Tai Po Development - HKU Libraries

The main objectives of the development plan are:
• to provide a site for a new public housing estate for
approximately 11,000 persons;
• to provide more sites for private commercial/residential
development;
• to allow in-filling development to take place within the
town boundaries;
• to make adequate reservations for essential Government,
Institution and Community uses as well as local open
space development; and
• to reserve sufficient sites for light industrial
development and service industries.
To achieve these aims, a development strategy has been
formulated and a network of packages of engineering
works programmed which include the formation of sites
within the development area and the provision of roads
and drainage connections to building sites.
Since most of the hills nearby are either mainly well-wooded
or carefully kept clear of squatter or burial activities, the
development plans do not propose to affect them. Instead,
borrow areas have been identified at Tai Tong, 4 km to the
south of the town, where suitable fill material will be
obtained and taken in to bring the building sites up to
formation level. In order that no ugly scars are left
unheeded in the countryside, funds have been set aside
and plans have been drawn up for landscaping work to be
carried out afterwards.
Transport
As the town develops, a system of roads will be
constructed. A network of footpaths, cycle tracks, subways
and footbridges has been planned to provide safe
connections between the various areas of development.
As well as maintaining the existing system of internal
roads, a number of pedestrian precincts will be developed
to ensure that shopping streets are reasonably
segregated from unnecessary vehicular traffic.
Sites have also been reserved for off-street car parks which
may be converted to multi-storey development, should the
need arise.
Housing
A public housing estate to accommodate 11,000 people is
planned near Shui Pin Wai at the north-western part of the
town. This is in addition to another site in the eastern part of
the town which has already been developed and occupied.
Most of the high density residential/commercial areas of
the town have already been developed. It is estimated that
the total area of building land for private residential use,
will eventually accommodate 60,000 persons.
To allow for some mixture of residential properties, about
11 hectares of building land for medium and low density
residential development are also provided at the southwestern
part of the town to attract the higher income group.
Industry
At present there is about one hectare of industrial land at
the north-eastern corner of the town, adjacent to the
existing public housing estate. A few multi-storey flatted
factories have been erected here, andThese presently
provide jobs for the local people.
Further north of this is an area of flat land totalling
about 23 hectares which is mainly used for fish ponds.
This area is zoned for industrial uses.
A block of government-constructed flatted factories is
located at the eastern edge of the existing built-up area of
the town.
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