14 SuMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOME

14.1 Introduction

14.1.1 This chapter summarizes the overall environmental outcomes due to the Project, which covers 32 hectares of land of the Fanling Golf Course located to the east of Fan Kam Road. It can be seen from Sections 1 to 2 that environmental considerations have been taken into account throughout the planning of the proposed land uses. Alternative options for designs and construction methodologies have been duly considered. All the options considered have ensured that environmental impacts could be avoided or minimized where practicable and mitigated by implementing suitable mitigation measures to fulfil all the statutory requirements. The technical assessments conducted have demonstrated that all the statutory requirements in EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-318/2019) and Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAO-TM) have been complied with.

14.1.2 The following sections summarise the approaches that have been adopted to either avoid or minimise various environmental impacts throughout the design process, and the associated environmental enhancement and compensation plans.

14.2 Environmentally Friendly Options Recommended to Avoid Environmental Impacts

14.2.1 Based on the selected Development Option 2, the associated environmental impacts have been considered and assessed in this EIA report.

14.2.2 Avoidance of environmental impacts is one of the key considerations throughout the entire project development and design. For those impacts that could not be avoided, due considerations have been given to minimise those impacts as much as practicable so that all the mitigated environmental impacts would comply with the statutory requirements. For the proposed development in particular, given the views collated from general public and green groups, much emphasis has been given to address the natural resources such as woodland, marsh and swampy woodland as well as plant species of conservation interest, etc. The following approaches to avoid environmental impacts have been suitably incorporated into the layout plan of the proposed development.

· Avoidance of direct impact on plant species of conservation importance in Sub-Areas 2 to 4;

· Avoidance of encroachment onto recognised sites of conservation importance;

· Avoidance of important habitats in Sub-Areas 2 to 4; and

· Avoidance of clan graves.

Avoidance of Direct Impact on Plant Species of Conservation Importance

14.2.3 Consideration of avoiding the impacts to the species of conservation importance has been taken into account during the initial stage of the study. In order to minimize the impacts of construction towards the species of conservation importance, the proposed public housing development will be located at Sub-Area 1. However, four flora species of conservation importance i.e. Aquilaria sinensis (~ 38 ind.), Ardisia villosa (~ 25 ind.), Geodorum densiflorum (~32 ind.), and Ilex graciliflora (~1 ind.) were recorded within Sub-Area 1. The approximate individuals being encroached are lower than other Sub-Areas. Mitigation measures including transplantation (if in situ preservation is not feasible) and good site practice will be recommended to minimize the potential impacts

14.2.4 In addition, 395 nos. of TPIs found in Sub-Areas 2 to 4 including 41 nos. mature trees with DBHs equal to or over 1000mm and 80 nos. are rare/protected species Aquilaria sinensis (43 nos.), Glyptostrobus pensilis (30 nos.), Lagerstroemia indica (2 nos.) and L. speciosa (5 nos.). All of these existing trees found in Sub-Areas 2 to 4 are proposed to be retained except 2 nos. of TPIs would be affected[1]. Based on the above, no discernible landscape and visual impacts is predicted in Sub-Areas 2 to 4.

Avoidance of encroachment onto Recognised Sites of Conservation Importance

14.2.5 All the recognized sites of conservation importance, including Fung Shui Wood, SSSI, Country Park, Conservation Areas, Long Valley Nature Park and the egretries have been avoided and will not be encroached by any developments under the Project.

Avoidance of Important Habitats

14.2.1 Important habitats including Fung Shui Wood and the egretries outside the Project Site would not be impacted. Within the Project Site, majority of the habitat types with medium or above ecological values (e.g. marsh and swampy woodland) have been avoided. Although the major development will be limited to Sub-Area 1 of the Project Site, the layout plan of the development, i.e. location and extent of the proposed development, has been fine-tuned to further minimize the area of woodland loss, i.e. the mixed woodland in the southeast of Sub-Area 1 (next to Ming Tak Court). Only relatively small area of woodlands will be affected, woodland compensation will be required. Besides, a management plan will be formulated to conserve and enhance the important habitats as well as the species of conservation importance in Sub-Areas 2 to 4.

Avoidance of Direct Impacts on Clan Graves

14.2.2 With the exception of a single grave, development and direct impact on clan graves has been avoided within the PDA boundary.

14.3 Environmental Designs Recommended to Minimise and Mitigate Environmental Impacts

14.3.1 Other than initiatives to avoid environmental impacts as summarised in Section 14.2, efforts have been exercised to minimise those inevitable impacts. The need for any environmental designs required to mitigate the associated impacts has also been identified and will be implemented as appropriate. A summary of these approaches is given below:

· Provision of Covered PTIs;

· Provision of noise mitigation measures;

· Provision of sewerage system within PDA;

· Preservation and/or Transplantation of Plant Species of Conservation Importance;

· Provision of Mitigation of Impacts on Fanling Golf Course, The Hong Kong Golf Club, a New Item (N340)

· Provision of mitigation of indirect visual impacts on Built Heritage; and

· Opportunity for onsite sorting and reuse of excavated clean soil and fill materials are devised in the construction method to minimise surplus materials to be disposed offsite.

Provision of Covered PTI

14.3.2 A PTI proposed within the PDA will be covered to minimise the operational noise to existing and planned noise sensitive receivers (NSRs).

Providing Noise Mitigation Measures

14.3.3 A road traffic noise assessment (see Section 4) has been conducted for the existing and planned NSRs (including residential units, schools, etc.) within the 300m assessment area of the PDA and the associated infrastructure works. The current planning of building block layout has allowed setback distances as much as practicable. To mitigate the road traffic noise impact on the existing and planned NSRs within and near the PDA, a combination of noise mitigation measures have been recommended, including i) application of low noise road surfacing material along some sections of Project roads (e.g. Po Kin Road and Ping Kong Road) and other roads, ii) provision of acoustic window (baffle type) at planned residential blocks, iii) provision of Class Assessment Approach at the proposed primary school, iv) restriction on locating the more noise sensitive welfare uses at façade facing Ping Kong Road.

14.3.4 Canopy should be provided at the ingress and egress of the PTI for mitigate the fixed noise impact.

14.3.5 More detailed description of those noise mitigation measures are given in Section 4.

Provision of Sewerage System within PDA

14.3.6 Currently, there is no public sewers within the PDA. With the associated sewerage to be constructed under this Project, the proposed public housing development will be provided with public sewers that convey the sewage to the downstream public sewage collection and treatment system. Hence, the impact to the watercourses in the vicinity is anticipated to be insignificant.

Preservation and/or Transplantation of Plant Species of Conservation Importance

14.3.7 Preservation and/or transplantation of plant species of conservation importance, including Aquilaria sinensis, Ardisia villosa, Geedorum densiflorum and Ilex graciliflora will be conducted before site formation works. Priority should be given to on-site preservation, especially for large sized individuals, and followed by transplantation, which is more feasible for small-sized individuals/seedlings.

Provision of Mitigation of Impacts on Fanling Golf Course, The Hong Kong Golf Club, a New Item (N340)

14.3.8 The impact of the proposed works on Fanling Golf Course, The Hong Kong Golf Club, a New Item (N340) is subject to the further assessment pending to the grading by AAB and mitigation measures, where necessary, will be proposed to minimise the impact on the Fanling Golf Course.

Provision of Mitigation of Indirect Visual Impacts on Built Heritage

14.3.9 Mitigation to avoid and mitigate visual impacts on graded historic buildings, in particular on Fanling Lodge (Grade 1), Clubhouse of HKGC (Grade 2) and Half-way House of HKGC (Grade 3) will consist in sensitive design of residential units, and green/vegetation screening at minimum. Detailed Built heritage impact will be required when design details are being finalized.

Opportunity to Reuse Excavated Clean Soil and Fill Materials

14.3.10 Mitigation measures to minimise waste generation and avoid surplus materials to be disposed offsite will be implemented. Construction waste (C&D materials) is suggested to be recycled onsite and reused as much as possible. Various waste management measures and good site practices are also provided to reduce the volume of waste generated.

14.4 Summary of Key Environmental Problems and Sensitive Areas Avoided

14.4.1 Sections 14.2 and 14.3 have summarised the key approaches adopted in the development to avoid, minimise and mitigate environmental impacts. Some of these approaches have contributed to avoid a number of environmental problems and to protect a number of environmental sensitive areas. Table 14.1 presents the key environmental problems and any sensitive areas that have been avoided by these approaches.

Table 14.1 Key Environmental Problems Avoided and Sensitive Areas Protected

Designed Approaches	Key Environmental Problems Avoided and Sensitive Areas Protected
Avoidance of direct impact on plants of conservation importance in Sub-Area 2-4	· Most of the plant species of conservation importance recorded within the 500m assessment area and Sub-Areas 2 to 4 will be avoided · Preservation and/or transplantation of plant species of conservation importance, including Aquilaria sinensis, Ardisia villosa, Geedorum densiflorum and Ilex graciliflora will be conducted before site formation works. · Relatively smaller numbers of plant species of conservation importance (compared with Sub-Area 2-4) within Sub-Area 1 will be affected ·
Avoidance of encroachment onto Recognised Sites of Conservation Importance	· All the recognized sites of conservation importance, including SSSI, Country Park, Conservation Areas, Long Valley Nature Park have been avoided and will not be encroached by any developments under the Project.
Avoidance of Important Habitats	· Important habitats including Fung Shui Wood and the egretries outside the Project Site would not be impacted · Within the Project Site, majority of the habitat types with medium or above ecological values (e.g. marsh and swampy woodland) have been avoided. · Although relative small area of woodlands will be affected, woodland compensation will be required. · A management plan will be formulated to conserve and enhance the important habitats as well as species of conservation importance in Sub-Areas 2 to 4.
Avoidance of Direct Impacts on Clan Graves	· With the exception of a single grave, development and direct impact on clan graves has been avoided within the PDA boundary.
Provision of covered PTI	· Operation noise impacts from proposed PTI to NSRs is avoided/minimized.
Provision of noise mitigation measures	· All noise sensitive receivers within and in the vicinity of the PDA are protected to achieve the traffic noise criterion.
Provision of sewerage system within PDA	· The proposed public housing development will be provided with public sewers that convey the sewage to the downstream public sewage collection and treatment system. Hence, the impact to the watercourses in the vicinity is anticipated to be insignificant.
Preservation and/or Transplantation of Plant Species of Conservation Importance	· Preservation and/or transplantation of plant species of conservation importance, including Aquilaria sinensis, Ardisia villosa, Geedorum densiflorum and Ilex graciliflora will be conducted before site formation works.
Provision of Mitigation of Impacts on Fanling Golf Course, The Hong Kong Golf Club, a New Item (N340) Provision of Mitigation of Indirect Visual Impacts on Built Heritage	· The impact of the proposed works on Fanling Golf Course, The Hong Kong Golf Club, a New Item (N340) is subject to the further assessment pending to the grading by AAB and mitigation measures, where necessary, will be proposed to minimise the impact on the Fanling Golf Course. · Mitigation to avoid and mitigate visual impacts on graded historic buildings, in particular on Fanling Lodge (Grade 1), Clubhouse of HKGC (Grade 2) and Half-way House of HKGC (Grade 3) will consist in sensitive design of residential units, and green/vegetation screening at minimum.
Opportunity to Reuse Excavated Clean Soil and Fill Materials	· Mitigation measures to minimise waste generation and avoid surplus materials to be disposed offsite will be implemented. Construction waste (C&D materials) is suggested to be recycled onsite and reused as much as possible. Various waste management measures and good site practices are also provided to reduce the volume of waste generated

14.5 Estimated Population Protected from Various Environmental Impacts

14.5.1 The proposed development has been carefully designed to protect the populations from various environmental impacts. As mentioned in Section 4, the implementation of proposed direct noise mitigation measures (i.e. application of low noise road surfacing) could protect a number of residential dwellings/classrooms/welfares use facilities. The number of residential dwellings/classrooms/welfares use facilities under benefitted / protected are shown in Table 4.6.13.

14.6 Environmental Benefits of Environmental Protection Measures Recommended

14.6.1 Mitigation measures have been recommended to further reduce the environmental impacts during the construction and operation phases of the project. Key recommended mitigation measures and the associated benefits are summarised in Table 14.2 below.

Table 14.2 Key Recommended Mitigation Measures and Associated Benefits

EIA Aspect	Key Recommended Mitigation Measures	Associated Benefits
Air Quality	Construction Dust · Implementing relevant control measures as required in the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation to minimise dust generation; · Watering once per hour on exposed worksites and haul road; and · Erection of hoarding of not less than 3 m high from ground level along the Site boundary	To minimize the dust nuisance on ASRs during construction phase on ASRs.
Noise Impact	Construction Noise · Use of quiet powered mechanical plants with lower sound power level, movable barriers, noise insulating fabric and noise enclosures during the construction phase; · Implement recommended minimum separation distance between critical construction activities and NSRs (schools during exam period); and · Adoption of quieter construction method for site clearance works. Road Traffic Noise · Use of low noise road surfacing material along some sections of project roads and other roads; · Use of air-conditioning with noise insulated window and 3m boundary wall for proposed school under class assessment approach. · Use of acoustic window (baffle type) for planned residential developments within Sub-Area 1, and · Restriction on locating the more noise sensitive welfare uses at façade facing Ping Kong Road. Fixed Noise Sources · PTI to be decked and avoid direct line of sight to NSRs and adopt recommended maximum sound power level of the ventilation fans installed at PTI. · Canopy at the ingress and egress of the PTI · Openings of ventilation system located and oriented away from NSRs. · Installation of silencer/acoustic louvre for exhaust of ventilation system. · Proper selection of quiet plant with lower tonality.	To minimize the construction noise on NSRs during construction phase. During the operation phase, the road traffic noise and noise from fixed noise source on NSRs could be reduced.
Water Quality	· Implementing the mitigation measures recommended for control of suspended solids release. · Implementing site practices as outlined in ProPECC Note PN 1/94 to control and minimise site runoff and drainage. · Provision of adequate portable chemical toilets during construction. · Install and maintain roadside gullies and oil/grease interceptors for removal of pollutants from storm water.	To minimise the potential water pollution to the nearby water sensitive receivers (WSRs), thus, the WSRs could be protected in construction and operation phases.
Sewerage and Sewage Treatment	· Propose new sewerage system to collect the sewage from the proposed housing development.	Buffer has been reserved to serve the nearby villages and residential buildings.
Waste Management	· Good waste management and control practices to avoid generation of excessive amount of waste materials. · Good site practices to alleviate impacts related to waste management such as dust, odour, noise and potential contamination to the land. · Implementation of a trip-ticket system promulgated under DEVB TC(W) No. 6/2010 to monitor off-site delivery of surplus inert construction and demolition (C&D) materials. · Employ reputable waste collectors for disposal of general refuse. · All ACMs, if confirmed to be present within the existing premises, must be removed in accordance with the Air Pollution Control Ordinance and prior to the demolition work. The removal and disposal of asbestos wastes are to be conducted by a licensed waste collector in compliance with the Waste Disposal Ordinance. · Handling of chemical wastes in accordance with the Code of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes, and disposal of chemical wastes at licensed chemical waste recycling / treatment facilities. · Clinical wastes shall be segregated from other sources and types of waste streams at the source, centrally collected and stored in designated clinical waste storage rooms before collection by licensed clinical waste collectors for disposal at a licensed disposal facility. · According to ETWB TC(W) 19/2005, wastes to be generated from the Project will be quantified in the Waste Management Plan (WMP) to be prepared by the Contractor for the site as part of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and submitted to the Architect / Engineer for approval prior to construction work. · C&DMMP is to be submitted to the Public Fill Committee (PFC) in principal approval prior to the commencement of detailed design stage.	Implementation of good waste management to avoid or reduce potential adverse environmental impacts associated with the handling, collection and disposal of waste arising from the construction and operation of the Project.
Land Contamination	· Establishment and implementation of the Contamination Assessment Plan (CAP), to define the nature, extent and degree of contamination. · As the identified potentially contaminated sites would still be in operation, site investigation is unlikely to be carried out at this stage and shall only begin after the land has been reverted to Government. Upon the land has been reverted to Government and site clearance, a re-appraisal and a supplementary CAP, covering the entire assessment area shall be prepared and submitted to EPD for approval. · Following the approved supplementary CAP, results from site investigation will provide sufficient information for the development of the Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) and/or Remediation Action Plan (RAP) (if necessary) for EPD’s approval. · If contaminated soil and/or groundwater are identified at the Project Site, remediation shall be carried out according to EPD’s approved RAP and the RR should be submitted to EPD for endorsement after completion of the remediation works. No development works shall commence prior to EPD’s endorsement of the RR. · Given that any contaminated soil and/or groundwater would be remediated prior to the development, no adverse residual impacts are anticipated from the construction and operation phases of Project activities.	Minimize the potential adverse impact to the environment due to the handling of contaminated materials. Provide opportunity to clean up the contaminated land and reduce the potential risk to the health of future landowners and the environment.
Ecology	· Avoidance of recognized sites of conservation importance · Avoidance of important habitats in Sub-Areas 2 to 4 · Minimization of habitat loss and impacts to species of conservation importance · Compensation woodland planting · Preservation and/or transplantation of plant species of conservation importance · Formulation of management plan · Lighting would be directed away from the tree groups being remained in Sub-Area 1	Important habitats and species of conservation importance in Sub-Areas 2-4 can be conserved and probably be enhanced from the woodland compensation and management plan.
Landscape and Visual	· Preservation of existing vegetations including trees and tree of particular interest (TPI) as far as practical; wherever preservation is not possible, transplanting and compensatory planting strategies will be applied. · Construction areas’ control, including reducing extent of working areas and storage areas, shortening of construction period, and control of night-time lighting glare to minimize potential landscape and visual impact arising from construction activities. · Implement decorative and green screening measures, including temporary decorated hoarding boards and screen planting where practical to improve the landscape and visual aesthetics. · Planting on the podium and at-grade and screening planting for the proposed public housing development in Sub-area 1. · Sensitive treatment and design to external finishes of the built structure to ensure elements’ colour, texture, and tonal quality to be compatible with the surrounding landscape and visual. In addition, a staggered building height and form can enhance visual interest and quality. The building height should correspond with the nearby high-rise buildings and the natural landforms. · Enhancement by planting of native tree species especially those with proven ecological values to existing habitat in Sub-areas 2, 3, & 4.	To provide buffering, screening, and enhancing plantings to blend the proposed development into the surrounding context visually. To provide a planting palette with a strong sense of promoting native species to increase ecological diversities of the existing habitats in the Sub-areas 2-4. The greenery coverage to be enlarged as far as practical.
Cultural Heritage	Built Heritage · The impact of the proposed works on Fanling Golf Course, The Hong Kong Golf Club, a New Item (N340) is subject to the further assessment pending to the grading by AAB and mitigation measures, where necessary, will be proposed to minimise the impact on the Fanling Golf Course. · Detailed visual impact assessment of proposed high-rise development in Sub-Area 1 and minor development in Sub-Areas 2 to 4 in Detailed Design Stage for Graded Historic Buildings, Fanling Lodge (Grade 1), Clubhouse of HKGC (Grade 2) and Half-way House of HKGC (Grade 3). Archaeology · Detailed Archaeological Impact Assessment (AIA) of works locations and associated works in Sub-Area 1 and minor development in Sub-Areas 2 to 4 in Investigation Stage or as early as possible (prior to detailed design stage).	To mitigate potential impacts after grading assessment by AAB To mitigate visual impacts and degradation of setting of built heritage. To preserve by record archaeological information, if any.

[1] In Sub-area 2, a 1-storey building and the associated vehicle road may possibly be provided nearby the existing pumping station for the future use of Sub-areas 2 to 4, 2 nos. of TPIs (T33 and T61) would be affected by the proposed layout. However, this layout is indicative for demonstrating possible form of recreational facilities in Sub-area 2 to 3 for preliminary assessment at this stage only. The exact layout of the proposed 1-storey building and the associated vehicle road shall be subjected to further review in detail design stage, conflict to the existing trees in Sub-areas 2-4 shall be avoided.