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Content
> Public Inspection and Comment
> Locations for Public Inspection
> Environmental Impact Assessment
Ordinance Register Office > Environmental
Impact Assessment Ordinance Website > Consultation
with the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE) > Sharing
the Spirit of Environmental Protection... Involving the Community...
Reaching
out to the public...
an open, transparent process
Preserving the
environment for the future requires active participation from the
community. By keeping the public well informed, the EIA Ordinance
succeeds in raising awareness of the need for environmental protection
and also achieves a consensual balance between the needs of the
community and the needs of the SAR's natural surroundings.
With the Ordinance,
obtaining views and opinions from the public, the Advisory Council
on the Environment and other stakeholders became a statutory step
for the first time in the EIA process. The goal of public participation
is to collect community input on proposed projects before a final
decision is reached. The objective is to involve the public at large
as an integral part of the planning and decision-making process.
To meet this challenge, the following procedures were established
to deliver efficient public involvement and interaction with stakeholders.
Public
Inspection and Comment
Beginning
with the Project Profile...
The first opportunity
for the public and the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE)
to be involved in the statutory EIA process comes at an early stage.
Public input is sought on the project profile before an EIA study
brief is issued by the Director of the Environmental Protection
Department, or before permission is given to the applicant to apply
directly for an environmental permit.
The public
is informed about the application and the availability of
the project profile through an advertisement, which must be
placed by the applicant in two widely circulated newspapers
(one Chinese and one English) on the day following the lodging
of the application. The Director also forwards a copy of the
project profile to the ACE at the same time.
After reviewing
the project information provided by the profile, any person can
comment on environmental issues covered by the Technical Memorandum
within 14 days of the advertisement by sending the public comment
form via on-line facilities, by post or fax to the EIA Ordinance
Register Office at the following address:
The
EIA Ordinance Register Office
Environmental Protection Department
27th floor, Southorn Centre,
130 Hennessy Road,
Wanchai, Hong Kong
Fax. No. 2147 0894
Newspaper clipping of a project profile advertisement |
Public comment form |
Members of the public inspecting project information
at the EIA Ordinance Register Office. |
A Second Opportunity
with the EIA Report...
After the submission
of an EIA report that meets the requirements of the EIA study brief,
the applicant is required to advertise the availability of the EIA
report and make it available at specified locations for the public
and the ACE to comment for a period of 30 days and 60 days respectively.
During the 30-day
public inspection period, the applicant must advertise the availability
of the EIA Report once every 10 days. The first advertisement is
placed on the day following the placement of the Report at locations
required by the Director; the second advertisement is placed 10
days after the first advertisement; and the third advertisement
is placed 10 days after the second advertisement.
The
public can similarly send their comments using on-line facilities
or by post or fax to the EIA Ordinance Register Office using the
public comment form.
EIA Report |
Tsuen Wan Environmental Resource Centre,
at Tak Wah Park |
Wan Chai Environmental Resource Centre
at Queen's Road East |
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