ENG-1997 — Page 271

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

north (the Reserve Zone) commenced in June 1997. Upon full development, the population of Tin Shui Wai is expected to reach 325 000 by the year 2003.

Tung Chung/Tai Ho

Hong Kong's ninth new town now taking shape on the northern shore of Lantau Island is designed as a supporting community for the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. The new town will be developed on about 830 hectares of land based on modern international standards, with residential, industrial and commercial developments. and all the necessary supporting infrastructure.

The new town will comprise two urban development areas at Tung Chung and Tai Ho, with a total target population of 320 000 by 2011. The Tung Chung town centre will be the retail, commercial and cultural core of the new town. Land will be reserved at Siu Ho Wan for major utilities, including a water treatment works, a sewage treatment works, railway depot and a refuse transfer station.

The new town will be developed in phases. Phase 1 was included in the Airport Core Programme and was substantially completed in mid-1997 to accommodate about 20 000 residents at Tung Chung. Construction of the first stage of the North Lantau sewage collection, treatment and disposal system was completed. Site formation and infrastructure works for the Phase 2 development are in progress. A comprehensive feasibility study is looking at new targets for the completion of Phase 3 in 2006 and the fourth phase by 2011.

Islands District

The development of the Islands District continues. The reclamation, road and drainage works at Sai Wan, Cheung Chau have been completed. Construction of sewers for Pun Lo Pang, Tai O and the road improvement works for Cheung Chau Old Town and the reclamation, road and drainage works at Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island are in progress. The construction of the north-east riverwall and site formation at Tai O started in December 1997.

Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy

The Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy (RPIS) is a coherent strategy for planning and improving the rural areas of the New Territories through infrastructural development/environmental improvement and land use control. It is implemented at both strategic and district levels.

At the strategic level, land-use policies are reviewed to control incompatible uses and provide a sustainable framework for public and private developments in the rural New Territories. Several planning studies and surveys have been, or are being, undertaken to facilitate the review.

At the district level, smaller-scale improvement projects are implemented under the RPIS Minor Works Programme monitored by the Home Affairs Department since late 1994. Moreover, a streamlined two-tier administrative structure consisting of the RPIS Minor Works Steering Committee attended by representatives of Heung Yee Kuk and New Territories Provisional District Boards (NTPDBs) and the District Working Groups attended by representatives of NTPDBs and Rural Communities has been adopted. This two-tier structure provides stronger local participation in the

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