Tuen Mun New Town 屯門新市鎮 | |
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Etymology: Tuen Mun | |
Nickname(s): Tuen Mun Town, Castle Peak New Town | |
Coordinates: 22°23′30″N113°58′38″E / 22.39163°N 113.9770885°E | |
Country | Hong Kong |
District | Tuen Mun |
Founded | 1966 |
Area | |
• Total | 22.6 km2 (8.7 sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+8 (Hong Kong Time) |
source for area size: [1] |
Tuen Mun New Town | |||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 屯門新市鎮 | ||||||||
Cantonese Yale | Tyùhn mùhn sān shíh dzan | ||||||||
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Tuen Mun New Town (formerly Castle Peak New Town),commonly referred to simply as Tuen Mun,is a satellite town of Hong Kong. It is one of the new towns that were developed by the Hong Kong Government in the New Territories from the 1960s. It was built around the existing rural local centre of Tuen Mun (a.k.a. Castle Peak),which has since been referred to as the Tuen Mun Kau Hui and the Tuen Mun San Hui. The new town covers most of the urban area of Tuen Mun District.
The initial plan for Tuen Mun New Town can be traced to a report by consulting firm Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick &Partners in 1959. At that time the project was known as Castle Peak. [2] : 147 The history of settlement in Tuen Mun can be traced back 6,000 years. [3] : 6 The area was part of a larger region which was leased from the Qing Empire to the British Empire in 1898 for 99 years as part of the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory. The colonial government,faced with overcrowding resulting from large numbers of immigrants from China as well as natural increase,embarked on various new towns projects to create large housing developments to house the rapidly growing population. [2] : 146 [4]
Construction of the new town started in 1966. [5] In the next year,the government reclaiming 29 acres (12 ha) of land near an area known as "Tuen Mun San Hui" (Chinese :屯門新墟; Jyutping :Tyun4 Mun4 San1 Heoi1; Cantonese Yale :Tyùhn Mùhn Sān Hēui;lit.'Tuen Mun new market'). [2] : 150 San Hui was considered as a market township of the area at that time,which was a market centre for the surrounding area. [6] Further reclamation was carried out in Castle Peak Bay,among others,until the late 1960s. The government also levelled the hillside area to obtain land for the town during that period. [2] : 150 J. M. Wigglesworth,a senior planning officer of the government,has stated that choosing coastal sites is partially due to land tenure rights in the New Territories. Thus the government preferred land reclamation. [4] : facing page 57
In 1973,the new town project was renamed Tuen Mun New Town. [2] : 151 Rumour has it that the town was renamed because Castle Peak was more famous for a psychiatric hospital which was named after the area. [2] : 153
The major construction works,such as land reclamation,underground drainage,electricity infrastructure,and roads were completed in 1974. [2] : 150 However,the last sale of the land lease of the new town by the government won't carried out until 2019. [7]
The first public housing estate of the new town was San Fat Estate. It was completed in 1971.
Tuen Mun New Town,as of 1971,was 20 miles (32 km) by road and 15 miles (24 km) by sea from Kowloon. [4] There was little chance of flood at that time. [4] The new town is situation in the valley between Castle Peak and Tai Lam hill [ sic ] [2] : 154 (should be Kau Keng Shan). Before the development,it was a major fishing port with a land-based population of 22,500 people. [4] Studies suggested that the area should be developed into a satellite city of 1 million population. [4] As of 2011 census,whole Tuen Mun District,which covers Tuen Mun New Town and other urban and rural areas,had a population of 487,546 people. [8]
The development model is constructed around a town centre. [2] : 154 The town is also served by multiple lines of the Light Rail.
According to the early draft of the new town,the settlement was designed to have land allocated for industrial use,which would provide employment to residents, [2] : 153 [4] however this did not eventuate. As Hong Kong transformed into a service-oriented economy,only 30% of residents in the western New Territories (including the Tuen Mun,Yuen Long,and Tin Shui Wai New Towns) worked locally,according to 2011 census. [9] In 2019,some industrial buildings of the new town applied to be rezoned for commercial use. [10] However,it was also reported that due to the opening of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge,some industrial buildings were rented by logistic companies in 2018. [11] A number of logistics companies also expressed interest in land leases near the River Trade Terminal in 2018. [12]
The road infrastructure of the town to other areas of Hong Kong relies on Tuen Mun Road and Castle Peak Road,as well as roads to northern Yuen Long District. Until the opening of the West Rail in 2003,local residents suffered from traffic congestion on Tuen Mun Road and Castle Peak Road. However,as of 2019,the railway line also reached its capacity and the government had planned new road to connect the town to the CBD via the site of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision project. [13] Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Link was opened in 2020.
Tuen Mun Ferry Pier serves as the pier for the town to connect to Mainland China,and Macau,as well as local destinations such as Lantau Island. In the past it also had scheduled ferries to Hong Kong Island.
The boundary and land uses of the town are still regulated by Tuen Mun Outline Zoning Plan. The government still periodically updates the plan. The first plan was approved by Governor-in-Council in 1967. [4] : 52 As of 2018,the statutory boundaries of the town are "the ridges of Castle Peak to the west,Lam Tei Interchange of Castle Peak Road to the north,and Tai Lam Country Park to the east. To the southeast the area extends to Siu Lam Interchange of Tuen Mun Road,while to the southwest it extends to Tap Shek Kok." [1] In 2017,the local council rejected the government's plan to convert some land from "government,institution and community" use or "open space" to residential. [14]
The town centre was designed to have public library,education centre,theatre,convention and exhibition hall,arts museum,as well as government building that connects to commercial buildings,which house supermarkets,banks and other shops that provide daily needs. [2] : 154 In a history book edited by Lau Chi-pang (Chinese :劉智鵬; Jyutping :Lau4 Zi3 Paang4) and Liu Shuyong (Chinese :劉蜀永; pinyin :LiúShǔyǒng; Jyutping :Lau4 Suk6 Wing5),they give a positive review on the town planning,which they describe the Tuen Mun town centre is the "centre of gravity" (Chinese :重心) of the town:
今天看來,當初的規劃的確陸續得以實現,市中心確實是屯門的重心。
In 1971, the section of the town that encompassing the existing market town San Hui was considered as the most-valuable land for high-rise private residential use. [4] : 60 These residential area are designated as Tuen Mun Area 10, 11 and 13 in the OZP, which they are bordering one to another. Area 11 also accommodated the planned town centre.[ sic ] [4] : 60 Tuen Mun Area 34, due west to Area 11 and 13, was designed to be an open space. [4] : 62 Area 34 is now known as Tuen Mun Park. [15] News reports also consider residential blocks of the Trend Plaza , Kam Wah Garden, Tuen Mun Town Plaza and Waldorf Garden are the four major residential estates of the town centre. [16] In urban zoning, they were located at the aforementioned Area 11, as well as on a small strip of Area 37 of the Tuen Mun OZP. [15] Another private residential estate, Tuen Mun Centre (Chinese :屯門中心大廈), is situated at Area 10, which also marked as the site of the San Hui. [15] Another land lease, Tuen Mun Town Lot №513, which was sold by the government in 2014, was also considered as next to the town centre and the railway station by the real estate critics. [17]
Nowadays, near to the Tuen Mun railway station, are Tuen Mun Town Hall, Tuen Mun Public Library, Tuen Mun Clinic, Tuen Mun Government Offices, Tuen Mun Law Courts, Tuen Mun Park, as well as shopping centres such as V City, The Trend Plaza Shopping Arcade, Tuen Mun Town Plaza shopping centre, as well as pentahotel Tuen Mun, etc. [18] Those public facilities were mostly located in Area 11 as well as Area 37, while the V City and its associated residential blocks, are located in Area 10. [15] The railway station itself is located above the river, which divides Area 10 to Area 9. [15]
Some constituencies of the Tuen Mun District Council serve the new town, although the boundaries of the constituencies differ from the boundaries of the urban planning OZP. The executive branch of the district-level government, the Tuen Mun District Office of the Home Affairs Department, is located on the second floor of Tuen Mun Government Offices, [19] a building located within the new town at 1 Tuen Hi Road.
Tuen Mun District is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. As of 2021, it had a population of 506,879. Of these, 64,000 are under the age of 18. Part of the district is the Tuen Mun New Town, which contains one of the largest residential areas in the New Territories.
Tuen Mun Road is a major expressway in Hong Kong which connects Tuen Mun with Tsuen Wan, within the New Territories. It is part of Hong Kong's Route 9, which circumnavigates the New Territories. Opened in 1978, it was once the major trunk route linking the northwest New Territories to urban Kowloon and is known for its frequent traffic jams and road accidents owing to its early design and heavy usage. As a result, speed limits have been enforced to 70–80 km/h (45–50 mph) due to geometric constraints.
Castle Peak or Pui To Shan (杯渡山) is a 583-metre (1,913-feet)-high peak in western New Territories, Hong Kong. It is also the highest granitic hill in Hong Kong.
Sai Kung Town, or simply Sai Kung, is a town on the Sai Kung Peninsula facing Sai Kung Hoi in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Sai Kung is the central hub of nearby surrounding villages, and, hence the name, may also refer to the areas in its immediate surroundings.
Tuen Mun or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka fishermen who gathered at Castle Peak Bay. Tuen Mun is now a modern, mainly residential area in the north-west New Territories. As of 2011, 487,546 residents live in Tuen Mun.
Tuen Mun Ferry Pier (屯門碼頭), or Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal, is a public pier located in the southern area of Tuen Mun, Hong Kong.
Yuen Long New Town is a new town in the northwest New Territories, Hong Kong. It was developed from the traditional market town of Yuen Long Town (元朗市) from the late 1970s onwards.
Lam Tei is an area in the Tuen Mun District of the New Territories, Hong Kong. The region lies at the north end of Tuen Mun city. It is highly rural, with Miu Fat Buddhist Monastery being a landmark of the region.
Tai Hing Estate is the second public housing estate and the oldest existing public housing estate in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong. There are 8,602 flats on the estate with capacity to house 21,100 people.
Tuen Mun Park, formerly known as Tuen Mun Town Park, is located in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. It is the largest town park in the New Territories, covering 12.5 hectares.
Tuen Mun Ferry Pier is an MTR Light Rail terminus located at ground level inside Pierhead Garden, Tuen Mun Ferry Pier, Wu Chui Road in Tuen Mun, Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong. It began service on 18 September 1988, and belongs to Zone 1. It serves Tuen Mun Ferry Pier and nearby residential buildings.
Tuen Mun San Hui more commonly known as just San Hui (新墟) is an area of Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong and is a major food market and commercial quarter in the district. In urban planning, it is part of Tuen Mun New Town.
Yau Oi Estate is a public housing estate in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong near Light Rail Yau Oi stop. It was the third public housing estate built in Tuen Mun between 1980 and 1981 on reclaimed land of Castle Peak Bay. Consisting of 11 residential blocks, it was the largest single subsidized housing development in Hong Kong, with 9,153 units and a population of more than 35,000.
Kin Sang Estate is a public housing estate in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is the eleventh public housing estate in Tuen Mun, located near Light Rail Kin Sang stop, Ching Chung Koon and Castle Peak Hospital. It consists of four residential buildings completed in 1989. In 1998, some of the flats were sold under Tenants Purchase Scheme Phase 1.
The following is an overview of public housing estates in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, including Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), Private Sector Participation Scheme (PSPS), Sandwich Class Housing Scheme (SCHS), Flat-for-Sale Scheme (FFSS), Subsidised Sale Flats Project (SSFP), and Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) estates.
The Hong Kong government started developing new towns in the 1950s to accommodate Hong Kong's booming population. During the first phase of development, the newly developed towns were called "satellite towns", a concept borrowed from the United Kingdom, of which Hong Kong was a colony. Kwun Tong, located in eastern Kowloon, and Tsuen Wan, located in the south-west of the New Territories, were designated as the first satellite towns, when the urban area in Hong Kong was still relatively small, restricted to the central and western parts of Kowloon Peninsula and the northern side of Hong Kong Island. Wah Fu Estate was also built in a remote corner on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, with similar concepts but at a smaller scale.
The Tuen Mun Rural Committee is a rural committee in Hong Kong. It was founded by rural leader Chan Yat-sen in 1953 with representatives from 29 villages in Tuen Mun. Today the rural committee consisted of 36 villages and 69 village representatives.
Tamão was a trade settlement set up by the Portuguese on an island in the Pearl River Delta, China. This was the first time Europeans reached China via the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope. The settlement lasted from 1514 to 1521, when the Portuguese were expelled by the Ming dynasty navy.
A16 is an MTR station on the Tuen Ma line to be constructed elevated on the bank of Tuen Mun River at the current site of Tuen Mun Swimming Pool in Tuen Mun Area 16. The construction of the station is gazetted as part of the Tuen Mun South extension by the Hong Kong Government in January 2022. The station is expected to open for service in 2030.