ENG-1995 — Page 250

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

About 130 hectares of new land were formed for new town development, the bulk of it at Tseung Kwan O. Plans were being considered to accelerate the provision of additional land and the construction of new infrastructure to activate the use of land reserves already formed. Concurrent with the rapid development was the landscaping and greening of the new towns, which housed more than 2.5 million people at the end of the year.

Tsuen Wan

Tsuen Wan new town embraces the areas of Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island. Its population is expected to stabilise over the next 10 years at around 700 000, as a result of the gradual reduction in family sizes and increased provision of larger flats.

The new town has Hong Kong's container terminals in its midst in the Kwai Chung area. The new Container Terminal 8 development is operational. Container Terminal 9 is planned for South-East Tsing Yi.

Major highway projects will further extend and reinforce the principal road network. Detailed design work for the duplicate Tsing Yi South Bridge was finalised and construction work is expected to start in early 1996. Improvements to Texaco Road Phase II, Tsuen Wan, were completed in early 1995, alleviating the existing traffic congestion at Tsuen Tsing Interchange.

Additional community facilities are under construction, including Kwai Tsing Civic Centre, which will provide a 900-seat auditorium and auxiliary facilities such as an exhibition hall, dance room and restaurant.

Sha Tin

Sha Tin new town is, to a large extent, complete and already home to over half a million people. Developed in the early 1970s, it is well known for its planning and integrated development.

Since 1981, development works have extended to Ma On Shan where reclamation was completed in 1994 and has boosted the total development area to about 1950 hectares. Work on the last section of the primary road link to Ma On Shan Town Centre is scheduled for completion in 1998. The land use scheme for the Ma On Shan South Area has been finalised and will provide housing for some 30 000 persons. Three additional public housing estates/Home Ownership Schemes are proposed.

The programme to improve conditions in the many old villages in and around Sha Tin continued. The village improvement schemes for Hin Tin, Sheung Keng Hau and Ha Keng Hau were completed in 1994.

Tai Po

In the past 20 years, Tai Po has grown from a small market town of 25 000 into a new town with a population of 258 000 on about 1 270 hectares.

Most of the new town's engineering infrastructure is in place. A further expansion of the Tai Po sewage treatment works will cater for the remaining development in the town area and the industrial estate.

The Nethersole Hospital and the Tai Po Convalescent/Infirmary Hospital will be completed respectively in 1996 and 1997. With a combined capacity of 1 662 beds, the

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