Town of 90,000 planned for rural Yuen Long areas

The largely rural Kam Tin South and Pat Heung areas in Yuen Long will become a suburban township with a population of more than 90,000 under the government's latest housing plan.

Details emerged at a meeting of the Town Planning Board yesterday at which members were split over the blueprint.

While some expressed concern over changes to the rural lifestyle and the integration of urban and rural settlements in the district, others hoped there would be good transport for the new town and sufficient job opportunities for residents there.

"It is inevitable to develop rural areas … just like Sha Tin was turned from agricultural land into today's new town," said board member David Lui Yin-tat, who supported the plan.

Another member, Ivan Fu Chin-shing, had reservations. "It seems our colleagues consider that development is the fundamental priority … But in recent years many citizens don't buy the old development model any more."

The proposal was drawn up by the Planning Department, after it conducted a study of 785 hectares of land surrounding Kam Sheung Road Railway Station and the adjacent Pat Heung Maintenance Centre.