1.
Introduction
1.1.1.
This Project is to construct
and operate a vehicle depot-cum-office building (hereinafter referred to as the
“proposed Project”) in Chai Wan at the junction of Sheung
Tat Street, Sheung On Street and Sheung
Mau Street (hereinafter referred to as the “Project site” and is shown in Figure
1.1) for the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the Food and Environmental
Hygiene Department (FEHD), the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department
(EMSD) and the Government Laboratory (GL), who are also responsible for the
operation of the proposed Project upon completion of construction works. The
Project Proponent for the proposed Project is the HKPF. Allied Environmental
Consultants Limited (AEC) was appointed as the environmental consultant to
undertake the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for the proposed
Project.
1.1.2.
In accordance with Item A.6,
Part I, Schedule 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO), the
proposed Project is a designated project under a category of “A transport depot
located less than 200 m from the nearest boundary of an existing or planned (a)
residential area and (b) educational institution”. An EIA is required and an
Environmental Permit (EP) is to be obtained prior to construction commencement.
An application for the EIA Study Brief under Section 5(1) of the EIAO was
submitted by AEC on 23 January 2014 with a Project Profile (No. PP-499/2014). An EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-267/2014) was issued by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) on 5
March 2014 to proceed with an EIA study for the proposed Project.
1.1.3.
The potential environmental
impacts arising from the construction and operation of the proposed Project
have been assessed in accordance with the requirements stipulated in the
Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM).
2.
Project Description
2.1.
Need of the
Project
2.1.1.
Currently, the facilities of
the proposed Project, namely the HKPF Hong Kong Island Police Vehicle Pound and
Examination Centre (PVP & EC), the HKPF Centralised Case Property Store,
the FEHD Depot, the EMSD Depot and the GL Specialist Laboratory, are occupying
temporary sites that require periodic extensions of their tenancy
duration. These temporary sites are
sited at different locations, resulting in the need of additional resources,
such as increased travelling time and distance, for the operations of the
abovementioned facilities. The current arrangement is viewed as environmentally
and economically inefficient. There is a long-term need for permanent
government vehicle depot and offices.
2.1.2.
Moreover, the existing HKPF PVP
& EC and FEHD Depot are currently occupying temporary sites at Quarry Bay,
both of which have been earmarked for the development of the extension of
Quarry Bay Park Phase II by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department
(LCSD). The relocation of the facilities would pave the way for future
development of the Quarry Bay Park Phase II. Thus, there is an urgent need for
available spaces to accommodate the aforementioned facilities.
2.1.3.
The proposed Project will also
resolve the shortage of laboratory accommodation faced by the GL and long-term
need for permanent depot facility of the EMSD and centralised store for the
HKPF’s case property.
2.2.1.
A fundamental alternative of
the proposed Project is the option not to construct the new vehicle
depot-cum-office building in Chai Wan, which is referred to as the “do-nothing”
option in environmental terms.
2.2.2.
In the absence of the proposed
Project, the services for the said region would have to depend upon other
depot(s) in the other regions, which in turn demands longer travelling distance
and time. It would lead to other environmental impacts including increase in
traffic volume, and hence noise and vehicular emissions.
2.2.3.
The absence of the proposed
Project will also affect the future extension of Quarry Bay Park Phase II, as
mentioned in Section 2.1.2 and sustain the shortage problem of GL laboratory, EMSD permanent
depot facility and HKPF’s case property centralised store.
2.2.4.
Taking the above reasons into account,
the “do-nothing” option is not preferred and not considered to be an
environmentally-preferred solution to cope with the current demand for vehicle
repair / testing and operational services of the HKPF, FEHD, EMSD and GL in the
region.
2.3.1.
As discussed above, there is an
urgent need for a vehicle depot-cum-office building on the Hong Kong Island,
especially in the Eastern District. In the early planning stage of the proposed
Project, two potential sites in the Chai Wan area were identified and
shortlisted for evaluation. The locations of the two sites are indicated in Figure
2.1, which include:
·
Site A: the Project site, which
is a land piece located at the junction of Sheung Tat
Street, Sheung On Street and Sheung
Mau Street
·
Site B: a nearby land piece
which is located at the junction of Sheung Tat Street
and Chong Fu Road
2.3.2.
Site A was eventually selected.
The selected site is located further away from nearby residential developments
and shortens the travelling distance and time to access the major carriageway,
Island Eastern Corridor (IEC). Such arrangement is anticipated to introduce
less vehicular emission and noise nuisance to nearby sensitive receivers.
2.4.1.
The design options, including
form, building design, facilities layout, ventilation and local exhaust design,
were considered and reviewed in order to optimise the operational and
environmental benefits of the facilities.
Form
2.4.2.
The Project aims to re-provide
the existing government facilities, including offices, stores, workshop etc. as
mentioned in Section 2.1.1. The vehicle depot-cum-office building option enables various
Government departments in one single building relieving the pressure on land
resources, reducing the quantity of building construction materials, giving
rise to a more efficient transport planning and minimising the overall impacts
on landscape resources and visual amenity by the avoidance of establishing
multiple buildings or at multiple locations, etc.
Building Design
2.4.3.
Floor-to-floor heights, and
consequently the overall building height, of the building are minimised to
reduce potential visual impact and at the same time provide sufficient space
for vehicle maintenance work and parking of various types of vehicles in the
building.
2.4.4.
The use of underground basement
floor was not considered due to its longer construction period and the
extensive amount of excavated materials and potential marine sediment
generated.
Facilities Layout
2.4.5.
Vehicle repair / testing
activities are proposed to be covered and surrounded by spaces with uses that
are relatively non-sensitive to noise impact, e.g. storerooms and staircases,
which could serve as noise screening/ buffering purpose as far as possible.
Moreover, substantial greenery features were considered, including soft
landscaping areas on Level 1 and roof, together with the use of non-reflective
materials for building envelope.
Ventilation and Local Exhaust Design
2.4.6.
The proposed Project will be
covered with a vast amount of openings at the building façades to optimise the
use of natural ventilation, supplemented with the mechanical ventilation system
at the car parking areas. Due to the reduced number of mechanical ventilation
system required, potential noise nuisance from the fixed plant systems could be
minimised.
2.4.7.
Ventilation exhaust at
laboratories of GL is to be treated prior to discharge to the atmosphere.
Location and orientation of the local exhaust were carefully examined to ensure
sufficient dispersion and to avoid direct impact to the nearby sensitive
receivers. Various gas treatments were evaluated and the most appropriate
technologies with proven removal efficiency (e.g. activated carbon filter,
chemical scrubber, etc.) will be applied when considered necessary, and subject
to detailed design development.
Construction Alternatives
2.4.8.
For the construction of the
proposed Project, the major construction activities comprise the following:
·
Site formation, excavation and filling;
·
Foundation; and
·
Main building construction.
Foundation works
2.4.9.
Although less noise and
vibration would be generated from bored piling during construction, it usually
requires longer construction period and more extensive excavation. In view of
the above, conventional steel H-piling is considered to be more suitable for
the proposed Project.
Site formation, excavation and filling
2.4.10.
The construction methods to be
adopted for site formation are all conventional methods which include site
clearance, excavation and backfilling, construction of haul road and utilities laying, and finally the landscape works. For these works,
the methods are well established and there are limited alternatives.
Main building construction
2.4.11.
In general, the suitable main
building construction options will not present significant differences in terms
of the environmental impacts to the nearby sensitive receivers. Specific
construction method will be determined upon the development of the structural
form of the buildings during later design phase.
2.5.
Description of the Site Area
2.5.1.
The Project site is currently
allocated as a works and staging area by the Drainage Services Department
(DSD). As shown in Figure 1.1, the Project site is located on a reclaimed land
near the promenade of Chai Wan Public Cargo Working Area, which previously was
a reclaimed land. It is surrounded by Sheung Tat
Street to the northwest, Sheung Mau Street to the
southwest and Sheung On
Street to the southeast. According to the approved Chai Wan Outline Zoning Plan
(OZP) No. S/H20/21, the Project site is zoned “Government, Institution or
Community (2)” (“GIC(2)”). The proposed Project is
subject to a building height restriction of 70mPD (including roof-top
structures).
2.6.
Design of the Proposed Project
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2.6.1.
The proposed vehicle
depot-cum-office building will be constructed in the form of a six-storey
building (with a mezzanine floor above Level 3), with a proposed height of
+49.8 mPD. The area of the Project site is
approximately 7,000 m2. The proposed Project involves the following
facilities:
(a)
Construction of the HKPF
PVP&EC of 5,200 m2 on Level 1 and 2;
(b)
Construction of a vehicle depot
under the FEHD of 4,600 m2 or as appropriate on Level 3 and 4;
(c)
Construction of the HKPF
Centralised Case Property Store of about 1,942 m2 for the storage of
case property for Crime Formations on Level 3 and 3M;
(d)
Construction of a permanent
depot under the EMSD of 2,200 m2 on Level 5; and
(e)
Construction of a specialist
laboratory under the GL of about 2,160 m2 on Level 6.
Operation Hours in Proposed Project
2.7.1.
Major vehicle repair / testing activities
at the EMSD depot will be taken from 0800 to 1800 hours on weekdays, whilst the
HKPF examination works will be taken on irregular basis due to operation needs.
The PVP & EC will be in operation 24 hours on 7-day per week basis. FEHD
depot will operate daily from 0600 to 2330 hours. General offices of EMSD, GL,
etc. will operate mainly during normal office hours (0800 to 1800 hours).
Estimated Population in Proposed Project
2.7.2.
The number of staff working in
the proposed Project is estimated to be about 180 and 55 during daytime (0800
to 1800 hours) and evening time (1800 to 2330 hours) respectively.
Proposed Activities in Proposed Project
2.7.3.
The major activities to be
carried out in the proposed Project include vehicle repair / testing
activities, vehicle parking, vehicle washing, chemical testing, etc.
2.8.1.
The construction of the
proposed Project is tentatively to commence in period from Mid
2016 to Mid 2017 depending on the design process and will last for about 29 months.
2.9.
Identification
of Key Environmental Issues
2.9.1.
The identified key
environmental issues during the construction and operation phases include the
following:
During Construction Phase
·
Potential dust impacts arising
from the construction works activities of the proposed Project;
·
Potential noise impacts arising
from the construction works activities of the proposed Project;
·
Potential water quality and
sewerage impacts arising from the construction works activities and workforce;
·
Potential waste management implication
and land contamination issues arising from the construction works activities;
·
Potential landscape and visual
impacts arising from the construction works activities;
·
Potential hazard to life arising
from the neighbouring dangerous goods (DGs) processing and storage facilities;
and
·
Potential cumulative
environmental impacts through interaction or in combination with other
existing, committed and planned concurrent projects.
During Operation Phase
·
Potential vehicular emission
and pollutant emission impacts arising from the vehicle repair / testing activities in the proposed Project and road carriageways in the
vicinity of the proposed Project;
·
Potential fixed noise impacts
arising from operation plant and vehicle repair / testing activities in the
proposed Project and
road carriageways in the vicinity of the proposed Project;
·
Potential sewerage impacts
arising from the workforce in the proposed Project;
·
Potential landscape and visual
impacts arising from the operation of the proposed Project;
·
Potential waste management
implications arising from the vehicle repair / testing activities
of the proposed Project;
·
Potential hazard to life
arising from the neighbouring dangerous goods (DGs) processing and storage
facilities as well as the proposed Project; and
·
Potential cumulative
environmental impacts of the proposed Project, through interaction or in
combination with other existing, committed and planned projects in the vicinity
of the proposed Project, and that those impacts may have a bearing on the
environmental acceptability of the proposed Project.
2.9.2.
The associated environmental
nuisances have been adequately assessed in the following sections.
3.
Air Quality Impact Assessment
3.1.
Air quality impact assessment
was conducted for the construction and operation phase of the proposed Project
within the 500 m study area in accordance with the requirements of the
Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM).
3.2.
Air quality impact arising from
the Project was assessed by air quality models commonly used by the EPD.
Construction Phase
3.3.
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The potential dust
emission sources are mainly from the construction work activities of the
excavation and wind erosion at the work site. As there would be no major
earthworks to be carried out such that the amount of excavated materials
generated would be small, no adverse dust impact would be anticipated at the
representative air sensitive receivers (ASRs) with
the implementation of sufficient dust suppression measures as stipulated under
the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation and good site
practices.
Operation Phase
3.4.
During operation of the proposed Project, no
adverse air quality impacts is anticipated as there would be limited vehicular
emissions from the repair / testing and parking activities of the proposed Project, considered with cumulative
effect of emissions from open roads networks within the 500m study area.
3.5.
Quantitative air quality impact
assessment on air pollutants such as NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 indicated that the pollutant concentrations under the worst case scenario are in compliance
with the prevailing Air Quality Objectives (AQOs). No mitigation measure is
required.
3.6.
Analysis of odour emissions from RCVs was conducted. Given the initiatives and management practices as listed below,
potential odour and water dripping nuisance associated with the operation of
the proposed Project is anticipated to be negligible:
·
All RCVs will be fully off-loaded in designated refuse disposal sites
and washed thoroughly in the Island East Transfer Station or disposal site
before returning to the FEHD Depot;
·
No maintenance work of RCVs will be taken place in the proposed Project;
·
Extensive cleansing and clearance of refuse
residual inside the compactor of the RCVs would not be carried out within the
proposed Project;
·
Only washing of the body shell
of RCVs would be taken place either at the manual washing bay or passing
through the automatic vehicle washing machine;
·
All RCVs will be wiped dry before leaving proposed
Project;
·
All RCVs will also be equipped
with metal tailgate cover and deodourising system
with an odour removal efficiency of 85% or above; and
·
Sufficient parking spaces to
avoid the chance of RCV queuing at the building entrance.
3.7.
Lastly, the estimated emission
rates of the organic and inorganic chemicals emanated due to the operation of
the GL Specialist Laboratory are to be of minimal amount and fulfil the
threshold limit value / permissible exposure limit of relevant occupational
safety and health requirements. Potential impacts associated with volatile
chemicals emissions of the proposed Project are negligible.
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