ENG-1996 — Page 272

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

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proper building maintenance, the creation of a rehabilitation fund, and a recommendation to facilitate private land owners to redevelop their properties.

Planning Studies

During the year, the Planning Department worked on several major reclamation proposals and development projects, notably the Central and Wan Chai, West Kowloon, Kowloon Point and Green Island reclamations. Studies were completed on site design parameters for the West Kowloon Reclamation; visitors and tourism in Hong Kong; ecological value of fish ponds in Deep Bay area; case studies arising from the Study on Restructuring of Obsolete Industrial Areas; leisure habits/ recreation preferences; the provision of industrial premises and development of planning guidelines and design parameters for new industrial areas and business park; and future use of Tsing Yi Town Lot 46 R P and possible foreshore reclamation at Tsing Yi power station site.

Studies including assessment of redevelopment potential in the metro areas; office decentralisation and the formulation of an Office Land Development Strategy; military sites in Kowloon and the New Territories for residential development are still ongoing. New planning studies on the Metroplan Review, survey of housing aspirations of households have begun. Other planning studies relating to the Territorial Development Strategy and Sub-regional Development Strategies were also conducted during the year.

Urban Development Areas

Work on new urban development areas generally followed the broad pattern of land- use and guidelines in the Metroplan and integrated with the replanning and redevelopment of adjoining old areas in a planned and co-ordinated manner.

Hong Kong Island

The Central and Wan Chai Reclamation extends along the waterfront from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay. The first phase of the Central Reclamation, involving some 20 hectares at the Central waterfront, has been completed. This provides land for expansion of the Central Business District and construction of the Airport Railway's Hong Kong Station, the latter being scheduled for completion by mid-1998.

The second phase of the Central Reclamation, involving about 5.3 hectares of land in the Tamar Basin area for commercial and open space development, was substantially completed. The infrastructure works are scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 1997.

The detailed design for the third phase of the Central Reclamation, which will connect Phase I and Phase II with the Wan Chai Reclamation, commenced in February 1995 and was completed in late 1996.

Most of the civil engineering works for Phase I of the Wan Chai Reclamation was substantially completed. To tie in with the target opening date of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Extension in mid-1997, the remaining road works are scheduled for completion in February 1997. Phase II of the reclamation is under planning and together with other phases of Central and Wan Chai Reclamation, it will accommodate the strategic road links between Central and the eastern part of Hong Kong Island.