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Geographical Context

Sha Tin New Town (Figure 1) is located in the eastern part of the New Territories to the north of Kowloon.
It occupies an area of about 6 940 hectares (ha) bounded by hill ranges in the east, south and west
including Ma On Shan, Buffalo Hill, Tate's Cairn, Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Golden Hill, Needle Hill and
Grass Hill, and by the Tolo Harbour in the north. Shing Mun River flows across Sha Tin in a southwestern
to northeastern direction into Sha Tin Hoi. The valley areas and the lowland flood plain have provided
opportunities for human settlement.

Sha Tin New Town comprises the Sha Tin and Ma On Shan areas as well as the adjacent rural areas. The
Sha Tin area is located in the lowland and valley areas. The Ma On Shan area adjoins the Sha Tin area at
Tai Shui Hang and stretches northeastward along the eastern coast of Sha Tin Hoi to as far as Nai Chung.

Sha Tin New Town is one of the first generation New Towns in Hong Kong. The development of Sha Tin
New Town began with a population of about 20 000 in 1973. According to the Hong Kong 2021 Population
Census, the total population of Sha Tin and Ma On Shan New Towns was about 698 100.

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