ENG-1976 — Page 155

HOUSING AND LAND

107

In April 1976, tenders by way of premium were invited for the grant of a lease of 4.348 hectares of foreshore and sea bed on the northwestern coast of Yuen Chau Kok, Sha Tin, for commercial and residential development. The successful tenderer is required to reclaim an area of 8.094 hectares, of which 4.348 hectares will be permitted for development while the remainder is required to be handed back to the government upon completion of reclamation and construction of roads and a sea- wall. The development is expected to accommodate about 10,000 people.

A lease was granted in September for the development of 61.3 hectares of land at Discovery Bay on Lantau Island for the development of a self-contained leisure and resort complex. Club houses, hotels and a public golf course will be provided within the complex, which will have its own reservoir, salt and fresh water storage and treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, refuse disposal plant and ferry pier. The whole scheme will take about 10 years to complete.

Priority has been given to the development of the first stage of the industrial estate at Tai Po. The estate will provide industrial land for low density/capital- intensive development. This project involves the reclamation of about 110 hectares of foreshore and sea bed at Tai Po Hoi, Tolo Harbour. The estate itself will cover a gross area of 76 hectares of land and it will be developed in two stages. Stage I will provide a gross area of 24.3 hectares of formed land and it is scheduled to be completed by 1978. As reclamation proceeds, sites should become available progressively from early 1977. It is estimated that the whole project will be completed by December 1980.

During the financial year 1975-6 revenue from land transactions in the urban area was $88 million, compared with $157.7 million the previous year. In spite of the drop in revenue from land transactions, the demand for temporary occupation of Crown land continued strongly. Generally, such land was offered by way of a short term tenancy. During 1975-6 revenue from this type of short term land holding was $11.5 million in the urban areas and $18.7 million in the New Territories.

Another source of revenue is from letting of buildings owned wholly or partly by the government. During 1975-6 this provided a revenue of $9.7 million.

The government is continuing its policy of fencing vacant sites which have been cleared, and installing security guards. This has reduced problems of site clearance and interference with the regular Crown land sales programme. The Director of Public Works and the Secretary for the New Territories also have powers to combat unlawful occupation of Crown land and to enable clearance to be effected more quickly, usually without litigation.

Arrangements were made during the year for the handing over to the govern ment of certain areas of land previously used by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. They were: 7.64 acres comprising part of Dodwell's Ridge Camp, to be used temporarily as an extension to the Police Cadet School; 29 acres at Sai Kung Camp, which in July became an outdoor recreation centre run by the Recreation and Sport Service; and 5.05 acres forming part of Sham Shui Po Camp.