ENG-1989 — Page 31

A VISION OF THE FUTURE

study, the government is convinced that this commitment is one we can afford. Indeed we believe that we cannot afford not to make it. We must make sure that Hong Kong continues to have the facilities to meet the needs of our growing economy. We must also be realistic, and make sure that we phase the construction of these new projects in a way that does not place too great a strain on our economy.

We have already seen how successful the private sector has been in developing our container port and in building our cross-harbour tunnels. The government believes that many of the individual projects connected with the new airport, and the expansion of the port, will be commercially viable. I am sure there will be many local and international developers who will be keen to co-operate with us in these enormous and exciting projects that are so important to Hong Kong's future.

The plans we have for building a new airport and developing the port will create new opportunities for the construction industry. But they will also make huge demands on its resources. It may well be necessary to consider exceptional arrangements to ensure that we have an adequate supply of labour so that they are completed on time and without causing unacceptable inflationary pressures.

Land Resources

The new airport and the massive expansion of our port will transform Hong Kong's development potential. Large new areas in the western part of the territory, particularly Lantau Island, will be opened up for industrial and commercial use. These activities are now concentrated in a fairly narrow band on both sides of the harbour. But in future it will be possible to escape the restrictions and congestion imposed by the existing urban areas and to plan further development on the basis of large-scale modern port and airport facilities coming into being in the western part of the territory. This will provide a new and very welcome opportunity to bring about a great improvement in working and living conditions for the community as a whole.

Looking at the details, the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, and the bridges and roads that go with it, will open up for potential development the whole of Lantau's northern coastline. This can be achieved without damage to the outstanding recreational facilities on the hills and southern coast of the island. Expanding the port westwards will make available further land, mainly for industrial use, west of Tuen Mun.

The port and airport developments also mean that the West Kowloon reclamation will need to be completed in the mid-1990s to provide the necessary transport links to the urban area. This reclamation will provide a major source of land in the urban area for commercial and residential development. More badly needed land will be provided by the Central and Wan Chai reclamation, where sites will start to be available during 1993. Looking further ahead, we have the possibility of reclaiming the channel between Green Island and Hong Kong Island and the immense opportunities provided by the removal of the airport from Kai Tak. These urban reclamations will give us the opportunity to replan our older urban areas, as envisaged in the Metroplan. In doing this, an important point will be to make sure the planning of land use is properly co-ordinated with the provision of new transport facilities.

Transport

I have already referred to the new road and rail links which will be needed for new port and airport developments. Preliminary planning and feasibility studies for many of these projects have either begun or will soon start. In the meantime, the government is

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