To the poor people of Tin Shui Wai, more shops, markets and commercial developments would have meant more jobs close to home.
This could have been the difference between survival and desperation in the 'City of Sadness', a place with a long history of family tragedies and abuse.
But a secret deal between the colonial government and a consortium - dubbed 'unimaginable by today's standards' by one academic - has, in effect, limited the number of such outlets to this day to ensure that businesses in government buildings did not pose too much competition to those in the district's sole private estate, Kingswood Villas.
Though officials said the agreement was cancelled in 2002, the limits on proper zoning and town planning had been imposed. The undisclosed deal also raises questions whether there might be other secret agreements being kept from the public over the years that might have an impact on today's city planning.
The town of 273,800 residents has more than 9 per cent unemployment, the highest in Hong Kong. They face long and expensive trips to work elsewhere, if they can find jobs.
Under a private memorandum signed between the pre-handover government and developer Mightycity Company, now owned by Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong (Holdings) and China Resources, commercial developments in the government buildings are not allowed to compete with the private shops in any way that would damage their viability.