Page 4 - nt_tko_en

Historical Background

The early inhabitants of the area can be traced back to the 13th Century. Major
settlements, however, did not occur until the late 16th Century when small fishing
villages were founded. Hang Hau, which emerged into a market town, was
once the most populated and prosperous place in the whole of Clear Water
Bay Peninsula. The area remained in rural uses until the 1960s when
industrial activities flourished. Ship building, ship repairing,
ship breaking and steel rolling were the main industries
then. Other industries included manufacturing of non-
ferrous metal products and production of industrial
gases (Figure 2). Many of these industries
relied on marine access. They gradually
phased out or relocated in 1982 when
the Government approved the
development of Tseung
Kwan O as a New Town.

Figure 2: Former industrial activities in Tseung Kwan O
Figure 3: Tseung Kwan O New Town in the 1990s
In 1983, development of Phase I of the New Town to accommodate
an initial population of about 175 000 was formally endorsed. In
1986, the Government decided to proceed with the construction
of the Tseung Kwan O Tunnel linking up Kowloon East and the
New Town. The tunnel provided scope for further increasing the
population of the New Town. To maximise the utilisation of the
road infrastructure and to meet the demand of land for public
housing, the Government in 1987 proposed Phase II development
which made Tseung Kwan O with a total planned population Figure 4: Tseung Kwan O New Town in 2018
of 325 000. To cater for redevelopment of the Tiu Keng Leng
Cottage Area and to provide land for development of Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate and deep waterfront
industries, the Government in 1988 decided to further proceed with Phase III development of the New Town
with another additional population of 125 000. The planned population will reach 450 000. Population
intake into the New Town started in 1988 (Figures 3 and 4).

To cater for traffic demand generated from the New Town development, the Tseung Kwan O Tunnel was
open in 1990. The Mass Transit Railway Tseung Kwan O Line, incorporating four new stations, namely Tiu
Keng Leng, Tseung Kwan O, Hang Hau and Po Lam, were open in August 2002. The fifth station LOHAS
Park started operation in July 2009.

3