8.                         LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL IMPACT

8.1                      Introduction

8.1.1                 This Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment is prepared to predict and judge the significance of the effect of the proposed reclamation works of Yau Tong Bay and decommissioning of ship building and repairing facilities at the marine lots that may have on existing landscape character and visual amenity of the area.  The EIA Study for the proposed comprehensive development will be covered in a separate EIA report submission.

8.1.2                 This project involves reclamation of Yau Tong Bay and amalgamation of the existing marine lots for the future Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) development.  The reclamation site is majority zoned as Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) on the Cha Kwo Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun Outline Zoning Plan No. S/K/15/13.  The population of the development on the proposed CDA is about 39,000 persons.

8.1.3                 A request for zoning of Yau Tong Bay CDA was submitted by Main Wealth Development Ltd on 1 August 1998 and approval in principle was given on 11 December 1998 by the Metro-Planning Committee of Town Planning Board.  In the aforesaid submission, the extent of the Yau Tong Bay Reclamation together with the boundary of Yau Tong Bay CDA were revised taking into account the coastal alignment of the proposed Western Coast Road (WCR) which runs from Tseung Kwan O to the South East Kowloon along the existing coastline.

8.1.4                 Recently, the proposed alignment of WCR is under review, and there are two different options for the WCR, one is the original coastal option and the other is the tunnel option.  For the tunnel option, the extent of reclamation will be reduced as the extra land reclaimed for construction of WCR are no longer required.

8.1.5                 As the proposed alignment of WCR is still uncertain at the present moment, in this EIA study, the landscape and visual impact of the aforesaid two different reclamations will both be assessed and are named as follows:

Reclamation Option 1 -   Yau Tong Bay Reclamation based on the Western Coast Road - Tunnel Option.  In this option, the total project area is about 21.5 hectares and the area of reclamation is limited to 12 hectares approximately (Figure 8.1A and 8.4A).

Reclamation Option 2 -   Yau Tong Bay Reclamation based on the Western Coast Road - Coastal Option.  In this option, the total project area is about 28.5 hectares which comprises 9.6 hectares of Yau Tong Bay Marine Lots, 0.55 hectare government lots and 18 hectares reclamation.  The reclamation works consists of 14.2 hectares of Yau Tong Bay and 3.8 hectares seabed areas of the existing marine lots (Figure 8.1B and 8.4B).


8.1.6                 The following work elements are included in this project:-

(i)      Reclamation of Yau Tong Bay

ii)      Construction of seawall

iii)     Diversion of existing drainage outfall and provision of new stormwater drainage system.

iv)     Provision of new sewerage system.

v)      Decommissioning of all the marine lots which have the potential history of land contamination due to ship building and repairing facilities.

vi)     Demolition of existing building structures; and

vii)    Associated temporary works.

8.1.7                 This study will assess the nature and extent of landscape and visual impact arising from the construction and operation of the aforesaid proposed reclamation works and decommissioning of ship building and repairing facilities at Yau Tong Bay on the surrounding sensitive receivers and the environment.  Both Reclamation Option 1 and Reclamation Option 2 will be assessed, and the worst-case scenarios or conservative assumptions will be considered where appropriate.

8.1.8                 Landscape and visual impact assessment is not an objective science but is based upon a structured and systematic evaluation of the predicted impacts advised by professional judgment and experience.

8.1.9                 Landscape impacts are impacts on the intrinsic fabric (i.e. natural landform, vegetation, geology, drainage ... etc) and indirectly upon the character of the landscape; that is, upon the combination of natural and man-made components that go together to give a landscape its specific identity.

8.1.10              Visual impacts are impacts upon the views of the landscape of individual viewers (receivers), and it involves the identification of receivers who will be affected by change to a given view (be they be residents, those working in the landscape, those travelling through it or using it as a recreational resource) and an assessment of the impacts of that change.


8.2                      Government Legislation, Guidelines and Planning Policy

8.2.1                 The following are the relevant documents which related to this landscape and visual impact assessment:-

a)    Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap 479).

b)    Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process Annex 10 and Annex 18.

c)    Environmental Impact Assessment Study Brief No. ESB-0010/1998 issued by EPD for the captioned project..

d)    Central and East Kowloon Development Statement (CEKDS)

e)    Draft Cha Kwo Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan (Plan no.: S/K/15/13).

f)     Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment.

8.2.2                 The requirement for and approach to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is specified under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO).

8.2.3                 The Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process, which is issued under Section 16 of EIAO, has set out the principles, procedures, guidelines, requirement and criteria for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).  The approach to landscape and visual impact assessment is laid out in Annex 18 of the aforesaid Technical Memorandum.

8.2.4                 The EIA Study Brief further set out the purposes and objectives of the EIA Study, the scope of key environmental issues which shall be addressed, and the requirements that the EIA Study shall be fulfilled.

8.2.5                 The planning policy and guidelines for future development at Yau Tong Bay are contained in the "Central and East Kowloon Development Statement" (CEKDS), Draft Cha Kwo Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan and Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment, and these documents will be reviewed and discussed in the later section.

8.3                      Assessment Methodology and Criteria

8.3.1                 The assessment methodology and criteria for landscape and visual impact is based on Annexes 10 and 18 of the Technical Memorandum, and it includes the following items:

Baseline Review

a)    The baseline review describes the existing landscape and visual character of the study area and provides a benchmark against which the significance of change to landscape and visual resources can be assessed.  This has been carried out by desktop study as well as site investigation.

b)    The landscape character of the study area is based on a review of the existing key landscape features such as topography, landform, vegetation cover and land use.  From this, the overall landscape character is established and its sensitivity to change being assessed.

c)    The visual baseline review is defined by a visual envelope which in turn defines the scope of the visual impact assessment.  The visual impact assessment is mainly focused on visual sensitive receivers and agreed key viewpoints around the study area.  The highest visual sensitive receivers are usually considered to be the existing and future committed residential developments.

d)    A review of the planning and development control framework has also been undertaken in order to appreciate the role of the study area within a larger context.

Landscape and Visual Impacts

a)    An assessment of impacts during construction and on completion has been made including an indication of their significance and magnitude.

b)    Landscape impact assessment is concentrated on the level of disturbance to the landscape resources and landscape character within the study area balanced against their sensitivity to change.  The magnitude and significance of the impact have been predicted in this report.

c)    Visual impact assessment will be mainly on visual compatibility and visual obstruction.  Views from the visual sensitive receivers are indicated and impacts from key viewpoints are illustrated by photomontages.  A key map (Figure 8.10) has been provided to identify the location and direction of these view points.

Recommendation on Mitigation Measures

a)    Mitigation measures are proposed to reduce and attenuate the landscape and visual impacts if necessary. 

b)    Proposal on enhancement or improvement of landscape resource and visual quality will also be made.

       In general, inherent mitigation measures, which are incorporated into the proposed work through careful design and consideration of all the possible impacts, are the most significant in reducing landscape and visual impacts, while additional mitigation measures, such as screen and hoarding are only effective to those viewing the site from a very close distance.

Criteria for Assessment of Landscape and Visual Impact

8.3.2                 The significance of an impact depends primarily on the sensitivity of the receiver and the magnitude of the change itself.

a)     Sensitivity

The potential sensitivity of a landscape element as a receiver depends on several factors including:

·       Whether the element is rare or common;

·       Whether the element constitutes an area of particular landscape interest e.g. a prominent ridgeline or woodland;

·       Whether the element is of statutory importance e.g. landscaped green belt; and

·       Whether the element is of cultural interest e.g. fung shui woodland;

·       Whether the element is associated with sensitive landscape designations;

·       Whether the element is associated with cultural and heritage significance; and

·       Maturity and quality of the element.

The potential sensitivity of a visual receiver is primarily related to whether a person is at work, at play or at rest.  Visual receivers may be broadly classified into 4 groups as follow:

·       Those who view the impact from their home are considered highly sensitive as the attractiveness or otherwise the outlook from their home will greatly affect their perception of the quality and acceptability of their home environment and their general quality of life;

·       Those who view the impact from their workplace are considered only medium sensitive as the attractiveness or otherwise the outlook will have a less important, although still materially affect their perception of their quality of work.  The degree to which this    applies depends on whether the workplace is industrial, retail or commercial.  In general, for industrial work place, the sensitivity is considered as low;

·       Those who view the impact whilst taking place in an outdoor leisure activity may display varying sensitivity depending on the type of leisure activity.  In general, the football/basketball players are less concerned on the quality of their surrounding than hill walkers, and their sensitivitives are considered as low.

·       Those who view the impact whilst travelling on a public thoroughfare will also display varying sensitivity depend on the speed of travel and whether the views are continuous or occasional.

In addition to above, the rating of the sensitivity of visual receiver would also be affected by the quality of existing view, availability of alternative view of the receivers and population size of the receiver group.

b)     Magnitude

The magnitude of a landscape or visual impact will depend on several factors including:

·       The nature of the development;

·       The size and scale of the development / project;

·       The physical area of impact, both in absolute term and relative to its landscape and visual context;

·       The duration of the impact;

·       The distance of the impact from the viewer;

·       The visibility of the project;

·       The landscape context of the impact;

·       The visual context of the impact, and

·       Compatibility and reversibity of the impact.

In general, the significant impacts are assessed as high, moderate, low or negligible (these may be positive or negative impacts), and their relationship with the magnitude of change and sensitivity of the receptor can be summarized in the following paragraph:

c)     Matrix for assessment of significance of landscape and Visual Impact

Table 8.1 Matrix for Assessment of Significance of Landscape Impact

 

Sensitivity of Landscape Resource / Character

High

Medium

Low

Magnitude of

Change

High

High

High to Moderate

Moderate

Moderate

High to Moderate

Moderate

Moderate to Low

Low

Moderate

Moderate to Low

Low

 

Negligible

Low to Negligible

Low to Negligilbe

Neligible

 


Table 8.2 Matrix for Assessment of Significance of Visual Impact

 

Sensitivity of Viewer or Receiver Group

High

Medium

Low

Magnitude of

Change

High

High

High to Moderate

Moderate

Moderate

High to Moderate

Moderate

Moderate to Low

Low

Moderate

Moderate to Low

Low

 

Negligible

Low to Negligble

Low to Negligible

Negligible

Both positive and negative impact will be addressed in the assessment.

d)     The evaluation of landscape and visual impact may then be classified into five levels of significance based on the type and extent of the effects concluded in the EIA study:

·       The impact is beneficial if the project will complement the landscape and visual character of its setting, will follow the relevant planning objectives and will improve overall and visual quality;

·       The impact is acceptable if the assessment indicates that there will be no significant effects on the landscape, no significant visual effects caused by the appearance of the project, or no interference with key views;

·       The impact is acceptable with mitigation measures if there will be some adverse effects, but these can be eliminated, reduced or offset to large extent by specific measures;

·       The impact is unacceptable if adverse effects are considered too excessive and are unable to mitigate practically;

·       The impact is undetermined if significant adverse effects are likely, but the extent to which they may occur or may be mitigated cannot be determined from the study.  Further detailed study will be required for the specific effects in question.

8.4                      Baseline Review

Background

8.4.1                 The background and site context of Yau Tong Bay are briefly discussed as follows:-

Location (Figure 8.1A and 8.1B)

8.4.2                 The site is located at the southern portion of east Kowloon, and it is bounded by the Eastern Harbour Crossing to the north, future Yau Tong MTR Station and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment at the east and the Yau Tong Industrial Area to the south.  It has marine access at its western frontage toward Victoria Harbour.

Land Use (Figure 8.2)

8.4.3                 The existing marine lots are being used as shipyards, timber yards, sawmills, car repair workshop, concrete batching plant, godown and open storage.  There are a lot of barges and vessels occupied the bay for anchorage.  To the north and east of the site, site formation work for EHC Site and construction work for Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment and Yau Tong MTR Station are in progress, while to the south of the site, Yau Tong Industrial Area, there are medium-rise industrial buildings.  Due to the recent re-zoning of land use at Yau Tong Industrial Area from industrial to commercial and residential use, 3 nos. lots near Sze Shan Street and Cho Yuen Street have already got Town Planning Board's approval to be redeveloped as commercial / residential development with 35 storeys to 45 storeys high, hence, the land use at Yau Tong Industrial Area will likely be gradually change to commercial / residential use in future.

Drainage

8.4.4                 There are two stormwater drainage outfalls discharged into the bay.  One is 2440mm x 2440mm stormwater box culvert discharge from the east and a 1500mm dia. stormwater drain discharge from the south.

Existing Site Conditions

8.4.5                 The existing marine lots are formed from previously reclaimed land and these lots are occupied by low-rise buildings, such as shipyard, timber yards, sawmills, ... etc.  Some of these buildings are in poor conditions and converted into godowns and open storage.  There are only a few trees found within these marine lots beside the road.  There are many barges and vessels occupied most part of the bay, and fences and boundary wall were built along Cha Kwo Ling Road and Ko Fai Road to fence off these marine lots from public pavement.  There is no public access to the waterfront, and the waterfront is mostly degraded.

Landscape

8.4.6                 Landscape impacts are assessed against both landscape resources and landscape character, and the baseline conditions for both of these issues are listed out below.

Landscape Resources (Figure 8.7)

Topography

8.4.7                 The site is a U-shape bay recessed from the Victoria Harbour with sloped hill to its north and eastern side and with previously reclaimed land to its south.  Both the existing marine lots and Yau Tong Industrial Areas are formed from reclaimed land, and the existing hill near the Eastern Harbour Crossing physically separates Yau Tong Bay from Kwun Tong and Cha Kwo Ling.  The existing marine lots are generally levelled ground, while the seabed is generally at -2mPD at the head of Yau Tong Bay and drops to a maximum of -11.39mPD at the mouth of Yau Tong Bay.  The sensitivity of topography to the proposed changes is considered low.

Coastline and Waterfront

8.4.8                 The existing coastline at Yau Tong Bay was formed by reclamation of land in 1960s, and the waterfront was occupied by the marine lots.  Vertical seawall was constructed at the waterfront, and jetties/slipways were formed at some of the marine lots for marine access, hence, it forms an irregular waterfront.  Since these marine lots are all fenced off by wall or metal fence, the waterfront is invisible and inaccessible by the public at present.  The sensitivity of coastline and waterfront is considered medium.

Bay

8.4.9                 Yau Tong Bay is recessed from the Victoria Harbour with bay area about 13 hectares and most of it is being occupied by vessels and barges as sheltered anchorage at present moment, while the remained area is left as marine access to various marine lots.  The sensitivity of bay to proposed changes is considered medium.

Vegetation

8.4.10              The site is only sparsely vegetated, most of the marine lots were hard paved with concrete and occupied by metal shed or low-rise concrete buildings.  Only a few number of mature trees (about 30 nos.) are found within these marine lots at Ko Fai Road and Cha Kwo Ling Road, while some shrubs and weeds are found in the vacant marine lots.  The conditions of these existing trees within the site boundary of Yau Tong Bay Development are fair in general. The sensitivity of the existing vegetation are considered low.  Summary of survey record of existing trees are shown on Appendix 8A.

Landscape Character (Figure 8.8)

8.4.11              Yau Tong Bay is located at the urban fringe of East Kowloon which is characterized as an industrial areas with shipyards and factories built along the waterfront, while some public housing estates are located at the hillside above Yau Tong Bay at Lei Yue Mun Road and Ko Chiu Road.  On a wider scale, it is at the transition from the urban landscape areas of Kwun Tong and Cha Kwo Ling at its north to the industrial landscape character area of Yau Tong and village type landscape character area of Lei Yue Mun to its south, while the Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan with public housing estates at Lam Tin and Ko Chiu Road at its east form the backdrop to Yau Tong Bay. The various landscape character areas are briefly discussed as follows:-

Kwun Tong

8.4.12              Kwun Tong is a well-established urban landscape character area in East Kowloon, and most of the buildings were built in 70's to 80's.  This area is characterized as a mixed industrial and residential area, most of the factories are medium rise buildings built along the waterfront formed from previously reclaimed land (Kwun Tong Industrial Area), while medium rise residential buildings with ground floor shops are located at the centre and residential buildings and high rise public housing estates are built at the hill side.  Due to the previous height restriction in the vicinity of former Kai Tak Airport, the buildings at waterfront and Kwun Tong centre are medium rise building of similar height.  Recently, some of the industrial buildings at Kwun Tong Industrial Area near Kwun Tong Road are being demolished and redeveloped into commercial / office buildings, and Kwun Tong Industrial Area is transforming from an obsolete industrial area to a business centre with modern commercial / office buildings.  This area is densely populated and there are only a few public open space within Kwun Tong.  The waterfront area is mainly used as cargo handling area and the elevated Kwun Tong Bypass which raised above the sea along the waterfront form a dominant feature at the waterfront.  The scenic value for this area is low and its sensitivity to change is considered low.

Cha Kwo Ling

8.4.13              Cha Kwo Ling is a recently developed urban landscape character area in East Kowloon.  It is separated from Kwun Tong by an open nullah at its north and from Yau Tong Bay by the existing hill (Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine) and Eastern Harbour Crossing Tunnel to its south. This area is characterized by squatter areas at the foot of Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine along Cha Kwo Ling Road and residential area by the recently built medium rise private housing development Laguna City (which was built in early 90's on the previously reclaimed land).  In addition to Laguna Park, the former Sai Tso Wan landfill site with dense vegetation and the Cha Kwo Ling quary site (which currently used a temporary LCSD depot) form the public open space within this area, while the waterfront beside Cha Kwo Ling is used as public cargo working area without public access to the waterfront.  The scenic value of this area is low and its sensitivity is considered medium.

Yau Tong Bay and Yau Tong

8.4.14              Yau Tong Bay is characterized as an industrial landscape area while Yau Tong is a mixed industrial and residential landscape area.  Yau Tong Bay is flat and is an industrial area in character and of low scenic value.  Low rise industrial buildings, steel and timber sheds were built within these marine lots around Yau Tong Bay.  Except few mature trees found at Ko Fai Road and Cha Kwo Ling Road, and some shrubs and weeds found at the vacant lots, there is virtually no vegetation within these existing marine lots, and most of the land is hard paved with concrete.  The bay area is presently used by barges for loading, unloading and anchorage, and most of the bay area is occupied by barges and vessels with some remaining areas for marine access.  The waterfront is mostly degraded and there is no public access to the waterfront.

8.4.15              Yau Tong Industrial Area to the south of Yau Tong Bay is mainly an industrial area formed on previously reclaimed flat land.  With exception of Yau Tong Centre which is a medium size residential development, all the other buildings are medium rise industrial buildings.  Sam Ka Tsuen Recreational Playground is the only public open space within Yau Tong Industrial Area.

8.4.16              Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment Area to the east of Yau Tong Bay is mainly a residential area.  The previous Yau Tong Estate is a public housing estate built on the slope above Yau Tong Bay. At present, all the housing estates were demolished and construction activities are being carried out on site for Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, the whole development comprises 5 phases which are targeted to be completed from year 2001 to 2006.  These new residential buildings are all high-rise building with 40 storeys high behind the future Yau Tong MTR Station which is being constructed near Cha Kwo Ling Road on eastern side of Yau Tong Bay.

8.4.17              In general, the landscape of Yau Tong Bay, Yau Tong Industrial Area and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment are of low scenic value due to dominance of barges/vessels and steel/timber sheds at Yau Tong Bay marine lots, factories and industrial buildings at Yau Tong Industrial Areas and construction activities at Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment Area, and their sensitivitives to change are considered low.

Lei Yue Mun

8.4.18              Lei Yue Mun is characterized as a village type landscape area.  Low-rise village type buildings were built at the foot of Devil's Peak to form the Lei Yue Mun Village while the Sam Ka Tsuen typhoon shelter is located at the waterfront and is occupied by fish boats.  The Sam Ka Tsuen typhoon shelter is at present being actively used by the fishermen.  The scenic value of this area is moderate and its sensitivity to change is considered medium.

Lam Tin, Ko Chiu Road, Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan

8.4.19              Lam Tin and Ko Chiu Road is recently being developed into an densely populated residential area at mid level of hill above Yau Tong.  Many Public Housing Estates were built which included Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Tak Tin Estate, Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Pak Court, Hong Nga Court, Hong Shui Court, Ko Chun Court and Ko Yee Estate, and most of these new residential buildings were about 40 storeys high and it virtually formed a wall of buildings surrounding Yau Tong Bay.  The slope between Lam Tin, Ko Chiu Road and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment Area are densely covered with vegetation and it formed the green belt in between the aforesaid areas.

8.4.20              Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan with a height of 305mPD and 248mPD respectively formed the major hill behind Yau Tong Bay. The ridgeline raise from Lam Tin toward Black Hill and then down toward south (between Hong Pak Court and Ko Chun Court) and then raise again to Chiu Keng Wan Shan and then down toward south and then raise again to Devil's Peak on eastern side of Lei Yue Mun village.  The ridge is naturally wooded except at the area between Hong Pak Court and Ko Chun Court where site formation works were being carried out to form the access road to a private residential development (Ocean Shores) at Tiu Keng Leng.  The view of ridgeline was partially breached by the public housing estates of Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Pak Court, Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, Ko Chui Road Estate Redevelopment and Lei Yue Mun Estate Development.

8.4.21              On a wider scale, Yau Tong Bay is surrounded by Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine to the north, Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan (with the Public Housing Estates) to the east and Yau Tong Industrial Area to the south.  The combined skyline of the surrounding land form and buildings creates a sense of enclosure within the Bay Area.

8.4.22              Although Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan form a green drop to the east of Yau Tong Bay, the landscape is in general of moderate scenic value due to the dominance of many high rise public housing estates built at the mid level of these hill, and its sensitivity to change is considered medium.

Visual Baseline

8.4.23              The project's visual baseline is established by reference to the extent of its visibility, to its visual amenity, the character of key views and by the views of visual receivers at various location.

Visual Envelope (Figure 8.9)

8.4.24              The visual envelope of the development is defined by that area from which any part of the development can be seen in various place.

8.4.25              In general, the human eye can distinguish significant detail within 5km radius, while beyond this distance, the detail becomes blurred.

8.4.26              Since Yau Tong Bay is recessed from Victoria Harbour and is surrounded by existing hill at its three sides, so it can only be visible from the following locations:-

·           Sceneway Garden – upper. storeys only as the hill on southern side of Eastern Harbour Crossing blocks part of the views.  In future, upon completion of the residential development at EHC site, all these views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked.

·           Lam Tin Estate - upper storeys only.  All these views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked upon completion of residential development at EHC site.

·           Ping Tin Estate - middle to upper storeys.  All these views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked upon completion of residential development at EHC site.

·           Kwong Tin Estate - upper storeys only as most of the views toward Yau Tong Bay are blocked by Hong Pak Court.  All these views toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked in near future by Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment which is already under construction.

·           Hong Nga Court - middle to upper storeys.  All these views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked by the residential development at EHC site in future.

·           Hong Pak Court and Hong Shui Court - middle to upper storeys.  These views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked by Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment and residential development at EHC site.

·           Ko Chun Court - upper storeys only.  The view toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked in near future by the Ko Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment which are already under construction.

·           Ko Yee Estate - upper storeys only.  The view toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked in near future by the Ko Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment which are already under construction.

·           Yau Tong Service Reservior Playground.  All the views toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked in the near future by the Yau Tong Estate development which is already under construction.


·           Industrial buildings facing Ko Fai Road.

·           Future Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment.

·           1 no. of future school at Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment.  The view toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked by residential development at EHC site.

·           Po Chiu College.

·           St.Antonius Primary School.  The view toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked by residential development at EHC Site.

·           Future Yau Tong MTR Station.

·           Future Residential Redevelopment at EHC site.

·           Future School (3 nos.) at EHC site.

·           Quarry Bay Park at Hong Kong Island.

·           Future Lei Yue Mun Estate Development - upper storeys only.

·           Future Residential Development and a school village at Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine site.

·           Future Residential Redevelopment and CDA Redevelopment at Yau Tong Industrial Areas – Upper storeys only.

8.4.27              The locations of the visual sensitive receivers (VSRs) are also indicated on Figure 8.9.

Key Views (Figures 8.10 to 8.18)

8.4.28              The key views of the site can be summarized into the following groups:-

i)     View at high level from residential buildings on north and eastern side of the site which include Sceneway Garden, Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Hong Nga Court, Hong Pak Court, Ko Chun Court, Ko Yee Estate and Yau Tong Service Reservoir Playground (see Figure 8.13, 8.14 and 8.15).  These views are about 500m from the site.  In these views towards Victoria Harbour, the foreground is composed by the construction site of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, the middle distance by the industrial buildings at Ko Fai Road, the shipyards and timberyard buildings of marine lots, numerous vessels and barges at Yau Tong Bay and Victoria Harbour, and the background by Eastern part of Hong Kong Island. The construction site of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC site and Yau Tong MTR Station form the visual distracter to these views. The visual amenity of these views is low.

ii)    View from Industrial Buildings along Ko Fai Road at south eastern side of the site and views from the future ‘CDA’ and ‘R(E)’ Redevelopment at the Yau Tong Industrial Area. (see Figure 8.11).  The existing buildings at marine lots together with the barges and vessels form the visual distracters for the views toward Yau Tong Bay.  The visual amenity of these views are low.

iii)   View from Cha Kwo Ling Road at eastern side of the site which include future residential development at EHC site, future Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, Relocated Po Chiu College and St. Antonius Primary School, and future Yau Tong MTR station (see Figures 8.12 and 8.13).  Due to its closest distance to the site, the existing timber yards, shipyards... etc form the prominent part of these views and the visual quality of these views is considered low.

iv)    Views from Hong Kong Island across Victoria Harbour which include Quarry Bay Park (see Figure 8.17) and Shek Kei Wan. These views are about 1500m from the site.  Due to the fact that Yau Tong Bay is recessed from the Victoria Harbour, so it is only visible from eastern side of Hong Kong Island.  There are lots of barges and vessels occupied most of the bay area, and the month of Yau Tong Bay is visually blocked by these vessels.  With exception of the existing medium rise Wing Shan (Agincourt) Industrial building, the other marine lot buildings are less visible from this view. The existing high-rise housing estates at mid level like Lam Tin Estate, Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Pak Court, Ko Yee Estate, the constructed tower blocks of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, Ko Chui Road Estate Redevelopment and Lei Yue Mun Estate Development together with Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan formed the visual background.  These vessels and barges at month of Yau Tong Bay detract the quality of the views toward Yau Tong Bay.

8.5                      Review of the Planning and Development Framework

8.5.1                 The following plans and planning studies are considered to be related to the Yau Tong Bay Development:-

a)    "Central and East Kowloon Development Statement" 1998 (CEKDS).

b)    "Cha Kwo Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan" (OZP).

c)    "Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment" 1992.

8.5.2                 The above documents are being reviewed so as to identify the design consideration on Yau Tong Bay and its adjacent areas, and the main points are summarized below.

"Central and East Kowloon Development Statement" 1998

1)    The CEKDS stated that under the Outline Master Development Plan (OMDP), Yau Tong/Cha Kwo Ling has been identified as a potential development node on account of the following considerations:-

·       the proposed siting of a high capacity MTR interchange station as part of the proposed new Tseung Kwan O Line extension connecting with the existing Kwun Tong Line;

·       the opportunity to redevelop obsolete sites in the area, including Yau Tong Bay and the site east of the Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC) portal and the Kaolin Mine Site at Cha Kwo Ling; and

·       the proposed road infrastructure in the area, namely the Western Coast Road (WCR).

2)    The proposed redevelopment of Yau Tong Bay would achieve the following:-

·       Utilize the existing obsolete sites for residential development in responded to the need for additional housing in the Territory;

·       Remove air, noise and water pollution emitters within the site; and

·       Environmental upgrading of the waterfront by provision of public access to the waterfront.

Cha Kwo Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) (Figure 8.3)

1)      Yau Tong Bay is included within the draft Cha Kwo Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan (Plan no.: S/K15/13).  The proposed site is covered by the zonings 'CDA', 'I' and 'GIC'.  Follow the approval of rezoning request for Yau Tong Bay Development by Town Planning Board on 11 December 1998.  Supplementary information was submitted to Town Planning Board to apply for the incorporation of the proposed reclamation boundary into the draft OZP.  Having considered the changing planning circumstances and the uncertainty in provision of transport infrastructure in the East Kowloon, the Board agreed that it is premature to incorporate amendments to the Yau Tong Bay “Comprehensive Development Area” zone into the Outline Zoning Plan for public inspection for the reasons that :

        additional information is required to substantiate that the public benefits arising from the proposed extension of reclamation limit would outweigh the preservation of this part of the harbour for the purpose of complying with the “presumption against reclamation principle” in the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance; and

        further discussion with concerned Government departments is required to address the interface of the development for the Yau Tong Bay “CDA” with the proposed WCR and to establish a level of development which is sustainable in planning, urban design, traffic and environmental terms; and that sufficient public facilities would be provided as part of the proposed development.

2)     The OZP specified that the Yau Tong Bay Marine Lots together with the adjoining proposed reclamation area and Yau Tong Industrial Area are proposed to be developed in a comprehensive manner for residential, commercial and community uses.

3)     The Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine (CKL site) and a site to the east of Eastern Harbour Crossing Portal (EHC Site) are zoned as "Residential (Group A) 4" and "Residential (Group A) 5" respectively for public housing development in future.  Both of these sites are located at north of Yau Tong Bay. The proposed completion year of EHC site development is by year 2004 to 2006.

4)    The Yau Tong Estate Site to the east of Yau Tong Bay is zoned as "Residential (Group A)" for Public Housing Re-development.  The construction work of Yau Tong Estate re-development are in progress at present, Phase 1 has recently been completed and Phase 2, 3 & 5 are expected to be completed by end of year 2002, while the latest phase (Phase 4) will be completed by year 2004.

5)        The industrial lots at Yau Tong Industrial Area at south of Yau Tong Bay are re-zoned to "Commercial", “Comprehensive Development Area” and "Residential (Group E)" to encourage future redevelopment of these lots from industrial use to commercial and residential use.  It will help to upgrade the environmental quality of Yau Tong as a whole.

6)        3 nos. of Industrial Lots at Yau Tong Industrial Area have already got Town Planning Board's approval to be redeveloped to Commercial / Residential development.  The lot at 15 Sze Shan Street will be redeveloped to a 45 storeys high commercial / residential building, the lot at 19 Sze Shan Street will be redeveloped to a 40 storeys residential building, while the lot at 6 Cho Yuen Street will be redeveloped to a 39 storeys commercial / residential building.

Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment - 1992

1)     The Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment prepared in 1992 is intended for the “CDA” zone currently shown on the OZP.

2)     The planning brief has set out the planning parameters including environmental, engineering and other factors that developers have to consider in the detailed planning and implementation of Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment.

3)     Although the “CDA” boundary of this EIA Study is based on the re-zoning boundary which agreed by Town Planning Board at its meetings on 11/12/1998, and the reclamation boundary is larger than the original “CDA” zone of this planning brief.  However, the planning intention of this planning brief is still valid and are discussed below.

4)     According to the endorsed Metroplan Selected Strategy, the site is designated as a comprehensive development area mainly for private sector commercial/residential and associated community uses.

5)     The site is envisaged to play four important roles:-

·       To meet new demand for private housing in the Metropolitan area;

·       To serve as a 'solution space' for redressing the shortfalls of district open space and community facilities in its hinterland;

·       To create a community focus for the Yau Tong and Lei Yue Mun area; and

·       To provide land for an additional road access to Tseung Kwan O, i.e., the proposed Western Coast Road (WCR) - Coastal Option.

4)     The Planning Brief has also specified that an urban design and landscape framework should be formulated with due regard to the principles and concept set out in the Metroplan Urban Design Statement and with a view to:

·       Creating a community focus for the Yau Tong Area;

·       Promoting strong visual and functional integration of the site and its adjoining areas;


·       Promoting high quality and high standard residential layout and building design;

·       Addressing the industrial/residential and road/residential interface problems;

·       Ensuring visually prominent developments are of approximate scale and treatment in relation to the harbour;

·       Enhancing physical and visual access to the water's edge;

·       Providing a coherent pedestrian circulation system;

·       Providing an integrated open space system and high quality landscape treatment; and

·       Provide 20m wide waterfront promenade.

8.5.3                 Based on the above documents, it is noted that the proposed reclamation work of Yau Tong Bay have gained Government's support from urban planning point of view as it will eventually upgrade the environmental quality of Yau Tong by removal of the existing shipyards, timber yards, sawmills, concrete batching plant, godown and open storage.

8.5.4                 Part of the reclaimed land at Yau Tong Bay will form district open space for the resident, and the newly formed waterfront may become waterfront promenade for enjoyment of harbour view and recreational use by the public.

8.5.5                 The major planning guidelines for the development are to provide an integrated open space system with adjacent open space in Yau Tong/Cha Kwo Ling, and to enhance physical and visual access to the waterfront.  These issues will be due with in the Master Layout Plan and Landscape Plan design for the proposed comprehensive development.

8.5.6                 For Reclamation Option 2, the provision of reclaimed land for construction of Western Coast Road (WCR) in front of Yau Tong Bay has an additional advantage of reduction in the proposed raised road level of the Western Coast Road as marine access to Yau Tong Bay would not be required.  It, in term, will minimize WCR's impact to the sensitive receivers viewed from Hong Kong Island and to the future residential development at Yau Tong Bay.  While for Reclamation Option 1 with WCR Tunnel Option, the extent of reclamation will be reduced and will help to minimize the environmental impact to the Victoria Harbour.

8.5.7                 In general, the boundary of proposed reclamation work has conformed to the above requirement by provision of reclaimed land for residential development, district open space, construction of Western Coast Road (WCR) (Reclamation Option 2 only) and waterfront promenade.

8.6                      Landscape Impact Assessment

8.6.1                 Reclamation of Yau Tong Bay is basically a reclamation project which involves reclamation of land within Yau Tong Bay, and decommissioning of all the existing marine lots.  Therefore, it has minimum impact on the existing landscape landform and vegetation.

8.6.2                 Since the project is creating a new landscape in the area, the assessment of the adjoining land uses and landscape feature are required to assess the compatibility of the new landscape with the existing areas.

8.6.3                 Moreover, due to the proposed reclamation, the existing coastal area along Cha Kwo Ling to Lei Yue Mun will be affected by the project, and the sensitivity of the landscape framework such as coastline and its ability to accommodate change are reviewed.

8.6.4                 In general, landscape impacts are assessed as a function of the magnitude of change and the sensitivity of the landscape resource or landscape character.  Landscape sensitivity is a measure of the ability of the landscape resource or character to accommodate change without prejudice to the quality of that resource or character.

8.6.5                 The potential impacts during the construction phases are identified as follows:-

·           Loss of the bay area

·           Formation of new coastal line and sea wall

·           Land filling and dumping

·           Demolition of existing buildings at marine lots

·           Loss of existing trees and vegetation within the site

·           Diversion of existing drains and construction of new box culvert

·           Construction of infrastructure e.g. access road and underground utilities

·           Preloading mount formed for surcharge of reclaimed land

8.6.6                 The potential impacts during the operation phases are identified as follows:-

·           Loss of the bay area

·           Loss of existing trees and vegetation within the site

·           Extension of reclaimed flat land for future development

·           Removal of existing buildings within site.  Since some of the owners of YTML have not reached an agreement with the Joint Ventures at present, the existing buildings at YTML 1, 2-4, 25-27, 73 and 74 might remain

Impact on Landscape Resource during Construction Phase

8.6.7                 The predicted potential impacts to the landscape resources are discussed in Table 8.3.

8.6.8                 The sensitivity of topography is generally low, so despite the magnitude of impact is considered high due to an additional 12 hectares of land formed by reclamation for Reclamation Option 1 or 18 hectares of land formed by reclamation for Reclamation Option 2, the overall impact during construction phase is moderately negative.

8.6.9                 Due to the present intrusion of irregular jetties at various areas along the waterfront and the existing condition of waterfront is considered degraded, hence, the sensitivity of coastline and waterfront at Yau Tong Bay is generally medium.  The magnitude of change for re-alignment of the future waterfront due to reclamation works is considered high as it will formed a straight waterfront which caused moderate negative impact during construction phase.  The impact could be minimized by careful design of the alignment of waterfront to create interest point and well coordinated construction activities during construction of seawall.

8.6.10              The sensitivity of the bay is considered medium as most of the existing bay area is being occupied by barges/vessels with few space left for marine access only.  The impact is considered moderate negative during construction phase as about 12 hectares of bay area for Reclamation Option 1 or 18 hectares of the bay area for Reclamation Option 2 will be loss. 

8.6.11              With exemption of a few mature trees (about 30 nos.) found within the marine lots near Ko Fai Road and Cha Kwo Ling Road, only shrubs and weeds found in the vacant lots.  The quality of the existing vegetation is low and its sensitivity is considered low.  Hence, the reclamation works will only caused low negative impact to the existing vegetation.  The impact would be minimized by provide proper protection to these mature trees during carried out demolition works and transplantation of the aforesaid mature trees to the future landscape area upon completion of the superstructure construction works.

8.6.12              According to Figures 8.5A and 8.5B, the proposed reclamation works would encroach part of Victoria Harbour and both reclamation options are subjected to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance.  However, since most of reclamation works are confined within Yau Tong Bay and the proposed future coastline are in general follow a straight line from Kwun Tong to Lei Yue Mun without any major projection into Victoria Harbour, the width of Victoria Harbour will only be slightly reduced for Reclamation Option 2, while the width of Victoria Harbour will not be affected for Reclamation Option 1.  In general, it will create a moderate to low negative impact to the existing coastline for Reclamation Option 1, and moderate negative impact to the existing coastline for Reclamation Option 2.

8.6.13              With reference to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance and Figures 8.5A and 8.5B, the proposed reclamation limit for Reclamation Option 2 (i.e. WCR coastal option) is less desirable as it involves a greater area of reclamation than Reclamation Option 1, and it will create relatively greater negative impact to the existing coastal line.

 


Table 8.3          Summary of Landscape Impact for Reclamation of Yau Tong Bay

Landscape Resources

Source of Landscape Impact

Sensitivity of Resource

Magnitude of Change

Impact Significance

Mitigation Measures

Residual Impact

 

 

 

During Construction

During Operation

During Construction

During Operation

 

 

Topography

Formation of reclaimed flat land within the bay (about 12 hectares of reclamation for Option 1 and about 18 hectares reclamation for Option 2)

Low

High

Moderate

Moderate Negative

Low Negative

Non-possible.  Hydro seeding to be provided if the lapse time between commencement of comprehensive development and the completion of reclamation is over one year.

Low Negative

Coastline and Waterfront

Re-alignment of coastline and waterfront to a straight line

Medium

High

Moderate

Moderate Negative

Moderate Negative

Careful design of alignment of waterfront to create interest and a sloped seawall to be formed facing Victoria Harbour.

Low Negative

Bay

Loss of existing bay area (about 12 hectares of bay area for Reclamation Option 1 and about 18 hectares of bay area for Reclamation Option 2)

Medium

High

Moderate

High to Moderate Negative

High to Moderate Negative

Non possible

 

High to Moderate Negative

Vegetation

Loss of Existing Vegetation (small quantities of shurbs and weeds only)

 

Low

Low

Low

Low Negative

Low Negative

Preservation & protection of existing mature trees of high amenity value to be retained on site or transplanted to nursery if these trees conflict with the construction work.. Early implementation of landscaping work for waterfront promenade

Low Negative

 


Table 8.4    Summary of Visual Impact Assessment for Reclamation of Yau Tong Bay

Type & Location of Receiver

No. of Receiver

Source of Visual Impact

Distance to the Site

Duration & Direction of View

Mitigation Measures

Magnitude of Change

Impact Significance

A)         Residential

 

 

 

 

 

During Construction

Upon Operation

During Construction

Upon Operation

Lam Tin Estate,

Ping Tin Estate*

(Medium sensitivity)

Few

Construction activities

 

700m

Constant

- only those facing site

 

Reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Low

Negligible

Low Negative

Negligible

Sceneway Garden*

(Medium sensitivity)

Few

Construction activities

900m

Constant

- only those facing site

 

Reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Low

Negligible

Low to Negligible Negative

Negligible

Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Nga Court

& Hong Pak Court*

(Medium sensitivity)

Many

Construction activities and loss of bay view

 

500m

Constant

- only those facing site

Reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Low

Negligible

Low Negative

Negligible

Ko Chun Court &

Ko Yee Estate*

(Medium sensitivity)

Few

Construction activities

 

500m

Constant

- only those facing site

Reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Low

Negligible

Low Negative

Negligible

Future Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment

(High sensitivity)

Many

Construction activities and loss of bay view

 

50m

Constant

- only those facing site

Colour hoarding and reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea. Hydroseeding of reclaimed land

Moderate to Low

Moderate to Low

Moderate Negative

Moderate Negative

Future EHC Site & Future Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine Site

(High sensitivity)

Many

Construction activities and loss of bay view

 

50m

Constant

- only those facing site

Colour hoarding and reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Moderate to Low

Moderate to Low

Moderate Negative

Moderate

Negative

Note *  The view toward Yau Tong Bay for existing resident of Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Sceneway Gardens, Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Nga Court, Hong Pak Court, Ko Chun Court and Ko Yee Estate and recreational users at Yau Tong Service Reservoir will be fully blocked by the housing blocks of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC Site Development and Ko Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment (Phase 3 & 5) in year 2006.  While the view toward Yau Tong Bay for Ko Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment St. Antonious School and 1 no. future school at Yau Tong Estate will be fully blocked by Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment.

 


Type & Location of Receiver

No. of Receiver

Source of Visual Impact

Distance to the Site

Duration & Direction of View

Mitigation Measures

Magnitude of Change

Impact Significance

B)        Occupational

 

 

 

 

 

During Construction

Upon Operation

During Construction

Upon Operation

Industrial Building facing Ko Fai Road

(Low sensitivity)

 

Many

Construction activities and demolition works

(Low magnitude of change)

50m

Daytime

- only those facing site

Colour hoarding and reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Moderate

Low

Moderate to Low Negative

Low Negative

Relocated Po Chiu College and St. Antonius Primary School

(Low sensitivity)

Few

Construction activities and loss of bay view

(Moderate magnitude of change)

250m

Daytime

- only those facing site

Colour hoarding and reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Moderate

Low

Moderate to Low Negative

Low Negative

3 nos. schools at EHC site

(Low sensitivity)

 

Few

Construction activities and loss of bay view

(Moderate magnitude of change)

50m

Daytime - only those facing site

Colour hoarding and reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Moderate

Low

Moderate Negative

Low Negative

 

C)        Recreational

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yau Tong Service Reservoir*

(Low sensitivity)

Few

Construction activities and loss of bay view

(Low magnitude of change)

400m

Daytime

Reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Low

Negligible

Low Negative to Negligilbe

Negligible

Quarry Bay Park

(Medium sensitivity)

Many

Construction activities

(Low magnitude of change)

 

1500m

Daytime

None possible

Low

Negligible

Low Negative to Negligible

Negligible


D)   Travellers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yau Tong MTR Station

(Low sensitivity)

Many

Construction activities

(Moderate magnitude of change)

50m

Intermittent

Colour hoarding

Low

Low

Low Negative

Low Negative

Cha Kwo Ling Road

(Low sensitivity)

Many

Construction activities

(Moderate magnitude of change)

 

50m

Intermittent

Colour hoarding

 

Negligible

Negligible

Negligible

Negligible

Future Western Coast Road - Coastal Option

(Low sensitivity)

Many

Construction activities

(Moderate magnitude of change)

50m

Less than 1 min.

None possible

Low

Negligible

Low Negative

Negligible

Ko Fai Road

(Low sensitivity)

Few

Construction activities

(Moderate magnitude of change)

50m

Intermittent

Colour hoarding

Negligible

Negligible

Negligible

Negligible

Pik Wan Road and Ko Chiu Road

(Low sensitivity)

Few

Construction activities and loss of bay view

(Low magnitude of change)

400m

Intermittent

Colour hoarding and reclamation work sequence from land toward the sea

Negligible

Negligible

Negligible

Negligible

Travellers in the Harbour (Low sensitivity)

Few

Construction Plant

Varies

Short Duration

Orderly position of construction plant

Negligilbe

Negligible

Negligible

Negligible

 


Table 8.5     Schedule of Funding, Implementation and Maintenance of Proposed Mitigation Measures

Landscape and Vidual Mitigation Measures

Funding by

Implementation Management

Maintenance Agents

        Incorporation of landscape design input to the design of the seawall in advance to improve the interface between land and sea and maximize recreational use of the promenade.

        Careful design of the seawall and sea formation works to minimize the restriction on the design of planting and building structure for the promenade e.g. pavilion and tee pits along the seawall.

        Slope seawall to be formed facing Victoria Harbour to create a more natural waterfront.

        Preservation and retention of existing mature trees of high amenity value on site.

        Transplanting of existing mature trees if necessary.

        Developer

        Consultancy Team to ensure these design mitigation measures are incorporated into the construction drawing.

        The actual work will be carry out by Contractor.

        Contractor.

        After completion of the contract work, term contractor will be appointed by the developer to maintain these mitigation    measure.

        Control of night time lighting.

        Erection of decorative screen, hoarding /  covered walkway around the site.

        Minimizing the height of temporary buildings.

        Sequence of reclamation work to be commenced from marine lots toward the sea.

        Provide hydro-seeding to the reclaimed land if the site is idle for more than one year after completion of reclamation work.

        Developer (included in contract sum of Reclamation Work)

        Management Team of Contractor.

        The Consultancy Team will check and     monitor the contractor’s work to ensure that       these mitigation measures are properly carry       out by contractor.

        Contractor

        After completion of the contract work, term contractor will be appointed by the developer  to maintain these mitigation measures.


Impact on Landscape Character During Construction Phase

8.6.14              The existing landscape quality of Yau Tong Bay is considered to be low.  The factories, timber and steel sheds built at the marine lots are generally in a poor conditions, the waterfront is degraded and fenced off from the public by wall and metal fences, and the bay area is always occupied by numerous barges and vessels for loading/unloading activities and anchorage purpose.

8.6.15              At present, Site Formation activities is just being carried out at East Harbour Crossing Portal (EHC) site to the north of Yau Tong Bay, and construction activities for Yau Tong MTR Station and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment are in progress, and the construction activities will all be completed by year 2006.  These construction activities have worsened the landscape quality of Yau Tong.

8.6.16              The scenic value of the Yau Tong Industrial Area to the south of Yau Tong Bay is also considered low due to the dominance of the factories.  Hence the overall sensitivity of Yau Tong and Yau Tong Bay to the proposed reclamation works is generally medium.

8.6.17              The magnitude of change on demolition of existing old timber/steel sheds and factories at the marine lots is considered low and it will only caused low negative impact, while the removable of barges and vessels within the bay will bring a slight positive impact to the landscape quality.

8.6.18              The construction activities which included reclamation works, demolition work and infrastructure work will result in worsening of the current landscape quality.  However, considering the current situation that construction works are being carried out around Yau Tong Bay, the impact of reclamation work on the local landscape is in general only low negative as most of the work will be carried out near sea level / ground level.

8.6.19              On a wider scale, the impact of proposed reclamation works to the landscape character Areas of Kwun Tong, Cha Kwo Ling, Lei Yue Mun, Lam Tin, Ko Chiu Road, Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan vary and depend on its sensitivity and compatibility to the proposed changes.

8.6.20              Kwun Tong is a densely developed urban area with low sensitivity, it is relatively far away from Yau Tong Bay and the magnitude of change due to the reclamation works is considered negligible, hence, the proposed reclamation works would only have negligible negative impact to its landscape character.

8.6.21              Cha Kwo Ling is recently developed urban area with medium sensitivity, however, since the construction activities are mainly carry out at sea level and the magnitude of change due to the reclamation works is considered low, the proposed reclamation works would have low negative impact to its landscape character.

8.6.22              Lei Yue Mun is a village type landscape area with medium sensitivity, however, the proposed reclamation works is far away from Lei Yue Mun and the magnitude of change due to the reclamation works is considered negligible, hence, it would have low to negligible negative impact to its landscape character.

8.6.23           Lam Tin, Ko Chiu Road, Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan are of medium sensitivity, it is quite far away from Yau Tong Bay, and the magnitude of change due to the reclamation works is considered low, hence, the proposed reclamation works would only have low negative impact to its landscape character.

8.6.24           Due to the reduction in extent of reclamation works for Reclamation Option 1, the negative impact to the landscape character for Reclamation Option 1 will be slightly less than Reclamation Option 2 during construction phase.

Impact on Landscape Resource and Landscape Character during Operational Phase

8.6.23              In general, the proposed reclamation works has a moderate to low negative impact to the landscape resource and landscape character temporarily, however, in long term, it would provide an improvement over the existing situation:-

a)    Removable of non-compatible land use such as ship yards, timber yards, concrete batching plant, open storage, car repairing workshop etc.

b)    Clearance of barges and vessels from the bay.

c)    Provision of land for future construction of waterfront promenade and public open space which will be pleasantly landscaped.

d)       Provision of land for construction of Western Coast Road (Reclamation Option 2 only) so that the structure of Western Coast Road could be constructed at a lower level.

8.6.24              Since the extent of land reclaimed and loss of bay area for Reclamation Option 1 is less than Reclamation Option 2, the negative impact to the landscape resource and landscape character for Reclamation Option 1 is less than Reclamation Option 2.

8.7                      Visual Impact Assessment

8.7.1                 Visual Impacts are assessed against two main aspects.  These are the key views of the site, as well as the viewers who will be affected.  Visual impacts are defined as a function of the sensitivity of a receiver and the magnitude of the change to that receiver's view.

8.7.2                 The assessment of visual impacts is structured by receiver's sensitivity.  Receivers are identified through the definition of the development's visual envelope (i.e. the area within which views of the development are possible, see Figure 8.9).

8.7.3                 For the purpose of this study, receivers have been grouped into the following categories:-

Residential     -   who would view the scheme from their home

Occupational -   who would view the scheme from their workplace

Travellers      -   who would view the scheme from vehicles or on foot

Recreational -   who would view the scheme while engaging in recreational activities


8.7.4                 The sensitivity of receivers to visual impacts are influenced by the immediate context of the viewers, the activity in which they are engaged and the value that they attach to this location in particular, the quality of existing view, availability of alternative view of the receivers and population size of the receiver group.  Receivers are categorized as being of high, medium or low sensitivity to visual impacts.  (Please refer to section 8.3.2).

8.7.5                 The sensitivity for various visual sensitive receivers (VSRs) the proposed changes are assessed as follows:-

·           The sensitivity of the resident of Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate and Sceneway Garden are considered medium as they are far away from the site (more than 500m), and Yau Tong Bay only constitute a minor portion of their view toward Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.

·           The sensitivity of the resident of Hong Nga Court, Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Pak Court, Hong Shui Court, Ko Chun Court and Ko Yee Estate are considered medium as they are not far from the site, and Yau Tong Bay constitute a part of their view toward Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.

·           The sensitivity of the resident of Future Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment are considered high as they are close to Yau Tong Bay and it constitute a major part of their view toward Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.

·           The sensitivity of the resident of Future EHC site residential development are considered high as they are close to Yau Tong Bay and it constitute a major part of their view toward Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.

·           The sensitivity of the student and teachers at the 1 no. of future schools at Yau Tong Estate and 3 nos. of future schools at EHC site are considered low as most of the time they are concentrated at the internal environment of the school.

·           The sensitivity of the workers at industrial buildings facing Ko Fai Road are considered low as they are mostly concentrated at their working environment within the building.

·           The sensitivity of the student and teachers at the relocated Po Chiu College and St. Antonius Primary School are considered medium as most of the time they are concentrated at the internal environment of the school.

·           The sensitivity of the public at Yau Tong Service Reservoir are considered low as their view toward Yau Tong Bay only constitute a minor portion of their views, and most of the view are being blocked the residential towers of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment.

·           The sensitivity of the president of Future Lei Yue Mun Estate are considered medium as Yau Tong Bay only constitute a part of their view toward Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.

·           The sensitivity of the resident of Future Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine site are considered high for those units facing Yau Tong Bay, while it is medium for other units as their major view are either toward Victoria Harbour or EHC site.

·           The sensitivity of receivers from residential redevelopment and CDA redevelopment at Yau Tong Industrial Area are considered medium as their major views are toward Victoria Harbour.

·           The sensitivity of the public at Quarry Bay Park are considered medium as the view of Yau Tong Bay constitute a part of the overall view of East Kowloon Peninsula.

·           The sensitivity of travellers at Yau Tong MTR Station, Eastern Harbour Crossing, Cha Kwo Ling Road, Pik Wan Road, Ko Chiu Road, Ko Fai Road and future Western Coast Road are considered low as the duration of their views toward Yau Tong Bay are short and intermittent.

8.7.6                 The criteria used to determine the change of a view are affected by the following factors:-

·           The nature of the development / project

·           The size and scale of the development / project

·           The visibility of the project

·           The duration of the impact

·           Value of existing views

·           Degree of change to these views

·           Distance of receivers from the scheme.

·           Availability and amenity of alternative views

·           Compatibility and reversibility of the impact

8.7.7                 The potential impacts during the construction phases are identified as follows:-

·           Clearance of barges within the bay

·           Dredging activities at mouth of Yau Tong Bay

·           Land filling and dumping

·           Drilling of bore piles

·           Construction of sea wall and box culvert

·           Temporary works

·           Presence of construction machinery

·           Demolition of existing buildings at marine lots

·           Movement of construction traffic

·           Construction activities on provision of infrastructure

·           Combined effect of construction activities in the adjacent sites

·           Erection of temporary noise barriers of 3m to 5m high along site boundary adjoining Cha Kwo Ling Road and Ko Fai Road

8.7.8                 The potential impacts during the operation phases are identified as follows:-

·           Reclaimed land with preloading soil

·           Loss of portion of bay view

·           Removal of existing buildings at marine lots.  (the existing buildings at YTML 1, 2-4, 25-27, 73 and 74 might be remain)

·           Hoarding and covered walkway surrounding the site

8.7.9                 Since all the reclamation works will be carried out at sea level, hence, despite the fact the proposed reclamation works and associated construction activities are quite large in scale, the magnitude of change to those sensitive receivers far away from the site or view at low level would be low or negligible.  While for those view the site from a high level, the magnitude of change is considered moderate.

8.7.10              The degree and extent of the visual impacts that will result from the reclamation work is highly dependent upon the degree to which development of adjacent lots has progressed by that time.

8.7.11              According to the preliminary programme for proposed reclamation work, it will commence in year 2004 and be completed by year 2007.

8.7.12              Based on the present information, the status of development for adjacent lots are as follows:

a)    Residential Development at EHC Site

·        Phase 1 and 2 of the development is targeted to be completed in year 2004, while the remaining phase will be completed in year 2006.

b)    Yau Tong MTR Station

·        It will be completed by end of year 2002

c)    Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment

·        The residential blocks and 1 no. school are targeted to be completed from year 2001 to 2002, while the remaining commercial development will be completed by year 2006.

d)    3 nos. schools at EHC site

·        It will be completed in year 2004.

e)    Ko Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment

·        Remaining phase 3 & 5 will be completed in year 2002.

f)     Lei Yue Mun Estate Development

·        Phase 1 of the development will be completed in year 2002 while Phase 2 will be completed in year 2005.

g)    Residential Development at Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine Site

·        The construction programme is still not been fixed, and the preliminary target completion date is year 2006.

h)    Residential Redevelopment and CDA Redevelopment at Yau Tong Industrial Areas

·        The redevelopment programmes for these sites are uncertain at present moment.

8.7.13              The future passenger of Yau Tong MTR Station, future resident of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC site, and Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine Site, and student / teacher of 3 nos. school at EHC site and Po Chiu College would likely be affected by the proposed reclamation works of Yau Tong Bay. 

8.7.14              The summary of visual impact to various key views are summarized in Table 8.4 and illustrated by photomontages in Figures 8.16 and 8.18 for Reclamation Option 1 and Reclamation Option 2.

Visual Impact during Construction Phase (Figure 8.19)

8.7.15              The visual quality of the Yau Tong Bay is considered to be low, however, the construction activities will result in worsening of the current visual environment due to the presence of construction machinery and construction activities.

8.7.16              The impact to the future resident at Yau Tong Estate and Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine Site with a view toward Yau Tong Bay are considered moderate negative as they will experience the construction works at a close distances, and they will also be affected by views of construction activities.  However, since the construction activities are mainly confined to sea level or ground floor level, the magnitude of change is low.  While the impact to those resident with views away from Yau Tong Bay are negligible.

8.7.17              The impact to the future resident at EHC site (Phase 1 and 2) with a view toward Yau Tong Bay are considered moderate as they will experience the construction works at a close distances, and they will also be affected by views of construction activities.  However, since the construction activities are mainly confined to sea level or ground floor level, the magnitude of change is low.  While the impact to those resident with views away from Yau Tong Bay are negligible.

8.7.18              The impact to the student and teachers at 3 nos. of future schools at EHC site, 1 no. of future school at Yau Tong Estate, Po Chiu College and St.Antonius Primary School are considered as moderate negative to low negative as they are less sensitive to the visual environment outside.  The construction activities are mainly confined to sea level or ground level, and the magnitude of change is low.  The view toward Yau Tong Bay from St.Antonius Primary School and future school at Yau Tong Estate will be fully blocked by residential towers of EHC site in year 2006.

8.7.19              The impact to the industrial workers inside factories at Ko Fai Road is considered as moderate negative to low negative as they are less sensitive to the visual environment outside their work place.

8.7.20              The impact to the resident at Lam Tin Estate Sceneway Garden, Kwong Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Hong Nga Court, Hong Pak Court, Hong Shui Court, Ko Chun Court, Ko Yee Estate and recreational users at Yau Tong Service Reservoir are considered low negative due to their far distance from the site, and most of their views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked by Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment and Ko Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment (Figure 8.15 and 8.16) in year 2001.

8.7.21              The impact to the recreational users at Quarry Park at Hong Kong Island is considered negligible due to the far distance across the harbour, and the visibility is usually reduced by the hazy weather.  Moreover, the construction activities are carried out at sea level, so it is less visible from Hong Kong Island.  (Figure 8.17 and 8.18) and the magnitude of change is negligible.

8.7.22              The impact to the travelling receivers at Yau Tong MTR Station will be low negative as the duration is very short, while the impact to the travelling receivers at Eastern Harbour Crossing, Cha Kwo Ling Road, Pik Wan Road, Ko Chiu Road and Ko Fai Road is considered negligible since the magnitude of change to these receivers are negligible.

Visual Impact During Operational Phase (Figure 8.20)

8.7.22               For both Reclamation Option 1 and Reclamation Option 2, the difference in reclamation boundary during construction phase will constitute only slight different in magnitude of change to the visual sensitive receivers as the reclamation works at mouth of Yau Tong Bay are far away from them.

8.7.23              Upon completion of the proposed reclamation work, the visual quality of the whole environment will be slightly improved due to removal of existing visual distracters.  However, since a large piece of bare flat land is formed, the magnitude of change is considered moderate, and the visual impact is considered moderately negative to the resident of future Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC site and Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine site..

8.7.24              For Reclamation Option 1, the visual impact to the resident of future Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC site and Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine site are relatively less as compared to Reclamation Option 2 as the extent of reclaimed land is less and a bigger portion of Victoria Harbour would be seen.

8.7.25              For the other visual sensitive receivers, which included the student and teachers of schools, industrial workers, recreation users travellers around Yau Tong Bay, the magnitude of change during operational phase is considered low and the impact during operational phase of proposed reclamation works are in general low negative to negligible.

8.7.26              The impact to the existing residents at Lam Tin Estate, Sceneway Garden, Kwong Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Hong Nga Court, Hong Pak Court, Hong Shui Court, Ko Chun Court, Ko Yee Estate would be negligible as their views toward Yau Tong Bay will be completely blocked by housing blocks of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, Ko Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment and EHC site in year 2006.

8.7.27              The impact of operation phase of proposed reclamation works to the sensitive receivers, recreational users at Quarry Bay is negligible as the extent of reclamation for both Option 1 and Option 2 are not obvious while the removal of vessels and barges will contribute a slight positive effect.

8.8                      Recommended Mitigation Measures and Residual Impact

Mitigation Measures (Construction Phase)

8.8.1                 Recommended mitigation measures for impacts caused during the construction process are as follows:-

·           Preservation and protection of existing mature trees of high amenity value to be retained on site

·           Transplanting of existing mature trees if necessary

·           Control of night time lighting

·           Erection of decorative screen hoarding/covered walkway around the site

·           Minimizing the height of temporary buildings

·           Sequence of reclamation work to be commenced from marine lots toward the sea.

8.8.2                 However, in view of the large scale of the project and the number of machinery to carry out the work, the ability of the above proposal to mitigate the landscape and visual impacts will be limited.

8.8.3                 Proposal to enhance the visual and landscape quality during the construction phase are as follows:-

·           Incorporation of landscape design input to the design of the seawall in advance to improve the interface between land and sea and maximise recreational use of the promenade.

·           Careful design of the seawall and site formation works to minimise the restriction on the design of planting and building structure for the promenade e.g. pavilion and tree pits along the seawall.

·           Slope seawall to be formed facing Victoria Harbour to create a more natural waterfront.

8.8.4                 The above design aspect of the mitigation measures will be carry out by the consultancy team of Reclamation Work during the design stage to ensure these mitigation measures are well incorporated into the construction drawings.  While the actual work will be carry out by the Reclamation Work Contractor.

Mitigation Measures (Operational Phase)

8.8.5                 Mitigation Measures for the operational phases of proposed reclamation work is limited to colour hoarding/covered walkway.

8.8.6                 The most effective measure is to ensure that the construction work for proposed comprehensive development to be commence as soon so that it would minimize the visual impact of the large piece of bare reclaimed land.  According to the preliminary programme for Yau Tong Bay Comprehensive Development, the construction work for the proposed development will start after completion of surcharge period for the reclaimed land.  If the lapse time between the commencement of the comprehensive development and the completion of reclamation work is over one year, hydroseeding will be provide to minimize the negative landscape and visual impact.

8.8.7                 Construction of waterfront promenade to be implemented at earlier stage to allow for both Reclamation Option 1 and 2 to allow for establishment of planting, and to co-ordinate with the construction programme and activities of WCR (for Reclamation Option 2 - WCR coastal option only) so that the promenade could be open earlier for public use.

8.8.8                 The residual impact after the application of the above mitigation measures during the construction phase and operational phase are considered acceptable with mitigation measures, provided that the site will not be idled for too long after completion of reclamation work.

8.8.9                 The aforesaid mitigation measures will be funded by the developer, with the work to be carry out, implement, manage and maintain by their contractors based on this EIA report.  An Environmental Team will also be set up to monitor/check to ensure these mitigation measures are done properly.

8.9                      Conclusion

8.9.1                 The quality of the existing landscape of Yau Tong Bay is generally poor.  The access to waterfront is blocked by the shipyards, timberyards and open storage areas, and the bay is occupied by numerous vessels and barges.

8.9.2                 The construction activities will have low negative impact to the landscape resource and landscape character.  The negative impact would be further reduced if Reclamation Option 1 is adopted.

8.9.3                 The mitigation measures proposed will minimize the potential visual and landscape impact, although, the effect is limited.

8.9.4                 The extent of visual impact to adjacent lots will depend on the construction programme of these lots.  In general, Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment and EHC site Phase 1 and 2 will be completed and occupied by future resident during construction phase of the project, while resident for EHC site (Phase 3) will still not move in.

8.9.5                 The construction activities will have moderate negative visual impact to the future resident of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC site (Phase 1 and 2) and Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine site, while the impact to the industrial workers at Ko Fai Road will be low. The visual impact to the existing resident at Sceneway Garden, Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Nga Court, Hong Pak Court, Ko Chun Court and Ko Yee Estate at mid level of Chiu Keng Wan Shan are considered low as their view toward the site will be mostly blocked by the housing blocks of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment and Ko Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment (Phase 3 and 5) at year 2001, and EHC site development at year 2004 to 2006.

8.9.6                 During the operational phase, the impacts remain the same as construction phase if the flat piece of reclaimed land is allowed to left idle.  The impact would be reduced if construction work for proposed comprehensive development proceeds continuously after completion of reclamation work, although, there will likely be some negative impact due to the construction work.

8.9.7                 Based on the above study, the landscape and visual impact are considered acceptable with mitigation measures for both Reclamation Option 1 and Reclamation Option 2.

8.9.8                 If coastal option of Western Coast Road is adopted, Reclamation Option 2 would be carried out and the proposed elevated structure of Western Coast Road would be constructed at the reclaimed land on western side of the project site, it would form a dominant feature along the waterfront of East Kowloon.  The visual impact is considered negative.  It would be beneficial to the harbour views if the Western Coast Road is built at grade on the reclaimed land directly.  If such proposal is adopted, footbridges and/or underground tunnels will be provided across the Western Coast Road to improve the pedestrian linkage from Yau Tong and CDA site to the waterfront.

8.9.9                 The magnitude of negative impact on both landscape and visual quality due to the proposed reclamation works at operational phase would be reduced if Tunnel Option for the future Western Coast Road is adopted (i.e. Reclamation Option 1).  It would also help to minimize the impact to the coastal line of Victoria Harbour as the proposed extent of reclamation works are reduced.