ENG-2003 — Page 260

CHAPTER 12

Land, Public Works and Utilities

Major studies have been undertaken with the aim of setting out a long- term strategy for land use and infrastructure development in Hong Kong as well as to enhance synergy with the Pearl River Delta. These initiatives will serve as a blueprint for building on the fine record of accomplishment in the extensive Public Works Programme. With an excellent track record of having constructed nine new towns that now house about 46 per cent of the population, the Government has plans to undertake new projects and to implement an urban renewal programme in older areas. Emphasis is placed on sustainable development, and people's well-being.

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TO meet the needs of the community and sustain Hong Kong's position as a world city in Asia, the Government is committed to maintaining a robust investment in building new infrastructure and improving existing facilities. It will spend about $31 billion on capital works in 2003-04. In the next few years, it will maintain an average annual capital works expenditure of about $29 billion.

Government works projects are implemented by the Works Departments under the Public Works Programme. In 2001, the Government simplified the administrative procedures and as a result reduced the overall pre-construction period of a typical engineering project from six years to less than four years. The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau further re-engineered in 2003 the methodology for the planning and implementation of infrastructural projects to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the delivery of projects.

The Government commenced in 2003 the construction of a number of major projects which included the third phase of the Central Reclamation, the second stage of Penny's Bay reclamation, Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor, Deep Bay Link, the territory-wide rehabilitation of trunk watermains and the remaining works of the school improvement programme. In order to help boost the economy, the expenditure on minor works to improve various public facilities has also been increased in the past two years to alleviate the unemployment situation in the construction industry. The increased minor works have created over 6 000 additional new jobs for construction workers since October 2001.

With the concerted effort of all, the accident rate for public works contracts in 2003 continued on a downward trend to 19 accidents per thousand workers per year, representing a decrease of 24 per cent compared with 2002. With the success on site