ENG-2003 — Page 271

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Tung Chung

Construction works for Phase 1 of Tung Chung new town were completed in 1997, providing facilities for an initial community of around 20 000. Engineering works for Phase 2 development were completed in 2001 to serve an intended population of about 67 000. In 2003, the population had risen to about 41 000. Reclamation for Phase 3A development was completed early in the year.

The new town is linked to the rest of Hong Kong by the North Lantau Highway as well as the MTR Tung Chung Line.

In December, the Government granted a franchise to the MTR Corporation Limited for the finance, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a cable car system linking Tung Chung and Ngong Ping. This is expected to become an important tourism facility.

North-East New Territories and North-West New Territories New Development

The planning and development studies on North-East New Territories (NENT) and North-West New Territories (NWNT) have been completed. The studies have established the feasibility of developing Kwu Tung North (497 hectares) and Fanling North (192 hectares) in NENT as New Development Areas to house populations of 100 000 and 80 000, respectively, and developing Hung Shui Kiu (450 hectares) in NWNT as a New Development Area to accommodate a population of about 160 000. The development of these New Development Areas will be triggered when the need arises.

Building Development

The Private Sector

There was increased activity in private building development during the year. The number of building sites where superstructure works started increased from 124 in 2002 to 266 in 2003, involving a total gross floor area of 1.17 million square metres and 2.07 million square metres, respectively. In 2003, a total of 785 buildings, with a total gross floor area of 2.87 million square metres, were completed at a total cost of $33.1 billion. This compared with 1 132 buildings, with a total gross floor area of 3.88 million square metres, built at a total cost of $45.7 billion, in 2002.

Major construction works in progress at year-end included the residential part of the Cyberport development in Pok Fu Lam, the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park and the associated Penny's Bay Rail Link, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, the Ma On Shan Rail and the Tsim Sha Tsui Extension of the East Rail.

As a continuing exercise to promote client-oriented service, the third Joint Practice Note for Authorised Persons and Registered Structural Engineers was issued in August, describing new measures to streamline the process of landscape master plans and the provision of pre-submission enquiry services.

The Buildings Department continued to rationalise the control on supervision of building works by building professionals. A working group, set up to review all site supervision requirements under the Buildings Ordinance, has prepared a draft proposal for an integrated site supervision system.

During the year, 25 816 reports on unauthorised building works (UBWs) were processed; 24 003 removal orders issued; and 49 556 UBWs removed. A total of 714

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