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LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Tin Shui Wai

Tin Shui Wai (about 430 hectares) has risen in the north-western New Territories over the past decade as Hong Kong's eighth new town. Built on land reclaimed from low lying areas off Deep Bay, the initial Development Zone (220 hectares) now houses about 186 000 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 future housing demands. Construction of the engineering infrastructure to service the further development has followed in stages from mid-1997. Building development is in progress on some of the formed sites. Under the current plan, the population of Tin Shui Wai is expected to increase from 215 000 at end-2001 to about 266 000 by 2010. The residents will live in a mixture of public and private housing flats.

Tin Shui Wai Development Zone already has an efficient road network. To serve the development of the Reserve Zone, additional roads are being constructed and will be completed in 2002. The new town is also served by the Light Rail Transit, which will be extended to cover the Reserve Zone and to link with the KCRC West Rail Station being constructed at Tin Fuk Road for completion by end-2003.

Work has begun 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 as an ecological mitigation measure for the land formation of the Reserve Zone and will form a buffer between the new town and the Ramsar site at Mai Po Marshes. The Hong Kong Wetland Park 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. Facilities are being provided to attract local and international ecotourists.

Tung Chung/Tai Ho

Hong Kong's ninth new town 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, served by a high-speed road link and the Mass Transit Railway, is being developed on about 760 hectares of land to modern international standards, with residential and commercial developments and all necessary supporting infrastructure. The two urban development areas, in Tung Chung and Tai Ho, are targeted to accommodate a total population of 320 000. Tung Chung town centre is the retail, commercial and cultural core of the development. In Siu Ho Wan, a short distance to the east, land has been used for a sewage treatment plant, a railway depot, a refuse transfer station and a water treatment plant, with other land set aside for future expansion.

The new town is being developed in phases. Phase 1 was included in the Airport Core Programme and was substantially completed in 1997 to accommodate about 20 000 residents in Tung Chung. Site formation and infrastructure works for Phase 2 were substantially completed in early 2001. Works on Phase 3A started in March 1999 for completion in late 2002. Improvements to Tung Chung Road between Pai Mei and Lung Tseng Tau will commence in mid-2002 for completion in late 2003.

The Government will grant a franchise for the finance, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a cable car system linking Tung Chung and Ngong Ping. The franchise will be awarded on a build-operate-transfer basis for 30 years. This cable car system, expected to be completed in 2006, will add to the range of