Background
1.1.1
The airport at Kai Tak was relocated to Chek Lap
Kok in July 1998. The relocation
has offered a good opportunity for major development in the Metro Area.
1.1.2
Completed in September 1991,
the Metroplan Selected Strategy proposed a broad land use framework for
redevelopment of the
1.1.3
The South East Kowloon Development (SEKD)
Statement Study completed in November 1993 has translated the Metroplan
Framework into more specific planning objectives. The Outline Master Development Plan
(OMDP) prepared under the study covered a development area of about
1.1.4
The Feasibility Study for South East
Kowloon Development (SEKDFS) completed in December 1997 have fine-tuned the
OMDP and identified phased and integrated developments for the early
development packages. The
feasibility study has recommended a development area of
1.1.5
To address these objections, a revised scheme was prepared
after a series of public consultation in mid-1999. The Comprehensive
Feasibility Study for the Revised Scheme of South East Kowloon Development (SEKDCFS)
was commissioned in November 1999 to prepare more detailed proposals for the
revised scheme and to examine the overall feasibility. In mid-2000, a Preliminary Layout Plan
(PLP) on the revised scheme was promulgated for public consultation. With the community’s general support on
the PLP, the SEKDCFS proceeded to the detailed feasibility and preliminary
design phase. By mid-2001, the
SEKDCFS completed an OMDP and the preliminary design for the whole SEKD.
1.1.6
The draft Kai Tak (North) OZP No. S/K19/2 and draft Kai Tak (South) OZP No.
S/K21/2, incorporating relevant proposals of the SEKDCFS and the OMDP, were
gazetted in August 2001 providing the statutory planning framework for the
area. The extent of reclamation has
reduced from
1.1.7
On
1.1.8
The approved OZPs have incorporated a number
of reclamation proposals, namely Kowloon Bay Reclamation, Kai Tak Approach
Channel (KTAC) Reclamation, Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter (KTTS) and Cha Kwo Ling
Reclamation and reclamation for a cruise terminal, with a total reclamation
area of about
1.1.9
According to the Judgment of the Court of
Final Appeal (CFA) on the draft Wan Chai North OZP handed down on
1.1.10
On
1.1.11
In July 2004, Planning Department
commissioned the Kai Tak Planning Review (KTPR) as Part I of the Comprehensive
Review. The KTPR include 3 stages
of public participation. Stage 1 was
to engage the public in determining vision and key issues. Stage 2 was to engage the public on the
Outline Concept Plans (OCPs). Stage
3 was to engage the public on the draft PODP.
1.1.12
Stage 1 public participation was conducted between
September and November 2004. Three
OCPs were formulated for the Stage 2 public participation namely “City in the
Park”, “Kai Tak Glamour” and “Sports by the Harbour” for public participation
between November 2005 and January 2006 before preparation of a draft PODP. The community and stakeholder groups
were consulted on the draft PODP in Stage 3 during June to August 2006.
1.1.13
On the basis of 'no reclamation', the PODP proposes residential
developments for about 86,000 persons.
A copy of the PODP is shown in Figure 1.1. The PODP proposes to create a new urban
node at Kai Tak, supported by a belt of office developments, several
residential neighbourhoods and a variety of Government, institution or community
(GIC) facilities, a stadium complex fronting Victoria Harbour, a cruise
terminal and a tourism node at the end of the former runway and a Metro Park in
the northern section of the runway and surrounding the Kai Tak Approach Channel
(KTAC).
EIA Study Briefs
1.1.14
The feasibility study
of the Kai Tak Development Project falls within item 1 under Schedule 3 of the
EIAO and include various Schedule 2 Designated Projects under the Environmental
Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) which require Environmental Permits (EPs).
1.1.15
One
of the Schedule 2 Designated Projects is the Dredging Works for Proposed Cruise
Terminal at Kai Tak. The Project
involves dredging of sediment from the existing seabed in a harbour area close
to the southern tip of the former airport runway to provide the necessary
manoeuvring basin of adequate draught for cruise vessels; and dredging of
existing seawall at the southern tip of the former airport runway.
1.1.16
The EIA Study Brief No. ESB-152/2006 for the
feasibility study of the Kai Tak Development Project was issued by the
Environmental Protection Department under Section 5(7) of EIAO in August
2006. EIA Study Brief No.
ESB-159/2006 for the above Schedule 2 Designated Project namely Dredging Works
for Proposed Cruise Terminal at Kai Tak was issued under EIAO in December 2006.
1.1.17
Within the scope of the Schedule 3 EIA study for the
feasibility study of the Kai Tak Development, any individual project(s) that
fall under Schedule 2 of the EIAO will also be identified in the Schedule 3 EIA
Report.
1.2
Purpose of this EIA Report
1.2.1
The
purpose of this EIA report is to provide an environmental impact assessment for
the Schedule 2 Designated Project “Dredging Works for Proposed Cruise Terminal at
Kai Tak” in accordance with the requirements in the EIA Study Brief No.
ESB-159/2006.
1.2.2
As
per the requirement in Section 3.4.1 of the EIA Study Brief, this EIA has been
conducted using the best and latest information available during the course of
the EIA.
1.3
Objectives and Scope of the Schedule 2 EIA Study
1.3.1
According
to the EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-159/2006), the scope of this Schedule 2 EIA
Study shall cover the Project described in Section
(i)
the
potential water quality impacts arising from the dredging and other associated
activities of the Project and works in the vicinity of the Project;
(ii)
the
potential odour impacts arising from the dredging and other associated
activities of the Project;
(iii)
the
potential impacts of various types of waste to be generated from the Project;
(iv)
the
potential construction noise impacts arising from the Project;
(v)
the
potential cultural heritage impact on marine archaeological deposit likely to be
affected by the dredging activities of the Project;
(vi)
the
potential impacts of marine ecological and fisheries impacts to be generated
from the Project; and
(vii)
the
potential cumulative environmental impacts of the Project through interaction or
in combination with other concurrent existing, committed and planned
developments in the vicinity of the Project. Particular attention shall focus
on those impacts identified to have a direct bearing on the environmental
acceptability of the Project.
1.3.2
The
EIA Study Brief, in accordance with the Technical Memorandum on EIA Process
(EIAO-TM), states the objectives for this Schedule 2 EIA Study as follows:
l
to
describe the Project together with the requirements for carrying out the
Project;
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to
identify and describe the elements of the community and environment likely to
be affected by the Project and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the
Project, including both the natural and man-made environment and associated
environmental constraints;
l
to
provide information on the consideration of alternatives to avoid or minimize
the potential adverse environmental impacts on the sensitive uses at the
Project and adjacent areas that may be subject to the adverse environmental
impacts of the Project;
l
to
provide justification and constraints for selecting the preferred option(s) and
to describe the part environmental factors played in the selection;
l
to
identify and quantify emission sources and determine the significance of
impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
l
to
identify and quantify waste management requirements and to propose measures to
avoid or mitigate these impacts;
l
to
identify any negative impacts on fisheries and marine ecology and to propose
measures to mitigate these impacts;
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to
identify and quantify any potential losses or damage to flora, fauna and
natural habitats and to propose measures to avoid or mitigate these impacts;
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to
identify any negative impacts on site of cultural heritage and to propose
measures to avoid or mitigate these impacts;
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to
identify the negative impacts and propose measures to avoid or provision of
mitigation measures to minimize pollution, environmental disturbance and
nuisance during the implementation of the Project;
l
to
investigate the feasibility, practicability, effectiveness and implications of
the proposed impact avoidance or mitigation measures;
l
to
identify, predict and evaluate the residual environmental impacts (i.e. after practicable
avoidance or mitigation measures) and the cumulative effects expected to arise
during the implementation of the Project and other works in vicinity in
relation to the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
l
to
identify, assess and specify methods, measures and standards to be included in
the detailed design and implementation of the Project which are necessary to
mitigate these environmental impacts and cumulative effects and reduce them to
acceptable levels;
l
to
investigate the extent of the secondary environmental impacts that may arise
from the proposed mitigation measures and to identify constraints associated
with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA study, as well as provision
of any necessary modification; and
l
to
design and specify environmental monitoring and audit requirements to ensure
effective implementation of the recommended environmental protection and
pollution control measures.
1.4
Relevant Approved EIA Reports
1.4.1
Two
previous EIA studies provide background/baseline information to this current
Schedule 2 EIA:
(i)
An
EIA was carried out on the Outline Master Development Plan (OMDP) under the
Feasibility Study for South East Kowloon Study (SEKDFS). The EIA Report on the OMDP was administratively
endorsed by the Environmental Study Management Group (ESMG) of the SEKDFS but
was withdrawn in 1999 before public inspection of the EIA Report.
(ii)
Following
the completion of SEKDFS, the Comprehensive Feasibility Study for the Revised
Scheme of South East Kowloon Development (SEKDCFS) was commissioned in 1999 to
prepare more detailed proposals for the revised scheme and to examine the
overall feasibility. An EIA Report
for the SEKDCFS was approved under the EIAO in 2001 (Application No. EIA-059/2001).
1.5
Structure of this Report
1.5.1
The
background of
the Project and objectives of this report are introduced in Section 1. A description of the Project is provided
in Section 2. Sections 3 to 9 with impact
assessment on different environmental aspects as listed below, covering
relevant legislation, environmental conditions, assessment criteria and
methods, and assessment findings:
l
Section
3 – Air Quality Impact
l
Section
4 – Noise Impact
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Section
5 – Water Quality Impact
l
Section
6 – Waste Management Implications
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Section
7 – Impact on Cultural Heritage
l
Section
8 – Marine Ecological Impact
l
Section
9 – Fisheries Impact
1.5.2
An outline of the requirements for the environmental
monitoring and audit (EM&A) programme is presented in Section 10. The EM&A programme is presented in
detail in a separate EM&A Manual.
A summary of the environmental impacts associated with the Project are
presented in Section 11. The
Implementation Schedule of the recommendations is presented in Section 12. The key environmental outcomes arising
from the EIA study and the principal findings of the study are summarized in
Section 13.