1.
Introduction
1.1
Scope of EIA Study
Ove Arup &
Partners (Arup) was commissioned by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) to
undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Main Arena for of the 2008 Olympic
Equestrian Event in accordance with the requirements
of the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (TM-EIAO) and the study
brief (Ref No. ESB-136/2005). The scope
of the EIA study includes the impact assessments
of air quality impact impact,
noise impact impact,
water quality impact, waste
management implications
and landscape & visual impact during construction / reinstatement and
operational phases. The site selections,
construction methodologies, requirements of EM&A, and environmental outcomes
of the Project have also been detailed in the EIA report.
In accordance with the item O.7, Part 1, Schedule
2 of EIAO, the Main Arena for 20,000 spectators is a Designated Project (DP) under the
category of “an outdoor sporting facility with a capacity to accommodate
more than 10,000 persons”. Other
than the main arena, the rest of the facilities in the Project are
non-Designated Element (non-DE). Table
1-1 gives an account of the DPE and non-DE DP parts of this study for the
project and Drawing No. ST/R/S/HK/022 shows the project layout
plan on the site.
Table 1-1: Designated
and non-designated elements of the projectDP and non-DP parts of the
EIA
|
Designated ProjectElement
|
Non-Designated Projectdesignated
Elements
|
|
Main Arena for 20,000 spectators
|
Logistic Compound, Food &
Merchandise, Spectator Entry & Broadcast Compound, Stable Complex (including a
veterinary), Various Training Arenas
|
1.2
Site Selection
A
number of alternative sites for staging the Equestrian Event have been
considered during the site selection stage. The sites having been considered
include:
· A
number of green field sites including the Old Kai Tak Airport
· Kau Sai Chau Golf Course
· Happy Valley Racecourse
· Penfold Park and Hong Kong
Sports Institute (HKSI)
· Beas River Country Club in
association with Hong Kong Golf Course (HKGC)
These
sites were evaluated against the requirement specified by IOC, FEI and BOCOG,
respectively. After a comprehensive review and detailed inspection of the
sites, the following combination of sites were selected for staging the
equestrian event in Hong Kong:
· HKSI
in association with Penfold Park as the Core Venue for Dressage and Show
Jumping; and
· Beas River Country Club in
association with HKGC as the venue for Cross Country event.
1.3
Description of Project
The Project Proponent proposes to
construct and operate a Main Arena with the capacity to accommodate about 20,000
spectators and supporting back of house facilities for the Olympic Equestrian
Events at HKSI.
The venues will be operational for one
month during the main Olympic event, with the competition expected to last from
between 10 to 14 days. 14 days after
the Olympic Events, the Paralympic competition will be staged, which will last
for a few days. The Paralympic Event is
open to paid spectators estimated to be less than 10,000.
The 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian
Events would be staged on 3 sites in Hong Kong. Apart from HKSI, the existing
Penfold Park and Hong Kong Golf Club would also be converted to the
Event Venues. Stables and training
facilities will be provided on the Penfold Park site whereas HKGC will be
converted for the Cross-country Event.
The projects at Penfold Park and HKGC were
confirmed to be exempted designated projects and statutory submissions under
EIAO would not be required if the proposed works on these two sites do not
constitute a material change.
Since the Penfold Park site is located
adjacent to the proposed Project site, cumulative impacts arising from the
activities on the Penfold Park site during construction / reinstatement and
operational phases were assessed.
1.4
Project Timetable
One year before the actual Olympic Events,
the site will be occupied for the Test Event, which is used by all
divisions of the Olympic Organising Committee to test their organisational
capabilities for the Games and Event Management to trail the equine facilities
and the footing (riding surface) of the Main Arena, Stables and
Training Facilities. These mock up
events are known as the ‘Test Event Mode’, and limited public access will be
given.
The implementation of the proposed Project
is scheduled from February July 2006 to January 2009. Table 1-2 gives the tentative project
timetable and phasing.
Table 1-2: Project timetable
and phasing for the Project
|
Task
|
Start
|
Finish
|
|
Pre- Test Event Construction
|
July 2006
|
June 2007
|
|
Test Event
|
August 2007 (2 weeks)
|
|
|
Post Test Event Construction
|
September 20078
|
June 2008
|
|
Olympic Event
|
August 2008 (2 weeks)
|
|
|
Paralympic Event
|
September 2008
|
|
|
Reinstatement of HKSI
|
October 2008
|
January 2009
|
2.
Air Quality Impact
2.1
Construction / Reinstatement Phase
Construction
activities will involve general site formation; drainage and sewerage works;
utilities services, roadworks and horse walkways construction works; and
construction of temporary Main Arena, training arena and stables. Construction dust impact was assessed to be
minor and could be effectively controlled by implementing the procedures and requirements specified in the Air
Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation.
Cumulative
construction dust impacts caused by the concurrent
projects have been assessed, based on the latest information. The
potential cumulative impacts from the modification works in Penfold Park for
the Olympic Event are considered to be minor and insignificant. With the implementation of the effective
dust suppression control and good site practice, adverse cumulative
construction dust impact is not anticipated.
2.2
Operational Phase
2.2.1
Vehicular Emissions
Operational air quality impact due to increased
vehicular emissions as a result of increased traffic volume is not expected
given that the 20,000 spectators will arrive at the venue by public transport, which is substantially less than the 50,000
spectators that attend the Sha Tin Racecourse on a typical racing day, noting
no horse racing will take place at Sha Tin during the compared to 50,000 spectators on a normal
horse-racing day and no horseracing event will be held at Sha Tin Racecourse
during the Olympic events.
2.2.2
Odour Impact from Stables
An odour patrol survey was conducted on existing stables around
Sha Tin racecourse Racecourse by
specialists from the Polytechnic
University. The results of the survey
concluded that odour was undetectable insignificant at a
distance of approximately 100m from the existing stable boundary. Given the
smaller scale of the new Stable Complex and the greater separation distance to
the nearest ASR (more than 250m), it is concluded with confidence that
the potential odour impact from the new Stable Complex is will be insignificant. In addition, the full-enclosure design of
the proposed stable and the installation of odour removal system, such asincluding carbon
filter at the exhaust
of ventilation system of the new Stable Complex will further eliminate any
potential of odour impact. It is concluded that the cumulative odour impact
caused by the new stables within the study area will be insignificant.
A separate Quarantine
Stable area that can accommodate 70 horses is located to the northwest
of the Project site. The stable
management practices for the quarantine stables (including waste management
procedures) are very similar to that for the stable areas at Sha Tin
Racecourse, except for the adoption of enclosed container for the stockpiling
of stable waste. Given the much smaller scale of the quarantine stables
relative to the existing stables at Sha Tin Racecourse, a more stringent indoor
environment control, and the undetected odour level during the odour patrol, it
is concluded that the cumulative odour impact within the study area is
insignificant.
2.3
Residual
Air Quality Impact
With
the implementation of appropriate dust mitigation measures and proper stable
management practices,
no residual air quality impact is anticipated during the construction / reinstatement
and operation phases
of the Project.
3.
Noise Impact
3.1
Construction / Reinstatement Phase
Potential impacts on
Noise Sensitive Receivers (NSRs) during the construction phase will arise
mainly from Powered Mechanical Equipment (PME) to be operated. The construction works would include general
site formation, drainage, sewage work and construction of the temporary Main
Arena, training arena and the stable complex.
Assessment results
indicate that construction noise impacts at some of the NSRs would exceed the
criteria under “unmitigated” scenario.
Suitable noise mitigation measures are therefore proposed in the EIA
study to minimise the construction noise impact. These include:
l
Good
site practices to limit noise emissions at the source;
l
Use
of quiet plant and working methods;
l
Use
of site hoarding as noise barrier to screen noise at low level of NSRs;
l
Use
of movable noise barriers to screen noise from relatively static PMEs; and
l
Scheduling
of construction works outside school examination periods in critical area; and.
With the implementation of the above recommended
mitigation measures, the predicted construction noise level will be reduced to
within the noise criteria.
Cumulative
construction noise impacts caused by the concurrent
projects have been assessed, based on the latest information. The cumulative impacts due to the
modification works in Penfold Park for Olympic Equestrian Event are generally
not significant. Hence, no
additional mitigation measures are required under the Project.
3.2
Operational Phase
3.2.1
Fixed Noise Sources
Fixed noise sources
during operational phase are Mechanical Ventilation and Air-Conditioning
(MVAC), Air Handling Unit (AHU) and Chiller Plant. It is anticipated that these fixed noise can be adequately controlled
by the installation of acoustic silencers.
The detailed design should also incorporate the following good practice
in order to minimise the operational noise nuisance on the neighbouring NSRs:
l
Louvres
should be orientated away from adjacent NSRs where possible, preferably onto
Sha Tin Racecourse which are less sensitive; and
l
Direct
noise mitigation measures including silencers, acoustic louvers and acoustic
enclosures should be allowed for in the design.
3.2.2
Crowd
Noise and Public Address (PA) System
Significant crowd noise from the competition at the Main Arena is not
anticipated due to the generally quiet nature of the equestrian events. The assessment is based on the assumptions
that the Main Arena would only be used for equestrian event (excluding activities, such as
concerts, involving the use of large-scale sound amplifying system) and the equestrian
competition will not start earlier than 0700hr and will not extend beyond
2300hr. The detailed design of PA
system should incorporate the following practice in order to minimize any
impact the nuisance on the neighboring NSRs.
l
To
use a cluster of small power loudspeakers instead of a few large power
loudspeakers;
l
To use
directional loudspeakers and orientate them to point towards the audience and
away from the nearby noise sensitive receivers; and
l
To include a “Limiter” device in the PA system to set restrict the upper
bound of the output sound level.
3.3
Residual
Noise Impact
Construction / Reinstatement noise and
Operational noise arisinge
from the Project can be properly mitigated by implementing the
proposed mitigation measures. Residual
noise impacts are not anticipated. In order to ensure compliance of the operational noise impacts with
the TM’s stipulated noise standard, the requirement for carrying out a noise
commissioning test for all major fixed noise sources should be included in the
Contract Document.
4.
Water Quality Impact
4.1
Construction / Reinstatement Phase
Potential water pollution sources have
been identified as construction runoff, sewage from site workforce and drainage
diversion. With the implementation of
the necessary and proper site controlling measures, no adverse water quality
impact is anticipated.
Construction activities would be carried
out concurrently at Penfold Park for the 2008 Olympic Equestrian Event. Site
control measures to be in place on the Penfold Park site to control site runoff
and sewage from workforce would be virtually the same as those to be adopted
for the HKSI site.
4.2
Operational Phase
There would be no increase in runoff due
to the increase in permeability as there would be no change in catchment area
and the total impermeable area. The existing drainage downstream of the proposed
connection will be upgraded to the current design standard to ensure a
sufficient capacity to cater for the surface runoff from the site. A low flow interceptor system is will be provided to intercept
the first foul flush of the surface runoff from the proposed stables, thus
improving the water quality of the effluent to Shing Mun River Channel. The Catchment area of the low flow
interceptor drainage system covers the area of the Main Stable Complex but not
the temporary facilities of competition arena, holding arena, warm-up arena,
etc. as they
would be reinstated. Sand traps would
also be provided to prevent the siltation of the drainage system.
Temporary toilets would be provided during
the operation period of the Olympic Event. Sewage from these temporary toilets
will be conveyed to existing sewerage system by existing sewers on the HKSI
site. A new public sewer
running along the access path of Shing Mun River Channel is proposed to convey
sewage from the new stables to the existing public sewers.
With the implementation of the recommended
measures, no adverse water quality impact is anticipated during the operational
phase of the Project.
In addition, the turf management plan
currently adopted by Penfold Park would remain unchanged during the period. No
new chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides would be introduced on the
site. Therefore, no cumulative water quality impact is anticipated as a result
of the concurrent projects.
4.3
Residual Water Quality Impact
With full and strict implementation of the
recommended mitigation measures for drainage and sewerage system, no
unacceptable residual impacts on the water quality are anticipated.
5.
Waste Management Implications
5.1
Construction / Reinstatement Phase
The
quantity and timing for the generation of waste during the construction /
reinstatement phase have been estimated.
Assessment result shows that only a limited amount of C&D waste will
be generated. The waste management
implications arising from the Project is therefore considered not
significant. Measures, including the
opportunity for on-site sorting and reusing excavated fill materials (stored in
stockpiles) are recommended to minimise the surplus disposal off-site.
Recommendations
have been made for the Contractor’s implementation during the construction /
reinstatement phase to minimise the waste generation and any off-site
disposal.
5.2
Operational Phase
The
types and quantities of waste that would be generated during the operational
phase have been assessed. Assessment
result shows that only a limited amount of waste would be generated from the
new stables and by the spectators during the event. With the implementation of proper waste management procedures,
the waste management implications of the Project would only be of short term
and insignificant.
5.3
Residual
Impacts
With
the implementation of recommended mitigation measures, adverse residual impactswaste management
implications are not anticipated for both the construction/reinstatement and operational phases.
6.
Landscape and Visual Impacts
6.1
Landscape Impacts
Impacts on landscape resources will be
acceptable. The only notable impacts
will be the loss of turf lawns during the construction and operational
phases. This will be partially
mitigated in future when the turf of the Athletics Arena is reinstated. An approximate number ofApproximately 33
trees will require felling, while 53 will be transplanted. In total 628 trees will be retained,
including the three
trees with diameters at breast height over 1mthree trees that are
eligible for registration as Old and Valuable Trees. To compensate for the loss of 33 trees due to
felling, more than 80 new trees will be planted. Beneficial impacts are expected by enhancing landscape areas and
the renovating
installing
synthetic sports fields after the Paralympic Event.
Impacts on character of landscapes will be
acceptable. The HKSI site is currently
characterised by its sports facilities and landscape resources. Trees in
particular will undergo a character change during the construction phase. This
change will be mitigated to ensure landscape resources are preserved as far as
possible. Particular attention will be given to protect trees during the
construction phase. The operational phase will return the character of the site
to a sports venue, though the nature of sports will change to equestrian. The
site’s character will after reinstatement largely be comparable to the present.
6.2
Visual Impacts
Visual impacts will be
acceptable after mitigation. GlareSome glare impacts from the floodlights at
the Main and Warm-up arenas are expected. This is due to the required
upgrading of existing floodlights to enable camera recordings of the Olympic
Equestrian events for broadcasting purposes. The upgrading will be to an illumainance
level of 2000
lux , which
is inline with which is an Olympic
requirements. The impact at the HK Jockey Club Staff Quarters, which is the nearest
residential VSR group to the Main Arena will be moderate. As such with the
use of anti-glare baffles and visor shields will be used. These
impacts will occur when lights are set up and also during
the Olympic and Paralympic competitions. The floodlights will also be
used in future for athletics events that will be broadcasted, howeverbe retained for future use
by HKSI, with
the
number of lamps will be lux level reduced
to achieve an illuminance level compariblecomparable with to that of the adjacent
racecourse. The duration of the impacts is therefore temporary.
Existing
floodlights at the soccer pitches and the Cycle Track will not be used during
the later construction and operational phases of the venue.
7.
Environmental Monitoring and
Auditing Requirements
Detailed
requirements of the EM&A programme will be described in the EM&A
Manual. Measurements and activities
that shall be conducted in
accordance with the requirements in the EM&A Manual are summarised in the
following:
·
baseline monitoring on noise, air quality &
water (to be agreed by EPD);
·
impact monitoring on noise, air quality & water (to be agreed by EPD);
·
remedial actions in accordance with the Event and
Action Plan within the time frame in cases where specified criteria in the
EM&A Manual are exceeded;
·
logging and keeping records of the details of
monitoring results;
·
preparing and submitting monthly EM&A Reports
It is recommended to implement an Environmental Monitoring
and Audit (EM&A) programme throughout the entire construction period
to regularly monitor the environmental impacts on the neighbouring sensitive
receivers. The EM&A manual will be prepared as a standalone
document to specify the monitoring requirements, time frame and responsibilities
for the implementation of the environmental mitigation measures identified in
the EIA process.
The Operator will be
required to conduct noise monitoring during the competition period. In cases
where exceedances are found, immediate actions should be taken to implement remediation measures following the procedures
specified in the EM&A Manual. The
operator will also provide
a manned complaint hotline so that action can be immediately taken to reduce
the noise in response to complaints raised by nearby residents or relayed from
other Government Department during competition.
8.
Conclusion
An EIA
Report has been prepared to satisfy the requirements given in the EIA Study
Brief No.: ESB-136/2005
and the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process. All the latest design information has been
incorporated into the EIA process.
Aspects that have been considered in this EIA Report include:
l
Site Selection
l
Description of
construction methodology
l
Air Quality
Impact
l
Noise Impact
l
Water Quality
Impact
l
Waste Management
Implications
l
Landscape and
Visual Impact Assessment
l
Environmental
Management Plan
l
Environmental
Monitoring and Auditing
The EIA
Report has predicted that, the Project would be environmentally acceptable and in compliance
with environmental standards and legislation with the implementation of
during the
construction / reinstatement phase and operation phase with due implementation of
mitigation measures, environmental monitoring and audit programme.
