Environmental Impact
Assessment
Executive Summary
Proposed Residential cum Passive
Recreational Development
within
"Recreation¡¨ Zone and ¡§Residential (Group C)¡¨ Zone
at Various Lots in DD
104, Yuen Long, N.T.
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Prepared by
ENVIRON Hong Kong Limited
in association with
Archiplus International Limited
AEC
Limited
AECOM
KJL Limited
Urbis Limited
Date:
December
2013
Reference
Number:
R3175_V1.F
Environmental Impact
Assessment
Executive Summary
Proposed Residential cum Passive
Recreational Development
within
"Recreation¡¨ Zone and ¡§Residential (Group C)¡¨ Zone
at
Various Lots in DD 104, Yuen Long, N.T.
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Prepared
by:
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Approved
by:
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Henry
Ng
Senior Environmental Consultant
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Tony
Cheng
Senior Manager
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ENVIRON
Hong Kong Limited
Room
2403, Jubilee Centre,
18
Fenwick Street,
Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: 3465 2888
Fax: 3465 2899
E-mail: hkinfo@environcorp.com
Q:\Projects\SHKFVRECEI00\Report\EIA Report\V6.Fa Final
rev\Executive Summary\140313 final for public\Executive Summary R3175 V1 F
Eng_Final_clean no signature (Revised-07).doc
1.1.1
The Project is
proposed for a low-rise residential cum
passive recreation development.
The Project Site, with a
total area
of about 9 ha, comprises various lots in D.D. 104 near
Fairview Park, Yuen Long. The site is sandwiched between Yau Pok Road and existing
Fairview
Park development (Figure
1).
1.1.2
Pursuant to the requirement of the
Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been undertaken to provide a detailed assessment of the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts associated with the construction and
operation (i.e.
occupation of the Site by residents upon
completion of proposed development) of the Project, including air quality, noise, water quality, waste management,
ecology, fisheries, cultural
heritage, landscape and visual resources, and recommendations for mitigation measures to comply with
environmental legislations and standards. The impact assessments in the EIA have been conducted by qualified and
experienced environmental consultants in association with consultants in
various expert fields including ecology, fisheries, engineering, planning,
architectural, traffic, cultural heritage, landscape and urban design.
1.1.3
This Executive Summary provides a summary of the key findings of the EIA
study.
1.2 Project Location
1.2.1
The Project Site is located in
between Yau
Pok Road and an existing large-scale residential
development ¡V Fairview Park. The site is bounded by Yau Pok Road and
Ngau Tam Mei Main Drainage Channel to its immediate east; Fairview
Park to its immediate west, southwest and northwest; a
planned residential site to its immediate northeast; and the
existing
Fairview Park Boulevard to its southeast. Several existing residential developments
including Palm Springs, Royal Palms, Yau Mei San
Tsuen and Wo Shang Wai are
located to the further north,
Villa Camellia, Helene Terrace, Greenery Garden, Meister House to the further
southeast of the site. Figure 1 shows the location and
environs of the Project Site. Between
the eastern boundary of the Project Site and the Yau Pok Road, a cycle track linking the existing local cycle
track networks of Yuen Long to Sheung Shui will be constructed by the Government.
1.2.2
Further to the east across the
said drainage channel is an
area already designated by the Government for residential use and village type
development under the statutory town plan in addition to a few existing
villages, such as Chuk Yuen Tsuen, Tai Yuen Villa and Ha San Wai Tsuen as well as low density
development such as Hang Fook
Garden. A
few open storage uses are
also witnessed much further east.
1.3.1
Residential or
recreational developments within Deep Bay Buffer Zones 1 or 2 are designated
projects under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO),
of which environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required to be conducted. As
the Project falls within Deep Bay Buffer Zone 2 (Figure
1)
and comprises residential development cum passive recreational
development, an EIA is required for the Project.
1.4.1
¡§OU¡¨
SITE
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The Project comprises low-rise residential
development in the
southern portion and a landscape pond, landscape area and some passive recreational and supporting
uses in the northern portion of the site (Figure
2) to complement the Government¡¦s cycle track
development at the eastern boundary of the Project Site. The southern portion of the Project
Site will replace the existing wasteland with low density residential
development, residential clubhouse and swimming pool in line with the existing
Fairview Park development and the planned residential developments on the
adjacent sites. A
total of 106 houses (2 storeys (6.6m)
above one storey basement
carpark) is proposed to be developed on the Project Site.
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Northern
Portion
of the Project
¶µ¥Ø½d³ò¥_³¡
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¡§R(D)¡¨ SITE
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¥Î¦a
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¡§R(D)¡¨ SITE
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¥Î¦a
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Southern
Portion
of the Project
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Figure
2
Conceptual
Layout of the Project
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2.1.1
The potential environmental
issues associated with the construction and operation of the Project, key
findings, conclusions and recommendations are summarised in the following
sections.
2.2.1
During
the construction phase of the Project, fugitive dust emissions
from the site formation works due to earth movement activities and
transportation of excavated/ fill materials are the major sources of air
pollution. The predicted
unmitigated dust levels due to this Project are provided below:
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TSP (1-hr)
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RSP
(24 hours) *
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RSP
(Annual)
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PM2.5
(24 hours) *
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PM2.5
(Annual)
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Predicted
Range, £gg/m3
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616 ¡V 7,989
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133 - 537
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44 - 190
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95 - 216
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31 - 75
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No. of Exceedance
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n/a
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>9
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n/a
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>9
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n/a
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Compliance with Air Quality Criteria?
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No
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No
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No
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No
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No
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Air
Quality Criteria, £gg/m3
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500
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100
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50
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75
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35
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No. of Exceedance Allowed
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n/a
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9
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n/a
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9
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n/a
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Remark: * The daily levels are based on the 1st
highest concentrations at the receivers.
Based on predicted results, the maximum predicted concentrations as
well as no. of exceedances have exceeded the
AQO criteria. Thus, the dust level
cannot comply with the relevant air quality criteria /
AQOs.
2.2.2
However,
no unacceptable air quality impacts are anticipated
with the following mitigation measures in place:
dust control measures required under the Air
Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation,
e.g. imposing hard paving on the designated haul road; spraying water on areas
with active site formation works during day-time (including holidays);
enclosing dump trucks of transporting dusty materials with impervious sheeting,
etc.; good housekeeping practice by the works
contractors; and the project specific
measures recommended in the EIA report (e.g. arranging site formation of the northern
portion and the southern
portion of Project Site to carry out
separately with a view to avoiding
concurrent works; minimizing the working area so that each construction site
will be divided into different sub-zones with only one sub-zone under
construction in any one time, etc.). The
predicted mitigated dust levels due to this Project are provided below:
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TSP
(1-hr)
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RSP
(24 hours) *
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RSP
(Annual)
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PM2.5 (24
hours) *
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PM2.5
(Annual)
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Predicted
Range, £gg/m3
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158 - 405
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111 - 131
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43.2 ¡V 44.2
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83 - 94
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30.7 ¡V 31.0
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No. of Exceedance
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n/a
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3
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n/a
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3
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n/a
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Compliance
with Air Quality Criteria?
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Air Quality Criteria, £gg/m3
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500
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100
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50
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75
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35
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No. of Exceedance
Allowed
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n/a
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9
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n/a
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9
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n/a
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Remark:
* The daily levels are based on the 1st highest concentrations at the
receivers. Based on predicted
results, the maximum predicted concentrations exceed
the AQO limit, but no. of exceedances is still within the
AQO criteria.
Thus, the dust level can comply with the relevant air quality criteria /
AQOs.
2.2.3
Monitoring
is recommended during construction to ensure proper implementation of the
mitigation measures, and to minimize the construction dust level as far as
practicable.
2.2.4
As the
proposed development are residential dwellings, during
operational phase or
when the residents live in these dwellings,
there will be no planned dust generating or air
pollutant emission sources or activities from them. Sewage
generated by the proposed development will be discharged to the public sewerage
system at the proposed Ngau Tam Mei Pumping Station. Thus, the Project Site itself
will not contribute to any air pollution or odour nuisance. There is also no air quality impact
relating to industrial chimney emissions as no chimneys
are identified within the Assessment Area. Although the Project is adjacent to
existing road network, sufficient setback distance has already been
incorporated between the development and the roads, hence the impact from vehicular emission from the
road is insignificant. Overall, no unacceptable air
quality impacts are expected to occur.
2.2.5
In
brief, with the implementation of the mitigation measures as recommended in the
EIA report, no adverse air quality impact due to the Project is anticipated.
Construction Phase
2.3.1
The use of Powered Mechanical Equipment for various construction
activities will be the primary potential noise source
during the construction phase of the Project. Without mitigation measures, the predicted unmitigated construction noise level at
representative noise sensitive receivers (NSRs) would range from 73dB(A) to 87dB(A), which exceeds the relevant construction
noise criteria (i.e. 75dB(A)
for residential uses; and 70dB(A) for educational institutions (65B(A) during school examination period)) at most of the NSRs.
However, with the adoption of a combination of
noise mitigation measures such as use of quiet type equipment, scheduling of
construction programme to avoid concurrent works, and provision of movable and
fixed temporary noise barriers, the predicted mitigated construction noise level would only range from 60dB(A) to 74dB(A), which comply with the relevant construction
noise criteria. In addition, to ensure that the
construction noise will not affect the nearby school in the Fairview Park, a
short section of temporary noise barriers (up to 9m high to shield the school
from potential construction noise) is proposed primarily along the boundary
facing the subject School. From the
above, no adverse construction noise impact due to the Project or the nearby concurrent projects is anticipated.
2.3.2
Monitoring of the construction noise is
recommended in the EIA report to ensure proper implementation of the mitigation measures, and to
minimize the noise level as far as practicable.
Operational Phase
2.3.3
Regarding the traffic noise impact from
the adjacent roads on future residents of the Site, the predicted unmitigated road traffic
noise level would range from 66dB(A) to 76dB(A) at some of the NSRs, which exceeds the relevant noise
criteria of 70dB(A). However, with the implementation of noise mitigation measures such as boundary
noise barriers and fixed glazing/ blank façade for some affected units, the noise level could be reduced to
57dB(A)-70dB(A), which complies with the relevant noise criteria.
There will be no unacceptable noise impacts from road traffic noise.
The proposed boundary noise barriers, ranging from 2.5m to 4.5m proposed respectively on part of the
south-eastern, southern and south-western portion of the site boundary, would not only shield the Project Site from traffic noise but also potential noise
from the
nearby petrol filling station. The
predicted noise level at the worst affected NSRs due to operation of petrol
filling station, would be reduced from 56dB(A)-58dB(A) (unmitigated scenario) to
50dB(A) (mitigated scenario) during day-time; and from 51dB(A)-53dB(A) (unmitigated scenario) to
45dB(A) (mitigated scenario) during night-time, which meet the relevant noise
criteria of 50dB(A) and 45dB(A) for day-time and night-time periods,
respectively.
2.3.4
An evaluation conducted on potential industrial noise from activities within open storage sites to the further east
of the Project Site has found no adverse noise impacts on this Project and therefore no noise mitigation measure is necessary. The predicted noise level due to
operation of the open storage site would be up to 53dB(A) (day-time) and
43dB(A) (night-time), which complies with the relevant noise criteria of 55dB(A) and 45dB(A), respectively.
2.3.5
From the above, it is concluded that
with the
adoption of the noise mitigation measures recommended in the EIA report, there
will be no unacceptable noise impacts.
2.4.1
The Project will involve
land-based works only. During construction of this
Project, the major potential water
quality
impact will be from surface runoff and soil erosion
of exposed surfaces. To
alleviate the impacts, the EIA report recommends the adoption of good site
practices and construction of a properly designed
temporary drainage system within the site in accordance with the
requirements
stipulated in Professional Persons on Environmental
Consultative Committee Practice Notes on the Site Drainage (ProPECC PN 1/94). The peripheral site drainage system will
divert surface runoff away from the Fairview Park Nullah
and will be equipped with sand/silt removal facilities to properly treat the
surface runoff collected prior to the discharge to the Ngau
Tam Mei Drainage Channel. Pursuant
to the ¡§Water Pollution Control Ordinance¡¨, applications to the EPD for
Discharge Licences are required prior to the commencement of the construction
works and occupation of the development.
In addition, regular environmental
audits, as part of the proposed Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A),
including regular water quality monitoring and site inspections will be undertaken
routinely in order to ensure the recommended mitigation measures are properly
implemented.
2.4.2
Upon occupation of the Site, all domestic sewage generated will be discharged to the public
sewerage system at Yau
Pok Road.
The Project will not have population
intake until the commissioning of the planned local public sewerage works. Thus, there will be no net increase in
pollution loading to Deep Bay areas.
With appropriate drainage system equipped with sand traps within the
proposed development to collect surface runoff, there will be no adverse water
quality impact during the operation of the Project as
the increase
in surface runoff from this Project is insignificant when compared with the capacity of the trained downstream Ngau
Tam Mei Drainage Channel and Fairview Park Nullah,
which are engineered drainage channels designed for collecting stormwater. The
proposed water pond in the northern portion of the Project Site has been
designed so that it will be self-contained and there is no outlet connecting to nearby
channel/inland water, as such there will be
no discharge during operational phase. Surface runoff will be diverted away
from the pond area by drainage channels.
2.4.3
With the adoption and implementation of the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA report, no adverse water quality impact is anticipated during construction or operation of
the Project.
2.5.1
Potential wastewater sources
during the operational phase would be the sewage and wastewater generated from
residential houses, recreational facilities and public toilets. The sewage
generated from the Project Site will be discharged into the planned
public sewerage system under Drainage Services
Department¡¦s Public
Work
Programme
No.
4215DS and 4235DS. Thus, there
will be no net increase in pollution loading to Deep Bay areas.
2.5.2
Hydraulic analysis has been
conducted which shows that these proposed public sewerage collection systems
have adequate spare capacity to convey the additional sewage generated from the
Project Site. Also the future capacity of the Yuen Long
Sewage Treatment Works is capable of receiving the additional flow from the
Project Site.
2.5.3
The proposed development will not
have population intake until the commissioning of the aforesaid public sewerage
works for connection. All the
sewers and sewerage facilities within the proposed development before the
terminate manholes will be constructed, operated and maintained by the owners
of the Site. The sewers outside the development connecting
the terminal manholes to the future public sewer works will be maintained by Drainage
Services
Department subject to their
agreement in the detailed design stage.
2.5.4
In conclusion, as the sewage
generated from the Project Site will be discharged into planned public sewers,
no adverse sewerage impact is anticipated and no EM&A requirement is
necessary.
2.6.1
The waste streams that would be
generated during the construction phase of the Project include site clearance,
excavated soil, construction and demolition materials, chemical waste from the maintenance of construction plant
and equipment, and general refuse from the workforce. Opportunities for reduction in waste
generation through recovery, reuse or recycling have been identified in the
assessment.
2.6.2
The appropriate disposal method
for each type of waste generated from the construction method was identified.
Opportunities for reducing construction
waste generation and maximizing re-use on-site were evaluated. Environmental mitigation measures and
good practices have been recommended in the EIA report in order to mitigate the
environmental impacts.
2.6.3
Provided that the recommended
practices are strictly followed, no adverse impacts to the environment
associated with waste generated by the construction phase of the Project are
anticipated.
2.6.4
As the
Project is not a high-density development, the development even
when fully occupied will generate limited amount of domestic waste. Standard approach that is widely adopted in
other parts of Hong Kong shall be adopted for the handling and disposal of this
small quantity of waste during the operational phase. Waste generated will be collected and
disposed of properly by a licensed contractor using refuse collection vehicles. Thus, no adverse waste management issues
are expected to arise during operation of the Project.
2.7.1
The Project
Site mainly comprises grassland/shrubland and
urbanized area. There are also an abandoned pond and other
miscellaneous areas (e.g. small pieces of reed, agricultural
land and seasonally wet grassland).
The existing habitats are
found to be of ¡¥very low¡¦ to ¡¥low to moderate¡¦ ecological value with ¡¥very low¡¦ to ¡¥low¡¦ faunal usage,
and the loss of these habitats are found to be of ¡¥low¡¦ ecological
significance. Given the above, the Project Site is not
considered to be of sufficient ecological value that it should be avoided and
retained in its present form, and that no mitigation measures are required.
2.7.2
All habitats on-site will be lost, except for the pond in the northern portion of the site, which will be retained and enhanced in landscape terms.
2.7.3
The Project is not
anticipated to result in any adverse ecological impact to the area.
However, in order to
ensure that no unforeseen adverse ecological impact is resulted during the construction,
a construction phase ecological monitoring programme will be implemented for the Project.
2.8.1
No active fish pond would be directly impacted due to the Project. Indirect impacts during construction and operation phases would be
insignificant given that appropriate mitigation measures (i.e. measures for
water quality impact) are implemented.
2.8.2
No significant fisheries impact is anticipated, and no specific mitigation measure would be
required for both construction and operation phases of the Project.
2.9.1
A Cultural Heritage Impact
Assessment has been carried out for the Project. The assessment area has been determined to contain no site of archaeological interest or areas of archaeological potential. Thus, no direct and
indirect impacts to any terrestrial archaeology are anticipated during the
construction of the Project. In addition, no
land use features or
declared monuments
that may carry specific cultural meanings were identified within the Project
Site, thus there is no cultural element concerned. Therefore, no specific mitigation measures would be required during construction and operation phases of
the Project.
2.10.1
The major sources of landscape and
visual impacts arisen from the proposed development will be due to the removal of
existing vegetation, the presence of the construction sites
/
new structures, and the enhancement works of the existing
pond.
2.10.2
These impacts will be
mitigated during construction by various measures, such as the proper
preservation of existing healthy unaffected trees, advance tree planting, the
appropriate screening of construction works and the control of night-time
lighting.
A
short section of temporary noise barriers (up to 9m high to shield the school
from potential construction noise) proposed primarily along the boundary facing
the subject School will be carefully designed in visual terms. Subject to further liaison
with school and key stakeholders, the noise barriers design and finishes, such as opaque and non-reflective material with colour
blending in with the environment, will be sensitively
selected to reduce visual impact and to avoid bird strike.
2.10.3
When the development comes into
operation, impacts will be mitigated by new, healthy planting throughout the
development, landscape buffer along the boundary
(Figure 3), a landscape pond and a landscape
area.
These features (especially
the landscape pond created by enhancing the existing pond) will
uplift the overall landscape amenity. The visual
impact of the 2.5m to 4.5m high permanent noise barrier will be mitigated by
very careful choice of acceptable material (e.g. opaque and non-reflective material with colour blending in with
the environment), landscape buffer (Figure 4) and landscape treatment of
the noise barrier (Figure 5).
2.10.4
The
assessment concluded that the residual landscape and visual impacts of the proposed
development will be acceptable with mitigation measures during construction and
operation phases.
3.1.2
Details of the EM&A
programme, mitigation measures required during construction and operational
phases, and requirements are provided in the EM&A Manual of the EIA report.
An Environmental Team (ET)
comprises suitably qualified staff and specialists shall be appointed to carry
out the recommended EM&A works for the project. The Independent Checker (Environment)
(IEC) shall advise the Engineer or Engineer¡¦s representative on environmental
issues related to the project
and audit ET¡¦s EM&A works. A summary of key EM&A monitoring
schedule is provided below:
EM&A
Monitoring Schedule
Environmental Aspects
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EM&A Requirement
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General
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Construction
Phase:
¡P Site Surveillance ¡V once per week
during construction phase by ET;
¡P Environmental complaints
investigation ¡V upon receipt of complaints by ET and IEC;
¡P Reporting ¡V baseline monitoring
report; monthly EM&A reports; quarterly EM&A summary reports; and
final EM&A reports by ET.
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Noise
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Construction
Phase:
Monitoring noise level at nearby
sensitive receivers.
¡P Baseline Monitoring:
Monitoring for 14 days prior to commissioning of
construction works by ET.
¡P Impact Monitoring:
Weekly monitoring throughout the
construction phase by ET.
Operational
Phase:
Nil
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Air Quality
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Construction
Phase:
Monitoring dust level at nearby sensitive receivers.
¡P Baseline monitoring by ET:
Monitoring for 14 days prior to commissioning of
construction works by ET.
¡P Impact monitoring:
Monitoring every six days and throughout
the construction phase by ET.
Operational
Phase:
Nil
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Water Quality
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Construction
Phase:
Monitoring water quality at nearby nullah
and Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel by ET.
¡P Baseline Monitoring:
3 days a week and for 4 weeks prior
to commissioning of construction works by ET.
¡P Impact Monitoring:
3 days a week throughout the construction phase by ET.
Operational
Phase:
Nil
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Waste Management
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Construction
Phase:
Monitoring on waste generation, disposal and minimisation
by ET and Engineer. Auditing on
contractor(s) waste management performance.
Operational
Phase:
Nil
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Landscape and Visual
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Detailed
Design:
Monitoring
design works against recommendations of landscape and visual in the EIA during
detailed design stage by a Registered Landscape Architect.
Construction
Phase:
¡P Baseline Monitoring:
Prior to construction works.
¡P Impact Monitoring:
Monitoring and auditing on the implementation of
landscape construction works and subsequent maintenance operations by a
Registered Landscape Architect.
Operational
Phase:
Nil
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Ecology
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Construction
Phase:
¡P Baseline Monitoring:
A four-month baseline survey
prior to site clearance and construction activities.
¡P Impact Monitoring:
Regular site visit and faunal survey during construction
(weekly and monthly) by a qualified ecologists and/ or professionals at
immediate surrounding habitats and identified habitats downstream which might
be affected.
Operational
Phase:
Nil
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Fisheries
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Construction
Phase:
Nil
Operational
Phase:
Nil
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4.1.2
Based on the results of the Assessment, the
EIA study concludes that the Project would be environmentally acceptable and would comply with all environmental
legislations and standards. The EIA Study has also predicted that after the adoption of
appropriate
mitigation measures, there would be no adverse residue impacts. An environmental
monitoring and audit
programme has been
recommended to monitor the implementation of the mitigation measures and to ensure compliance with
environmental standards.
