Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 499)
(ACE-EIA Paper 11/2001)
For advice
Environmental Impact Assessment
Modifications to MTRC Tsim Sha Tsui Station
Purpose
This paper presents the key findings and recommendations of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for the Modifications to the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) Station (hereafter known as the Project), submitted under section 6(2) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO). A presentation will be made by MTRC and their consultants. Comments from the public and the ACE will be taken into account by the Director of Environmental Protection when he makes the decision on the approval of the EIA report under the EIAO.
Advice Sought
2. Members' views are sought on the findings and recommendations of the EIA report.
Need for the Project
3. The Project is to improve the pedestrian interchange between the existing MTRC TST Station and a new East TST Station (ETS Station) to be constructed under another project namely "KCRC East Rail Extension - Hung Hom to TST", the EIA Report of which was endorsed by ACE in April 2000.
Description of the Project
4. The Project is a "material change" to the exempted project (i.e. the MTRC TST Station) under section 9(4) of the EIAO. It involves the modification of the existing MTRC TST Station in the form of a southward extension by 56m to provide a new 50m pedestrian subway along Nathan Road (see Figure 1). The construction work is scheduled to start in early 2002 for completion in 2004.
Specific Environmental Aspects to Highlight - Construction Noise Impact
5. The station extension and the pedestrian subway will mainly be underground, and there will not be any impact during the operational stage. To mitigate the construction noise impact, temporary noise barriers / enclosures will be erected, and the predicted noise levels at all the representative noise sensitive receivers will comply with the EIAO-TM criteria for residential dwellings.
Environmental Monitoring & Audit (EM&A)
6. A framework for EM&A has been put forward in the EM&A manual submitted in the EIA. The EM&A requirements will be enforced as Environmental Permit conditions.
Comments received so far from the public during the Public Inspection Period
7. MTRC has made the EIA report, EM&A manual and Executive Summary available for public to comment under the EIAO on 20 July 2001. Members will be briefed on any comments received from the public at the meeting.
Environmental Assessment and Noise Division
Environmental Protection Department
July 2001
