ENG-1987 — Page 222

180

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Home Ownership Scheme. Good external transportation links are provided by the Tolo Highway and the electrified Kowloon-Canton Railway.

Northeast of the town adjacent to Ting Kok Road is the first planned industrial estate in Hong Kong - Tai Po Industrial Estate, which, by supplying factory space for establish- ments applying relatively high-level technology, helps to broaden Hong Kong's industrial base. The first unit of the Hong Kong and China Gas Company's new gas production plant at the estate became operational in late 1986.

Some 23.5 hectares of land were formed, including 9.5 hectares on reclamation during the year.

Fanling

Fanling New Town includes Fanling, Luen Wo Hui, Shek Wu Hui and Sheung Shui. It lies about eight kilometres north of Tai Po. It will be linked to Yuen Long, Sha Tin and Tai Po by the New Territories Circular Route now under construction. With the opening of Fanling Bypass, Tolo Highway and the Tai Po Bypass, the new town enjoys a high-speed road link to Kowloon. This link, or alternatively the electrified Kowloon-Canton Railway, enables people to travel quickly to the centre of Kowloon.

The population of the new town is at present about 110 000 and is projected to reach 220 000 within the next decade with about 140 000 people in public housing.

Plans are in hand for the existing retail and commercial 'cores' of Shek Wu Hui and Luen Wo Hui to be redeveloped with improvements to infrastructure. Improvement to the On Lok Tsuen industrial area, which included river-training works, has been completed.

About 21.5 hectares of land were formed during the year.

Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai and the Northwestern New Territories

The growth and development of Yuen Long Town continues at a rapid pace. The present population of about 111 000 is expected to reach 181 000 by 1997. Construction of a major new public housing estate, located at Long Ping to the northwest of the town and designed to accommodate 35 000 persons, has been substantially completed.

Yuen Long will be linked to the neighbouring Tuen Mun New Town by the Tuen Mun-Yuen Long Light Rail Transit System, which is scheduled for commissioning in August 1988. A large transport terminal to serve the town is under construction.

Design work has been completed on the town park, which will include a wide range of landscape features and attractions. Meanwhile, work is nearing completion on a town square to provide an important open space feature in the eastern part of the town. Public dumping during the year produced about one hectare of land.

The pollution of the Yuen Long nullahs has been a matter of concern to the residents in the past years. Consultants commissioned in December 1986 to identify a suitable scheme for reducing the smell and visual impact of the nullahs have recommended the construction of an inflatable dam and a pumping station to control the flow of water in the nullahs.

Initial construction works have begun on a comprehensively planned new town at Tin Shui Wai which is planned to be linked with the Light Rail Transit System. The main land formation works contract has started and the first public housing intake is expected in 1991. Based on a comprehensive planning study, design work has begun to upgrade existing infrastructural systems to improve the services to, and the environment of, certain existing settlements. A study was completed on the northwestern New Territories sewerage scheme to serve the developments in Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long-Tuen Mun corridor and Yuen Long Town extension areas.