the private sector.

33.

The point I

I would like to stress here is that

whilst we have a programme for completion of the core

projects it is not set in stone. As more information

becomes available the programme is reviewed and refined to

reflect the optimum time frame within which each project

can be completed at a reasonable cost. I use the word

Because time equals money in two ways,

optimum advisedly.

speedy completion can

inflationary impact on costs, but. on the other hand an

unrealistic target date will result in contractors bidding

higher prices to cover the risks involved in a tight

save money by avoiding the

schedule. Our prime concern in coming to a conclusion on

programming therefore is to ensure speedy completion with

optimum value for money.

34.

Let me turn now to the question of consultation.

I think we well understand that the Government cannot

expect universal acclaim, but sometimes it seems we cannot

win whichever way we go.

I wonder if members recall the

criticism voiced in this Council in the media and in the

community in 1988 and 1989 when we were considering the

The painstaking way in which we insisted on

studying every aspect of the strategy became a standing

joke. The most often heard criticism then was "Not

PADS.

SO'd S660 Sra ase

(3SпOH IN09) 301330 SWWOO LP:02 TE-01-066T