Chapter 13: New Towns and Rural Townships

The development of new towns in the New Territories continued in 2001. At the end of the year, about 3.1 million people were housed in the new towns and the nearby rural townships, enjoying a wide range of community and recreational facilities, including schools, markets, shopping centres, parks and open spaces and convenient transport links.

Engineering design and construction works on land formation and infrastructure of the development are overseen and co-ordinated by the TDD.

Extensive landscape works continued to be implemented in conjunction with the developments, providing a green framework for the new neighbourhoods. Trees are planted along roadsides to provide shade and colour and attention is given to the provision and design of sitting-out areas and walkways for the enjoyment of the public. The TDD has planted numerous bauhinia trees in various areas to promote the HKSAR's floral emblem.

Ecological restoration works have also been undertaken in accordance with Environmental Impact Assessment Studies to mitigate the impact of engineering works. Recent works of this type include the creation of wetland wildlife habitats associated with river training works in the north-western New Territories and the ongoing construction of a major wetland area near Tin Shui Wai.

The large-scale afforestation programme continued in the hinterland of the new towns and urban development areas, reducing water run-off from hillsides, preventing siltation of drainage systems and enhancing the countryside. Nearly 10 million trees have been planted over the last five years, with more than three million planted in 2001.

Tsuen Wan new town embraces the areas of Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island. It covers a total development area of about 2 450 hectares and has a population of about 746 000. The population is expected to rise to about 780 000 by 2010. The new town has Hong Kong's container terminals in its midst in the Kwai Chung area. The Container Terminal 9 is under construction in south-east Tsing Yi for completion at end-2004.

Major highway projects are being constructed or planned to further extend and reinforce the main road network. These include the Tsing Yi North Coastal Road, the Route 9 between Tsing Yi and Cheung Sha Wan, and the remaining section of Route 5 between Shek Wai Kok and Chai Wan Kok. The KCRC West Rail is under construction and will have one station in Tsuen Wan West.

Since 1996, about 1.2 million trees have been planted over 136 hectares of hill slopes on Tsing Yi Island under the TDD's afforestation programme to complement the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, to enhance the landscape, and to restore the vegetation cover after hill fires.

Sha Tin new town embraces the areas of Sha Tin and Ma On Shan. It covers a total development area of about 2 000 hectares. It is already home to about 623 000 people, approximately 68 per cent of whom live in public rental and subsidised housing developments which comprise 15 public rental estates and 25 home ownership and private sector participation scheme developments. The new town will house about 628 000 people by mid-2002. The construction of Road T3, which will connect with Route 9 to West Kowloon, is planned to start in 2003 for completion in 2007.

Since 1981, development works of the Sha Tin new town have been extended to Ma On Shan. Work on the primary road link to Ma On Shan Town Centre is scheduled for completion in 2002. Five public housing estates/Home Ownership Scheme projects are under construction. The construction of Trunk Road T7, which will bypass the Town Centre, started in January for completion in 2004.

The programme to improve conditions in the old villages in and around Sha Tin will continue. An afforestation programme to restore the eroded areas in the hills behind the new town has been extended for completion in 2003. About 4.5 million trees have been planted in these areas in recent years.

Tuen Mun new town, in the western New Territories, is developed mainly on land reclaimed from Castle Peak Bay and on platforms formed in the valley between Castle Peak and the Tai Lam Hills. It covers a total development area of about 1 900 hectares.

About 70 per cent of the new town's present 506 000 people live in public housing developments, which include public rental estates, home ownership and private sector participation schemes. Construction of housing flats at Fu Tei and Po Tin has been completed. Feasibility studies and detailed design for more housing developments in north Tuen Mun, near the Castle Peak Hospital, is under way. The new town's population is forecast to rise to about 565 000 in 2010.

The KCRC West Rail will have two stations in Tuen Mun new town, each with its own public transport interchange facilities. Residential and commercial components are also proposed above the future Tuen Mun Centre Station.

In south-west Tuen Mun, the River Trade Terminal operates as a consolidation point for containers and bulk cargoes shipped between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta ports. The second phase of reclamation for special industrial use is under way for completion in 2005. To cater for the increasing traffic demand in association with these developments, the Foothills Bypass is being constructed for completion in early 2002.

In 2001, the TDD implemented an afforestation programme to restore the eroded hill slopes in the green belt areas at the urban fringe of the western part of Tuen Mun. About 240 000 trees were planted in this afforestation programme.

Tai Po has grown from a small market town of 25 000 in 1974 into a new town with a population of 287 000 on about 1 270 hectares of land. The anticipated population on full development is 306 000. The new town is well developed with the major infrastructure in place.

The feasibility study for the Pak Shek Kok development area completed in August 1998 identified the development of a Science Park and residential and recreation uses. The advance infrastructural works commenced in October 1999 for completion in early 2002. The Stage 1 works of the remaining infrastructure works are programmed to commence in mid-2002 for completion in mid-2004.

Fanling and Sheung Shui are former traditional market towns which now have a population of over 237 000. The total development area is about 780 hectares. The new town's population is expected to reach nearly 246 000 at the end of the decade.

The river training works at River Indus Basin to relieve the risk of flooding in the Fanling and Sheung Shui area continue. The works are scheduled for completion in 2003.

Yuen Long new town has a current population of about 158 000 and this is expected to grow to around 211 000 by 2010. It covers a development of about 1 170 hectares. Development is spreading to the Tuen Mun-Yuen Long Corridor, and the rural area is being rejuvenated and new infrastructure provided.

Yuen Long new town development will be extended southward. Infrastructure works in connection with the new town's southern extension area will be implemented from end-2002 for completion by 2005.

The development of Tseung Kwan O new town, which started in 1982, is divided into three phases. Phase I has been substantially completed, with about 568 hectares of land formed. Engineering infrastructure has been provided to cater for private and public housing and associated community facilities.

Phase II, which includes the reclamation and engineering infrastructure for the town centre north and central areas, will be complete at the end of 2002. It will provide 96 hectares of land for commercial, residential, government, institutional and community uses.

Phase III, for the reclamation of town centre south, is in progress and the provision of 95 hectares of serviced land for the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate has been completed.

In preparation for further industrial development, about 104 hectares of land south of Tseung Kwan O will be developed for various industrial uses including potentially hazardous installations. Reclamation work is in progress.

A landscape restoration and improvement programme for the designated green belt and conservation areas was initiated in 1998. About 2.5 million seedling trees have been planted and about half a million trees will be planted in 2002.

The New Town has a current population of about 263 000 and this will increase to about 357 000 by 2010. A study will be carried out on the future development of the new town including the planned Western Coast Road, which will provide additional road capacity between the new town and the metro area. The MTR Tseung Kwan O Extension, connecting to the Kwun Tong Line, is being constructed for completion by the end of 2002.

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.

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 early 2001. 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 tourist attractions in Hong Kong. Upon completion of the system, visitors will be able to enjoy an approximately 5.7-kilometre ride between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping and admire the scenic views of Lantau and the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok. The cable car system will also provide an additional linkage among different attractions on Lantau, including the outdoor seated bronze Buddha, which is believed to be the largest of its type in the world.

The planning and development study on the North-East New Territories continues. The study has established the feasibility of developing Kwu Tung North (497 hectares) and Fanling North (192 hectares) as New Development Areas to house a population of 100 000 and 80 000 respectively by 2014. These two areas will accommodate part of the projected territorial population growth in the coming decade.

In the North-West Territories, the planning and engineering feasibility study for the development of Hung Shui Kiu as a New Development Area to accommodate a target population of 160 000 people and to provide container back-up sites is under way. It covers a total development area of about 435 hectares.

Development works on other islands continue mainly to improve the living environment of existing residential districts. Reclamation, road and drainage works at the central part and north-western part of Peng Chau are in progress. Reclamation, road and drainage works at Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island are also in progress. Construction of the north-eastern riverwall and site formation work adjacent to Lung Tin Estate in Tai O are scheduled for completion in mid-2002. In Cheung Chau Old Town, detailed design of the Stage 2 improvement works to existing roads and drains is in progress. Construction is scheduled to commence in mid-2003 for completion in mid-2006.