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Figure 2: Sha Tin New Town in the old days

Figure 3: Sha Tin New Town in present

Historical Background

Since the early years, Hong Kong has been beset by a lack of suitable building land. The New Territories,
largely mountainous countryside, contained limited areas of flat land around the older settlements and
the development was largely constrained by the Kowloon foothills to the south and by the lack of major
public utility services.

In October 1972, the Government launched a large-scale housing programme with an aim to providing
adequate housing for 1.8 million people by mid-1980s. More than half of the new housing was planned
to be provided in the new towns. Sha Tin, Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan were the first generation new towns
designated by the Government. The Government's decision to develop new towns in the New Territories
was the first planned attempt to overcome the physical barrier of the Kowloon foothills.

People lived and farmed in Sha Tin since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) during which the village of Tai Wai
was founded. The flat ground of the valley was extremely fertile, and according to legend, rice produced
there used to be taken to Beijing for the Emperor's table.

Although Sha Tin is situated not far from northern Kowloon, which is linked by roads and rails, the area
remained largely rural until the 1970s.

The first statutory plan for Sha Tin was prepared by the Town Planning Board in 1961. This plan provided
for a population of 360 000 with a density of up to 750 persons per ha. Sha Tin was seen merely as a
dormitory suburb of Kowloon at that time, although a limited amount of industrial land was proposed.

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