CONTENTS
1.7 Objectives of
the EIA Study
1.8 Structure of
the EIA Report
Figure 1.2 Layout
of Proposed Marine Facilities
Strategic Context: Airport City
1.1.1.1
Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) first put forward its vision to
transform Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) into an Airport City in the “From City Airport to Airport City”
report published in 2019. The
Airport City vision envisages growing HKIA’s position as the preeminent
international aviation hub in Asia Pacific, while transforming HKIA into a new
landmark and one of the key economic growth engines for Hong Kong. To realise the Airport City vision, AAHK
has adopted a strategy to fully capitalise on the unique geographical advantage
of HKIA and capture opportunities arising from the new infrastructures
connected to the airport, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB).
1.1.1.2
The commissioning of the HZMB in 2018 has greatly improved the
connectivity between Hong Kong and cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and
further expand the catchment area of HKIA as the region’s leading international
aviation hub. To meet the growing
demand and extend the airport’s reach, AAHK will continue to strengthen HKIA’s
capacity for passenger and cargo service, through the expansion into a Three-runway
System (3RS) and other capacity enhancement plans. In addition, AAHK is introducing a
growing cluster of functional enhancements with a view to transforming the
airport into a new landmark and attracting more visitors to the Airport City
from within Hong Kong, the GBA and other parts of Asia. Such functional enhancements include
SKYCITY, a major integrated development that comprises retail complexes, dining
areas, hotels, leisure and entertainment facilities, as well as AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) future developments and other related
plans, with complementary infrastructural support and technological
innovations.
1.1.1.3
The infrastructural support to the airport’s capacity and
functional enhancements includes, among others, a series of AAHK’s
recommendations for land uses on the Hong Kong Port (HKP) (formerly known as
Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities) Island of HZMB. The key project items include the
building of automated car parks for transit air passengers and visitors
travelling via HZMB, and the Airportcity Link
(formerly known as Airport City Link) (ACL), a vehicular and pedestrian bridge,
on which the AAHK operates an autonomous transportation system to connect HKP
Island and SKYCITY, and plans to extend such system to Tung Chung Town Centre. In addition, land parcels on the HKP
Island have been reserved for the development of air cargo logistics. As announced in the Chief Executive’s
2020 Policy Address, the HKSAR Government has accepted these proposals. It is also noted in the 2020 Policy Address
that optimising the use of the land adjacent to the airport will not only
provide more job opportunities and a better living environment for the
expanding Tung Chung community, but also inject new development elements and
economic impetus into the whole North Lantau.
1.1.1.4
Under the strategic context as discussed above, the Airport Tung
Chung Link Project (hereafter referred to as the “Project”) is proposed. The Project involves the construction
and operation of (i) a proposed Airport Tung Chung
Link (hereafter referred to as ATCL) to connect HKP Island, Airport Island and Tung Chung Town
Centre via a dedicated road link; and (ii) marine facilities in the waters
between Airport Island and HKP Island.
Further details of the project are presented in Section 2 of this
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report.
1.1.1.5
On 21 September 2021, the Airport Authority Hong Kong appointed
Meinhardt (Hong Kong) Ltd, to provide consultancy services for the Airport Tung
Chung Link Project under Contract C21C04.
1.2.1.1
The Project involves the construction and operation of (i) a proposed Airport Tung
Chung Link (ATCL) to connect HKP Island, Airport Island and Tung Chung Town
Centre via a dedicated road link; and (ii) marine facilities in the waters
between Airport Island and HKP Island.
The Project scope of works consists of:
ATCL
i.
Construction of about 5km long road with approximately 2,660m
at-grade section, 880m land viaduct and 230m marine viaduct and a provision
spur line of an approximate 980m long connecting the planned Aviation Academy
for future extension;
ii.
Construction of 4 at-grade and 1 elevated ATCL stations;
iii. Construction
of a depot; and
iv. Realignment/Reprovision of affected facilities and construction of
ancillary facilities such as walkways, footbridges and plant room(s);
Marine Facilities
v.
Construction of a pier and berthing facilities with about 73
berths;
vi. Construction
of ancillary facilities including floating platforms, gangway, floating/ fixed
wave attenuator, guide piles, etc; and
vii. Maintenance
dredging for the marine facilities.
1.3.1.1
The ATCL will be constructed on existing reclaimed land, and extended
from the planned ACL to two sections, one to its south, the other to its east. The southern
section will run along the eastern coast of the Airport Island and across the
sea channel to the southwest of North Lantau Highway for connection with the
East Coast Support Area (ECSA) and Tung Chung Town Centre. The eastern section is a provision for
future extension running along the southern coast of the HKP Island for
connection with the planned Hong Kong International Aviation Academy at the
south of the HKP Island.
1.3.1.2
Figure 1.1 shows the
latest ATCL alignment and Figure 1.2 shows the
layout of proposed marine facilities.
The key elements to be constructed are described in Section 2.6 and summarised in Table 2.8.
1.3.1.3 Detailed project
descriptions of construction methodology are presented in Section 2.7. This EIA
study was carried out based on the most updated available information.
1.3.1.4
The ATCL provides transport links of about 5km in length served by
zero emission vehicles connecting Tung Chung, Airport and HKP Island with five
stations, namely, Tung Chung Central (TCC) Station, ECSA North (ECSA-N)
Station, ECSA South (ECSA-S) Station, Approach Lights (AL) Station and Academy
Station. For the carriageway, a
single 2-lane configuration is adopted.
1.3.1.5
The 2.7km at-grade road will run from the Academy station and along
the south coast of the HKP Island, then pass through the ECSA-N Station and ECSA-S
Station, and end at the sea channel of the southwest of North Lantau Highway.
1.3.1.6
Approximate 980m spur line provision for future extension will run
from the junction of land viaduct and at-grade road and along the south coast
of the HKP Island for connection with the Academy Station.
1.3.1.7
The 230m short marine viaduct will be crossing the sea channel from
the southwest of North Lantau Highway to Tung Chung.
1.3.1.8
The approximate 880m land viaduct will separate into two sections,
the first section will run from Tung Chung near Citygate Shopping Plaza towards
the northward’s direction to Tung Chung Waterfront Road and connecting to the
marine viaduct. The second section
will run from the southeast side to the east side of marine facilities and to
the connection point at the ACL viaduct.
1.3.1.9
A depot for daily maintenance, storage, charging and cleaning of
zero emission vehicles is located next to the ECSA-S Station and approximate
146m from HKA Training Academy.
1.3.1.10
Marine facilities including a pier and 73 berthing facilities for
pleasure vessels are located at the marine area between the Airport Island and
the HKP Island, also at the south of the SkyPier
Terminal Bonded Bridge (formerly known as Intermodal Transfer Terminal – Bonded
Vehicular Bridge and Associated Roads (ITT-BVB)) and ACL.
1.4.1.1 A Project
Profile (No. PP-623/2021) was
submitted to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) for application of
an EIA Study Brief under section 5(1)(a) of the Environmental Impact Assessment
Ordinance (EIAO) and an EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-342/2021) for the Project was
issued on 26 July 2021 under section 5(7)(a) of the EIAO.
1.
Maintenance dredging for the marine
facilities is necessary for its future operation; and
2.
Kwo Lo Wan Road (KLW Road) upgrading works have been advanced to provide
access for ECSA construction and so it will no longer form part of the ATCL.
1.4.1.3
In accordance with Clause 6.2 of the EIA Study Brief, it was
checked if there was any key change in the scope of the Project mentioned in
Section 1.2 of the EIA Study Brief and in Project Profile (No. PP-623/2021). It was demonstrated that inclusion of
maintenance dredging for marine facilities and removal of KLR Road would not
alter the key scope of the EIA Study Brief. Director of Environmental
Protection agreed the issued EIA Study Brief is still valid for the
preparation of the EIA Report.
1.5.1.1 The Project
consists of the following designated projects under the following items of Part
I, Schedule 2 of the EIAO:
·
Item A.6(c) – A transport depot located less than 200m from the
nearest boundary of an existing or planned educational institution;
·
Item A.8 – A road or railway bridge more than 100m in length
between abutments;
·
Item C.3(a) – Reclamation works resulting in 5% decrease in cross
sectional area calculated on the basis of 0.0mPD in a sea channel;
·
Item C.12(b) – A dredging operation exceeding 500,000m3
or a dredging operation which is less than 100m from a seawater intake point;
and
·
Item O.2 – A marina designed to provide moorings or dry storage
for not less than 30 vessels used primarily for pleasure or recreation.
(i)
the overall acceptability of
any adverse environmental consequences that are likely to arise as a result of
the Project;
(ii)
the conditions and
requirements for the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project
to mitigate against adverse environmental consequences; and
(iii)
the acceptability of residual
impacts after the proposed mitigation measures are implemented.
1.7.1.1 In accordance with Section 2.1 of the
EIA Study Brief, the objectives of the EIA study are as follows:
(i)
to
describe the Project and associated works together with the requirements and
environmental benefits for carrying out the proposed project;
(ii)
to
identify and describe the elements of 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 the associated
environmental constraints;
(iii)
to
identify and quantify emission sources and determine the significance of
impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
(iv)
to
identify and quantify potential waste management issues and impacts arising as
a result of the construction and operation activities of the Project;
(v)
to
identify and quantify the ecological impacts, any potential losses or damage to
flora, fauna and natural habitats, and to propose measures to mitigate these
impacts;
(vi)
to
identify and quantify the fisheries impacts and to propose measures to mitigate
these impacts;
(vii)
to
identify any potential landscape and visual impacts and to propose measures to
mitigate these impacts;
(viii)
to
identify any negative impacts on sites of cultural heritage and to propose
measures to mitigate these impacts;
(ix)
to
propose the provision of infrastructure or mitigation measures so as to
minimize pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction
and operation of the Project;
(x)
to
investigate the feasibility, effectiveness and implications of the proposed
mitigation measures;
(xi)
to
identify, predict and evaluate the residual (i.e. after practicable mitigation)
environmental impacts and the cumulative effects expected to arise during the
construction and operation phases of the Project in relation to the sensitive
receivers and potential affected uses;
(xii)
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 residual environmental impacts and cumulative
effects and reduce them to acceptable levels;
(xiii)
to
design and specify the environmental monitoring and audit requirements; and
(xiv)
to
identify any additional studies necessary to implement the mitigation measures
or monitoring and proposals recommended in the EIA Report.
1.8.1.1
The background of the Project and the
objectives of this EIA study are introduced in this section. Remainder
of this EIA Report are organised as follows:
·
Chapter 2 – Project Description
·
Chapter 3 – Air Quality
·
Chapter 4 – Noise
·
Chapter 5 – Water Quality
·
Chapter 6 – Waste
Management
·
Chapter 7 – Ecology
·
Chapter 8 – Fisheries
·
Chapter 9 – Cultural Heritage
·
Chapter 10 – Landscape and Visual
·
Chapter 11 – Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A)
Requirement
·
Chapter 12 – Summary of Environmental Outcomes
·
Chapter 13 – Conclusion