PUBLIC opposition to further harbour reclamation has forced the Government to delay the release of a key territory-wide development plan while it carries out additional studies.
Principal Government Town Planner Dr Ted Pryor said a review of the Territory Development Strategy would be complete in the summer, about five months later than planned.
The review was started in 1990, but Dr Pryor said more time was needed to complete two reports. One will look at the benefits and problems of concentrating development along the waterfront. The other will consider similar issues in the New Territories.
'The question of harbour reclamation has been a hot topic. We have taken stock of the comments which have been made. The intention now is to look at two extremes. One would be a harbour-biased strategy up to 2006. The other one would be New Territories-biased,' Dr Pryor said.
The public would have more time to comment and their opinions given greater weight, he said, admitting public views had often been ignored in the past.
'We will allow time for comments which previous programmes hadn't really taken into account. We realise there are fundamental issues which the public needs to know about. We need to get views from professional groups and academics,' he added.