ENG-1998 — Page 271

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

purposes

industrial sites on West Kowloon Reclamation were rezoned for residential to accommodate 38 000 more people than the original target of 118 000.

The 36 hectares of land formed at Hung Hom Bay Reclamation will be used for private and public housing, commercial development, extension of the existing Kowloon-Canton Railway freight yard, government, institutional and community. facilities, schools, open space and road works. The area will house about 12 000 people. Engineering infrastructure, including two trunk roads (the Hung Hom Bypass and Princess Margaret Road Link), is being built for completion in mid-1999.

The South-East Kowloon Development Feasibility Study was completed in 1998. It assessed the development potential of the old airport site at Kai Tak, adjacent old urban districts and a possible reclamation in Kowloon Bay. It showed that about 280 hectares could be developed on the old airport site. A further review study had begun to investigate how to reduce the extent of reclamation. A further 40 hectares would need to be reserved at Cha Kwo Ling to re-provision the existing Kowloon Bay typhoon shelter. The adjoining 260 hectares of existing urban areas at Hung Hom, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Kok and Kowloon City offer opportunities for urban renewal. A wide range of engineering works, including the reprovisioning of marine and land- based facilities, reclamation, highway construction and the provision of drainage, sewerage, sewage treatment and other public utilities, will be carried out and works will continue into the next century.

New Towns and Rural Townships

The development of new towns in Hong Kong continued in 1998. At the end of the year, about 2.8 million people were housed in the new towns, enjoying a wide range of community and recreational facilities, including schools, markets and shopping centres, parks and open spaces and convenient transport links.

Engineering design and construction works on land formation and infrastructure of the development areas are overseen and co-ordinated by the Territory Development Department (TDD). Extensive landscape works are also carried out in conjunction with the developments, providing a green framework to the new neighbourhoods. Ecological restoration works are also undertaken where areas of ecological significance are disturbed by engineering activities. Under the afforestation programme associated with the hinterland of the new towns and urban development areas, more than 1.7 million trees were planted by the TDD during the year. More than 170 hectares were afforested, reducing water runoff from the hillsides.

The TDD has already put in extra resources to expedite the delivery of housing sites and the provision of essential infrastructure within New Towns, Strategic Growth Areas and Major Development Areas. Studies are also being conducted to identify potential long-term development areas and to consider the expansion of existing new towns.

Tsuen Wan

Tsuen Wan new town embraces the areas of Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island. Its population is expected to stabilise at around 820 000 over the next 10 years. About 31 hectares of land will be reclaimed by 2006 to provide sufficient land for urban renewal, housing development and transport infrastructure. As one of the

211