1                                            INtroduction

 

1.1                                      Background

The Chief Executive (CE)’s 2007-2008 Policy Address highlighted revitalization as the guiding principle of heritage conservation and the Project was among one of the specific proposals put forward by the CE in the same Policy Address.  At the meeting of the Executive Council (ExCo) on 15 July 2008, the ExCo advised and the CE ordered that Government should enter into a partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) in the form of an agreement (or agreements) to take forward the conservation and revitalization of the Central Police Station (hereafter “the Project”) based on various guiding parameters.

The Project comprises the conservation and revitalisation of three Declared Monuments designated under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance in 1995.  They are:

·            Central Police Station;

·            Former Central Magistracy; and

·            Victoria Prison Compound.

They are collectively named the Central Police Station (CPS).

ERM-Hong Kong Ltd (ERM) has been commissioned by the Jockey Club CPS Limited (“the CPS Ltd”) to undertake the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study in accordance with the EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-205/2009) issued under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO).  The cultural heritage impact assessment was prepared by the conservation architect Purcell Miller Tritton LLP.

Since the issue of the EIA Study Brief, the HKJC has informed the Director of the Environment that the name of the Project has changed from “Central Police Station Compound Conservation and Revitalisation” to “Central Police Station Conservation and Revitalisation Project” and the name of the Applicant has changed from “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust” to “The Jockey Club CPS Limited”.  The scope of work described in the EIA Study Brief remains unchanged.

This EIA Report addresses the nature and extent of the potential environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Project.

1.2                                      Objective of the EIA Study

The Project is within a site of cultural heritage, and therefore is classified as a designated project under Item Q.1 in Schedule 2 of the EIAO and therefore the construction and operation of the Project will require an Environmental Permit.

The overall objectives of the EIA Study are to provide information on the nature and extent of environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Project; to recommend appropriate mitigation measures to control the potential environmental impacts so that it complies with the requirements of the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process of Environmental impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO-TM); and to confirm the environmental acceptability of the Project.

The specific objectives of the EIA Study described in the EIA Study Brief are listed below:

(i)            to describe the Project and associated works together with the requirements for carrying out the Project;

(ii)           to identify and describe elements of community and environment likely to be affected by the Project and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the Project, including natural and man-made environment and the associated environmental constraints;

(iii)         to provide information on the consideration of alternatives to avoid and minimize potential environmental impacts to the site of cultural heritage and its environs; to compare the environmental benefits and dis-benefits of each of the different options; to provide reasons for selecting the preferred option(s) and to describe the part environmental factors played in the selection of preferred option(s);

(iv)         to identify and evaluate any potential cultural heritage impacts and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;

(v)          to identify and evaluate any potential landscape and visual impacts from the Project, particularly from any new structure to be erected, including glare interference, and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;

(vi)         to identify and evaluate noise, air and water pollution and waste generation and determine the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;

(vii)       to propose the provision of mitigation measures so as to minimize pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction and operation of the Project;

(viii)      to investigate the feasibility, practicability, effectiveness and implications of the proposed mitigation measures;

(ix)         to identify, predict and evaluate the cumulative effects and the residual environmental impacts (i.e. after practicable mitigation) expected to arise during the construction and operation phases of the Project in relation to the site of cultural heritage, the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses, taking into account nearby concurrent project(s);

(x)          to identify, assess and specify methods, measures and standards, to be included in the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project which are necessary to mitigate these environmental impacts and cumulative effects and reduce them to acceptable levels;

(xi)         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 the provision of any necessary modification; and

(xii)       to investigate, and where found necessary and justified, design and specify environmental monitoring and audit requirements to ensure the effective implementation of the recommended environmental protection and pollution control measures.

As specified by the EIA Study Brief, the EIA Study will address the following key environmental issues due to the construction and operation of the Project:

·           potential environmental impacts to the site of cultural heritage of the Project during its construction and operation stages;

·           potential landscape and visual impacts, particularly from any new structure to be erected, including glare interference, to nearby sensitive receivers from the Project during its construction and operation stages;

·           potential construction dust, water quality and noise impacts to nearby sensitive receivers as well as waste management implications from the Project; and

·           potential operation water quality and other impacts to nearby sensitive receivers from the Project.

A table summarizing the key assessment assumptions, limitation of assessment methodologies and related prior agreement(s) with the Director is contained in Annex D.

1.3                                      Organisation of the Report

The remainder of this report is organized as follows:

·           Section 2 presents a description of the need of the Project, the alternative design and construction methods and sequences of works considered and the key Project element;

·           Section 3 presents the cultural heritage impact assessment;

·           Section 4 presents the landscape and visual impact assessment:

·           Section 5 presents the noise impact assessment

·           Section 6 presents the construction air quality assessment

·           Section 7 presents the water quality impact assessment

·           Section 8 presents the waste management implications;

·           Section 9 describes the requirements for environmental monitoring and audit; and

·           Section 10 summarizes the environmental impact associated with the Project.