ENG-1975 — Page 127

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LAND AND HOUSING

roof-top traverse for the mass transit railway was also calculated and adjusted. In contrast to 1974, there was no marked change in the demand for boundary surveys during the year. Conversion to the metric system for survey proceeded smoothly, although imperial units were still shown on title plans.

Revision of large scale maps (the Basic Map Series) continued throughout the year in the urban areas and in the New Territories. Conversion of maps in this series to 1:1000 metric scale was completed in respect of the Kowloon area and continued on the urban area of Hong Kong Island, while the initial work on the New Territories sheets began.

On the map production side, good progress was made in converting topographic series to metric specifications. The deluxe (layered and hill shaded) version of a 1:50 000 scale map covering the whole of the territory was published and well received. Six sheets of the 1:20 000 scale series are now available and completion of the series is expected to be ahead of the original schedule since the British Military Survey has agreed to adopt this series and to assist in the production of three sheets. The third sheet of the 'Countryside' series was published during the year, satisfying a long-felt public demand for a tourist map of Lantau. The street map series was completed, together with the new 1:50 000 scale town planning series. Design work commenced on a new bilingual guide book to Hong Kong, to be published in two volumes—one for Hong Kong and Islands and one for Kowloon and the New Territories.

Town Planning

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The two bodies mainly responsible for town planning in Hong Kong are the Town Planning Board, chaired by the Director of Public Works and comprising nine official and five unofficial members, and the Land Development Policy Committee, chaired by the Secretary for the Environment and comprising seven official members. The functions of the Town Planning Office include the servicing of these two bodies and, together with the New Territories Development Department, servicing the New Territories Development Progress Committee. There are three main levels of planning which proceed from general concepts to development projects. They are the Hong Kong Outline Plan, Town Planning Board outline zoning plans, and departmental plans in the form of planning guides, outline development plans, planning layouts and 10-year development programmes.

The Hong Kong Outline Plan is based on a data bank of land-use and demogra- phic information and the findings of six inter-departmental working committees. It is being updated under the guidance of the Land Development Policy Committee. The plan provides a framework for all other planning activities and sets out general planning concepts for future population distribution and development. It defines standards and locational factors for the provision of community facilities, suggests the general locations of major facilities, and defines the functions of areas in broad terms. The plan also provides a framework for the preparation of statutory outline zoning plans, planning guides and other plans, and is a basis for the formulation of land development programmes and the reappraisal of transportation proposals. The data bank is continually updated within a system of planning units and planning