HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
districts and others are under construction or being planned. Land has been reserved at outfall points so that more elaborate treatment can be instituted if shown to be essential.
To study the effectiveness of the current method of sewage disposal, engineering consultants have been engaged to investigate the hydrology of Victoria and Tolo harbours working in conjunction with staff of the Public Works Department. This study, which started early in 1969, is now nearing completion and a preliminary report is expected in the next few months.
Industrial and trade effluents present a different problem. Such effluents, mostly untreated, invariably find their way into the public sewers unless discharged directly into the sea from waterside lots. At the present time legislation empowering Government to control discharge of industrial effluents is embodied in the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance of 1960 and the Building (Standards and Sanitary Fitments, Plumbing, Drainage Works and Latrines) Regulations of 1959. The powers of enforcement afforded by these are limited in their practical effect; moreover, they do not specify a definite standard with which industrial effluents must comply for acceptance into government sewers. Wider powers of enforcement will be necessary if more effective control is to be achieved.
This brings me to the point raised by Mr. FORSGATE regarding expansion of the Advisory Committee on Air Pollution to include marine pollution matters. I do not consider this would be appropriate since the subjects are quite separate. To deal with both in one committee would make that body large and unwieldy as well as involving waste of time by those members essential for one but not required for the other.
However, in view of the probable need for new legislation to control the discharge of industrial and trade effluents, there may be grounds for setting up a separate committee to examine and report on what is required. Such a committee, if established, would need to deal with all aspects of marine pollution ecological, environmental and health. I intend to look into this matter further and were he here, I would thank Mr. FORSGATE for his suggestion.
Housing
I turn now to the question of housing which I will touch on only briefly since it has already been dealt with in depth by my colleague, the Commissioner for Resettlement.
I wish to make only one point. This is that if we are to continue our public housing programme into the second half of this decade we must face up to the fact that such housing will have to be built outside the existing Urban Area. If we are to continue to reduce overcrowding in existing estates and congestion in existing urban areas, there is no alternative but to rehouse the occupants in what are at present more remote areas.
Thus, means must be found to make these more remote estates attractive to existing urban residents. Amongst other things this will undoubtedly require a new approach to rental assessment giving greater weight to location factors. This is needed to provide a financially attractive differential between the less popular (though more expensive) new estates in more remote areas and the older more popular central estates.
The Housing Board will no doubt give a lead in this matter but if the initiative is to be successful it will also require support by members of this Council. In fact, I note that Mr. Kenneth Lo made precisely the same point at last year's debate.
Such a new approach is also essential if we are to make progress with the gradual conversion of existing Mark I and II estates after Shek Kip Mei on the lines proposed by the Housing Board and supported by this Council since such improvements will clearly involve asking some at least of the present occupants to move to less central estates.
In practice, of course, it should not be overlooked that but a few years ago Kwun Tong was regarded as remote whereas now it is a centre in its own right. By the late '70s it may be possible to say the same about Castle Peak.
Traffic, Transport, Roads and Parking
Several members mentioned traffic and transport matters in their speeches. Mrs. ELLIOTT said that there was no attempt to solve long term problems. Dr. HUANG complained of lack of foresight. Neither of these views accord with the facts. Since 1966 we have been working to the overall plan prepared by our consultants in the Long Term Road Study Report. This report, which was published in 1968, sets out the road system which will be required by 1986 and which, in the consultants' opinion, is the maximum that can be achieved without "demolition of useful buildings on such a wide spread scale as would appear to be totally unacceptable".
This system includes the elevated roads proposed by Mr. P. K. NG and Mr. Raymond Y. K. KAN except that in Kowloon the elevated roads will start from the tunnel interchange at Hung Hom rather than the Star Ferry.
Even though demolition is kept to a minimum almost every major project nowadays interferes with private property—the difficulties met
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districts and others are under construction or being planned. Land has been reserved at outfall points so that more elaborate treatment can be instituted if shown to be essential.
To study the effectiveness of the current method of sewage disposal, engineering consultants have been engaged to investigate the hydrology of Victoria and Tolo harbours working in conjunction with staff of the Public Works Department. This study, which started early in 1969, is now nearing completion and a preliminary report is expected in the next few months.
Industrial and trade effluents present a different problem. Such effluents, mostly untreated, invariably find their way into the public sewers unless discharged directly into the sea from waterside lots. At the present time legislation empowering Government to control dis- charge of industrial effluents is embodied in the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance of 1960 and the Building (Standards and Sanitary Fitments, Plumbing, Drainage Works and Latrines) Regula- tions of 1959. The powers of enforcement afforded by these are limited in their practical effect; moreover, they do not specify a definite standard with which industrial effluents must comply for acceptance into government sewers. Wider powers of enforcement will be neces- sary if more effective control is to be achieved.
This brings me to the point raised by Mr. FORSGATE regarding expansion of the Advisory Committee on Air Pollution to include marine pollution matters. I do not consider this would be appropriate since the subjects are quite separate. To deal with both in one com- mittee would make that body large and unwieldy as well as involving waste of time by those members essential for one but not required for the other.
However, in view of the probable need for new legislation to control the discharge of industrial and trade effluents, there may be grounds for setting up a separate committee to examine and report on what is required. Such a committee, if established, would need to deal with all aspects of marine pollution ecological, environmental and health. I intend to look into this matter further and were he here, I would thank Mr. FORSGATE for his suggestion.
Housing
I turn now to the question of housing which I will touch on only briefly since it has already been dealt with in depth by my colleague, the Commissioner for Resettlement.
I wish to make only one point. This is that if we are to continue our public housing programme into the second half of this decade we must face up to the fact that such housing will have to be built out-
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
341
side the existing Urban Area. If we are to continue to reduce over- crowding in existing estates and congestion in existing urban areas, there is no alternative but to rehouse the occupants in what are at present more remote areas.
Thus, means must be found to make these more remote estates attractive to existing urban residents. Amongst other things this will undoubtedly require a new approach to rental assessment giving greater weight to location factors. This is needed to provide a financially attractive differential between the less popular (though more expensive) new estates in more remote areas and the older more popular central estates.
The Housing Board will no doubt give a lead in this matter but if the initiative is to be successful it will also require support by mem- bers of this Council. In fact, I note that Mr. Kenneth Lo made precisely the same point at last year's debate.
Such a new approach is also essential if we are to make progress with the gradual conversion of existing Mark I and II estates after Shek Kip Mei on the lines proposed by the Housing Board and supported by this Council since such improvements will clearly involve asking some at least of the present occupants to move to less central estates.
In practice, of course, it should not be overlooked that but a few years ago Kwun Tong was regarded as remote whereas now it is a centre in its own right. By the late '70s it may be possible to say the same about Castle Peak.
Traffic, Transport, Roads and Parking
Several members mentioned traffic and transport matters in their speeches. Mrs. ELLIOTT said that there was no attempt to solve long term problems. Dr. HUANG complained of lack of foresight. Neither of these views accord with the facts. Since 1966 we have been working to the overall plan prepared by our consultants in the Long Term Road Study Report. This report, which was published in 1968, sets out the road system which will be required by 1986 and which, in the con- sultants' opinion, is the maximum that can be achieved without "demolition of useful buildings on such a wide spread scale as would appear to be totally unacceptable".
This system includes the elevated roads proposed by Mr. P. K. NG and Mr. Raymond Y. K. KAN except that in Kowloon the elevated roads will start from the tunnel interchange at Hung Hom rather than the Star Ferry.
Even though demolition is kept to a minimum almost every major project nowadays interferes with private property-the difficulties met
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