ENG-1999 — Page 277

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Tin Shui Wai

Tin Shui Wai (about 430 hectares) has risen in the North-West New Territories over the past decade as Hong Kong's eighth new town. Built on land reclaimed from fish ponds off Deep Bay, the initial Development Zone (220 hectares) now houses about 150 000 people as an integrated, balanced community.

The rest of the reclaimed land (about 210 hectares) to the north, i.e. the Reserve Zone, has been identified for fast-pace development to meet Hong Kong's future housing demand. Construction of the engineering infrastructure to service the proposed further development has followed in stages from July 1998. Building development has also begun on some of the formed sites. Under the current plan, the population of Tin Shui Wai is expected to increase progressively from late-1999 to reach about 340 000 people by 2003. The residents will live in a mixture of public and private housing flats, with ready access to goods and services.

Tin Shui Wai already has an excellent transportation network and a well-designed road system. These will be further expanded and improved for the residents in the coming years. The town is also served by the Light Rail Transit which will be extended to cover the Reserve Zone and to link with the proposed KCRC West Rail station at Tin Fuk Road.

Work commenced on the construction of over 60 hectares of wetlands to the north- east of the Tin Shui Wai Reserve Zone. The wetlands are being provided by the Territory Development Department as ecological mitigation for the reclamation of the Reserve Zone and will form a buffer between the new town and the Ramsar site at Mai Po Marshes. The project is the first constructed wetland of its kind in Hong Kong and will provide a range of fresh and salt water habitats for establishing wildlife. The newly created wetlands will be further developed as an International Wetland Park visitor facility to attract local and overseas eco-tourists.

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 is being developed on about 760 hectares of land to modern international standards, with residential and commercial developments and all necessary supporting infrastructure. It is served by a high-speed road link and the Mass Transit Railway.

The two urban development areas, at Tung Chung and Tai Ho, will have a total target population of 320 000 by 2011. Tung Chung town centre is the retail, commercial and cultural core of the new development. At Siu Ho Wan, slightly to the east, land has been used for a sewage treatment works, a railway depot, a refuse transfer station and a water treatment works, with other land set aside for future expansion.

The new town is being developed in phases. Phase I was included in the Airport Core Programme and was substantially completed in mid-1997 to accommodate about 20 000 residents at Tung Chung. Site formation and infrastructure works for Phase II are in progress and scheduled for completion late in 2000. Work on Phase IIIA started in March for completion in March 2002. New plans for the remaining development are being produced as part of a comprehensive feasibility study to

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