TSUEN WAN
The name Tsuen Wan derives from the much earlier name "Ch'ien Wan", which means "shallow bay" in the Cantonese dialect. The latter is listed in old Chinese gazetteers of the Hong Kong area, and is also inscribed on the bell in the Tin Hau Temple at Tsuen Wan, which is dated 1744. The present name "tsuen" means a type of fragrant plant.
The development of Tsuen Wan started in the early 1950's with the establishment of a number of textile mills. However, its development as a new town, with Government taking the lead in the forma- tion of land and the building of housing estates, only commenced in the early 1960's.
The new town has now grown to more than half its ultimate size of 990,000 having a population of about 600,000 persons. By 1989 it is anticipated that the population will have risen to about 900,000, with accommodation for the additional population being mainly provided in two development areas.
One of these areas, known as Tsuen Wan North, is in the foothills north of Castle Peak Road, to the east and west of Route Twisk. This development, covering a total of 185 hectares, is planned to provide accommodation for 45,000 persons in public housing estates and for 65,000 persons in private develop- ment. Included in the latter figure is a development for 20,000 persons over the proposed Mass Transit Railway Depot. A small area of about 5 hectares will be formed for industrial development in addition to the 17 hectares of industrial land existing in the area.
The other area under development is Tsing Yi Island which is linked to the mainland by a bridge. The population of Tsing Yi is expected to rise from its present 22,000 persons to 180,000, with 150,000 being accommodated in public housing. The develop- ment will provide about 13 net hectares of land for private residential and commercial development including a small town centre and 8 net hectares for industrial development. Additionally, 30 gross hectares of unformed land will be available for land intensive industries.
Government expenditure on building, civil en- gineering works and land acquisition in Tsuen Wan over the next 10 years is anticipated to be about HK$5,690 million at November 1978 prices. Ap- proximately HK$2,275 million will be spent on forming sites and providing roads, drains and water
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supply, HK$1,458 million on the building of public housing estates, HK$1,365 million on the provision of community facilities (schools, clinics, hospitals, welfare centres, fire stations, recreation facilities, etc.) and HK$638 million on land acquisition and compensation.
There will also be considerable expenditure by private developers or the construction of residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
SHA TIN
People have lived and farmed in the Sha Tin Valley at least since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), during which time the village of Tai Wai was founded. The flat ground of the valley is extremely fertile, and according to legend rice produced there used to be taken 3000 kilometres (1,864 miles) north to Peking for the Emperor's table.
But in recent years, rice crops have given way to vegetables and flowers, and as the valley's villagers have prospered and rebuilt their homes, little has been left of the earlier buildings.
The town is situated to the north-east of Kowloon and is separated from Kowloon by a single range of hills cut by two road tunnels and a rail tunnel - each of about 1.6 kilometres in length. The main goal for the development programme is to accommodate at- least 550,000 people in the Sha Tin Valley within 10 years in an attractive and convenient environment. It is intended that the 1977 population of approxi- mately 44,000 persons should be increased to a target population of 234,000 by 1981-82 and to the ulti- mate population of 570,000 by the end of the 1980's Some 340,000 of these will be accommodated in Public Housing.
The development plan for the new town covers an area of some 2 700 hectares. Of this, about 1618 hectares have been designated for urban development, including open space, a new race-course, trunk roads and double-tracking and improvements to the existing railway.
Development will take place in two stages. Stage I will provide 418 hectares net of formed land, of which approximately 157 hectares will be for public housing, government and community facilities, 95 hectares for private residential use and 31 hectares for industrial development. Stage II will provide 407 hectares net of formed land, of which approximately 146 hectares will be for public housing, Government and community facilities, 207 hectares for private
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