8.
LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL IMPACT
8.1.1
This Landscape and Visual
Impact Assessment is prepared to predict and judge the significance of the
effect of the proposed reclamation works of Yau Tong Bay and decommissioning of ship building and repairing facilities at
the marine lots that may have on existing landscape character and visual
amenity of the area. The EIA Study for
the proposed comprehensive development will be covered in a separate EIA report
submission.
8.1.2
This project involves
reclamation of Yau Tong Bay and
amalgamation of the existing marine lots for the future Comprehensive
Development Area (CDA) development. The
reclamation site is majority zoned as Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) on
the Cha Kwo Ling, Yau Tong,
Lei Yue Mun
Outline Zoning Plan No. S/K/15/13. The population of the development on the
proposed CDA is about 39,000 persons.
8.1.3
A request for zoning of Yau Tong Bay CDA was submitted by Main Wealth Development
Ltd on 1 August
1998 and approval in principle was given on
11 December
1998 by the Metro-Planning Committee of
Town Planning Board. In the aforesaid
submission, the extent of the Yau Tong Bay
Reclamation together with the boundary of Yau Tong
Bay CDA were revised taking into account the coastal alignment of the proposed
Western Coast Road (WCR) which runs from Tseung Kwan
O to the South East Kowloon along the existing
coastline.
8.1.4
Recently, the proposed
alignment of WCR is under review, and there are two different options for the
WCR, one is the original coastal option and the other is the tunnel
option. For the tunnel option, the
extent of reclamation will be reduced as the extra land reclaimed for
construction of WCR are no longer required.
8.1.5
As the proposed alignment of
WCR is still uncertain at the present moment, in this EIA study, the landscape
and visual impact of the aforesaid two different reclamations will both be
assessed and are named as follows:
Reclamation Option 1 - Yau Tong Bay Reclamation based on the Western Coast
Road - Tunnel Option.
In this option, the total project area is about 21.5 hectares and the
area of reclamation is limited to 12 hectares approximately (Figure 8.1A and 8.4A).
Reclamation Option 2 - Yau Tong Bay Reclamation based on the Western Coast
Road - Coastal Option.
In this option, the total project area is about
28.5 hectares which comprises 9.6 hectares of Yau
Tong Bay Marine Lots, 0.55 hectare government lots and 18 hectares reclamation. The reclamation works consists of 14.2
hectares of Yau Tong Bay and 3.8 hectares
seabed areas of the existing marine lots (Figure
8.1B and 8.4B).
8.1.6
The following work elements are
included in this project:-
(i) Reclamation of Yau Tong Bay
ii) Construction of seawall
iii) Diversion of existing drainage outfall and
provision of new stormwater drainage system.
iv) Provision of new sewerage system.
v) Decommissioning of all the marine lots
which have the potential history of land contamination due to ship building and
repairing facilities.
vi) Demolition of existing building structures;
and
vii) Associated temporary works.
8.1.7
This study will assess the
nature and extent of landscape and visual impact arising from the construction
and operation of the aforesaid proposed reclamation works and decommissioning
of ship building and repairing facilities at Yau Tong
Bay on the surrounding sensitive receivers and the environment. Both Reclamation Option 1 and Reclamation
Option 2 will be assessed, and the worst-case scenarios or conservative
assumptions will be considered where appropriate.
8.1.8
Landscape and visual impact
assessment is not an objective science but is based upon a structured and
systematic evaluation of the predicted impacts advised by professional judgment
and experience.
8.1.9
Landscape impacts are impacts
on the intrinsic fabric (i.e. natural landform, vegetation, geology, drainage
... etc) and indirectly upon the character of the landscape; that is, upon the
combination of natural and man-made components that go together to give a
landscape its specific identity.
8.1.10
Visual impacts are impacts upon
the views of the landscape of individual viewers (receivers), and it involves
the identification of receivers who will be affected by change to a given view
(be they be residents, those working in the landscape, those travelling through it or using it as a recreational
resource) and an assessment of the impacts of that change.
8.2
Government Legislation, Guidelines and Planning Policy
8.2.1
The following are the relevant
documents which related to this landscape and visual impact assessment:-
a) Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance
(Cap 479).
b) Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact
Assessment Process Annex 10 and Annex 18.
c) Environmental Impact Assessment Study Brief
No. ESB-0010/1998 issued by EPD for the captioned project..
d) Central and East Kowloon Development Statement (CEKDS)
e) Draft Cha Kwo
Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan
(Plan no.: S/K/15/13).
f) Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment.
8.2.2
The requirement for and
approach to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is specified under the
Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO).
8.2.3
The Technical Memorandum on
Environmental Impact Assessment Process, which is issued under Section 16 of
EIAO, has set out the principles, procedures, guidelines, requirement and
criteria for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The approach to landscape and visual impact
assessment is laid out in Annex 18 of the aforesaid Technical Memorandum.
8.2.4
The EIA Study Brief further set
out the purposes and objectives of the EIA Study, the scope of key
environmental issues which shall be addressed, and the requirements that the
EIA Study shall be fulfilled.
8.2.5
The planning policy and
guidelines for future development at Yau Tong Bay are
contained in the "Central and East Kowloon
Development Statement" (CEKDS), Draft Cha Kwo
Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan and Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment, and these documents will be
reviewed and discussed in the later section.
8.3
Assessment Methodology and Criteria
8.3.1
The assessment methodology and
criteria for landscape and visual impact is based on Annexes 10 and 18 of the
Technical Memorandum, and it includes the following items:
Baseline Review
a) The
baseline review describes the existing landscape and visual character of the
study area and provides a benchmark against which the significance of change to
landscape and visual resources can be assessed.
This has been carried out by desktop study as well as site
investigation.
b) The landscape character of the study area is
based on a review of the existing key landscape features such as topography,
landform, vegetation cover and land use.
From this, the overall landscape character is established and its
sensitivity to change being assessed.
c) The visual baseline review is defined by a
visual envelope which in turn defines the scope of the visual impact
assessment. The visual impact assessment
is mainly focused on visual sensitive receivers and agreed key viewpoints
around the study area. The highest
visual sensitive receivers are usually considered to be the existing and future
committed residential developments.
d) A review of the planning and development
control framework has also been undertaken in order to appreciate the role of
the study area within a larger context.
Landscape
and Visual Impacts
a) An assessment of impacts during construction
and on completion has been made including an indication of their significance
and magnitude.
b) Landscape impact assessment is concentrated
on the level of disturbance to the landscape resources and landscape character
within the study area balanced against their sensitivity to change. The magnitude and significance of the impact
have been predicted in this report.
c) Visual
impact assessment will be mainly on visual compatibility and visual
obstruction. Views from the visual
sensitive receivers are indicated and impacts from key viewpoints are
illustrated by photomontages. A key map
(Figure 8.10) has been provided to identify the
location and direction of these view points.
Recommendation
on Mitigation Measures
a) Mitigation measures are
proposed to reduce and attenuate the landscape and visual impacts if
necessary.
b) Proposal on enhancement
or improvement of landscape resource and visual quality will also be made.
In general, inherent
mitigation measures, which are incorporated into the proposed work through
careful design and consideration of all the possible impacts, are the most
significant in reducing landscape and visual impacts, while additional
mitigation measures, such as screen and hoarding are only effective to those
viewing the site from a very close distance.
Criteria for Assessment of Landscape and Visual Impact
8.3.2
The significance of an impact
depends primarily on the sensitivity of the receiver and the magnitude of the
change itself.
a) Sensitivity
The potential
sensitivity of a landscape element as a receiver depends on several factors
including:
·
Whether the element is rare or
common;
·
Whether the element constitutes
an area of particular landscape interest e.g. a prominent ridgeline or woodland;
·
Whether the element is of
statutory importance e.g. landscaped green belt; and
·
Whether the element is of
cultural interest e.g. fung shui
woodland;
·
Whether the element is
associated with sensitive landscape designations;
·
Whether the element is associated
with cultural and heritage significance; and
·
Maturity and quality of the
element.
The potential sensitivity of a visual receiver is primarily related
to whether a person is at work, at play or at rest. Visual receivers may be broadly classified into
4 groups as follow:
·
Those who view the impact from
their home are considered highly sensitive as the attractiveness or otherwise
the outlook from their home will greatly affect their perception of the quality
and acceptability of their home environment and their general quality of life;
·
Those who view the impact from
their workplace are considered only medium sensitive as the attractiveness or
otherwise the outlook will have a less important, although still materially
affect their perception of their quality of work. The degree to which this applies depends on whether the workplace is
industrial, retail or commercial. In
general, for industrial work place, the sensitivity is considered as low;
·
Those who view the impact
whilst taking place in an outdoor leisure activity may display varying
sensitivity depending on the type of leisure activity. In general, the football/basketball players
are less concerned on the quality of their surrounding than hill walkers, and
their sensitivitives are considered as low.
·
Those who view the impact
whilst travelling on a public thoroughfare will also
display varying sensitivity depend on the speed of travel and whether the views
are continuous or occasional.
In addition to
above, the rating of the sensitivity of visual receiver would also be affected
by the quality of existing view, availability of alternative view of the
receivers and population size of the receiver group.
b) Magnitude
The magnitude of
a landscape or visual impact will depend on several factors including:
·
The nature of the development;
·
The size and scale of the
development / project;
·
The physical area of impact,
both in absolute term and relative to its landscape and visual context;
·
The duration of the impact;
·
The distance of the impact from
the viewer;
·
The visibility of the project;
·
The landscape context of the
impact;
·
The visual context of the
impact, and
·
Compatibility and reversibity of the impact.
In general, the
significant impacts are assessed as high, moderate, low or negligible (these
may be positive or negative impacts), and their relationship with the magnitude
of change and sensitivity of the receptor can be summarized in the following
paragraph:
c) Matrix for assessment of
significance of landscape and Visual Impact
Table 8.1 Matrix for Assessment of Significance of
Landscape Impact
|
|
Sensitivity
of Landscape Resource / Character
|
|
High
|
Medium
|
Low
|
|
Magnitude
of
Change
|
High
|
High
|
High to Moderate
|
Moderate
|
|
Moderate
|
High to Moderate
|
Moderate
|
Moderate to Low
|
|
Low
|
Moderate
|
Moderate to Low
|
Low
|
|
|
Negligible
|
Low to Negligible
|
Low to Negligilbe
|
Neligible
|
Table 8.2 Matrix for Assessment of Significance of Visual
Impact
|
|
Sensitivity
of Viewer or Receiver Group
|
|
High
|
Medium
|
Low
|
|
Magnitude
of
Change
|
High
|
High
|
High to Moderate
|
Moderate
|
|
Moderate
|
High to Moderate
|
Moderate
|
Moderate to Low
|
|
Low
|
Moderate
|
Moderate to Low
|
Low
|
|
|
Negligible
|
Low to Negligble
|
Low to Negligible
|
Negligible
|
Both positive
and negative impact will be addressed in the assessment.
d) The evaluation of
landscape and visual impact may then be classified into five levels of
significance based on the type and extent of the effects concluded in the EIA
study:
·
The impact is beneficial if the
project will complement the landscape and visual character of its setting, will
follow the relevant planning objectives and will improve overall and visual
quality;
·
The impact is acceptable if the
assessment indicates that there will be no significant effects on the
landscape, no significant visual effects caused by the appearance of the
project, or no interference with key views;
·
The impact is acceptable with
mitigation measures if there will be some adverse effects, but these can be
eliminated, reduced or offset to large extent by specific measures;
·
The impact is unacceptable if adverse
effects are considered too excessive and are unable to mitigate practically;
·
The impact is undetermined if
significant adverse effects are likely, but the extent to which they may occur
or may be mitigated cannot be determined from the study. Further detailed study will be required for
the specific effects in question.
8.4
Baseline Review
Background
8.4.1
The background and site context
of Yau Tong Bay are briefly discussed as follows:-
8.4.2
The site is located at the
southern portion of east Kowloon, and
it is bounded by the Eastern Harbour Crossing to the
north, future Yau Tong MTR Station and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment at the east and the Yau Tong Industrial Area to the south. It has marine access at its western frontage
toward Victoria Harbour.
8.4.3
The existing marine lots are
being used as shipyards, timber yards, sawmills, car repair workshop, concrete
batching plant, godown and open storage. There are a lot of barges and vessels
occupied the bay for anchorage. To the
north and east of the site, site formation work for EHC Site and construction
work for Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment and Yau Tong MTR Station are in progress, while to the south of
the site, Yau Tong Industrial Area, there are
medium-rise industrial buildings. Due to
the recent re-zoning of land use at Yau Tong
Industrial Area from industrial to commercial and residential use, 3 nos. lots
near Sze Shan Street and Cho
Yuen Street have already got Town Planning Board's approval to be redeveloped
as commercial / residential development with 35 storeys
to 45 storeys high, hence, the land use at Yau Tong Industrial Area will likely be gradually change to
commercial / residential use in future.
Drainage
8.4.4
There are two stormwater drainage outfalls discharged into the bay. One is 2440mm x 2440mm stormwater
box culvert discharge from the east and a 1500mm dia.
stormwater drain discharge from the south.
Existing Site Conditions
8.4.5
The existing marine lots are
formed from previously reclaimed land and these lots are occupied by low-rise
buildings, such as shipyard, timber yards, sawmills, ... etc. Some of these buildings are in poor
conditions and converted into godowns and open
storage. There are only a few trees
found within these marine lots beside the road.
There are many barges and vessels occupied most part of the bay, and
fences and boundary wall were built along Cha Kwo Ling Road and Ko Fai
Road to fence off these
marine lots from public pavement. There
is no public access to the waterfront, and the waterfront is mostly degraded.
Landscape
8.4.6
Landscape impacts are assessed
against both landscape resources and landscape character, and the baseline
conditions for both of these issues are listed out below.
Landscape Resources (Figure 8.7)
Topography
8.4.7
The site is a U-shape bay
recessed from the Victoria Harbour with sloped hill to its north and eastern side and with previously
reclaimed land to its south. Both the
existing marine lots and Yau Tong Industrial Areas
are formed from reclaimed land, and the existing hill near the Eastern Harbour Crossing physically separates Yau Tong Bay from Kwun Tong and Cha Kwo Ling. The existing
marine lots are generally levelled ground, while the
seabed is generally at -2mPD at the head of Yau Tong Bay and drops to a maximum of -11.39mPD at the mouth of Yau Tong Bay. The sensitivity of
topography to the proposed changes is considered low.
Coastline and Waterfront
8.4.8
The existing coastline at Yau Tong Bay was formed by reclamation of land in 1960s, and the waterfront was
occupied by the marine lots. Vertical
seawall was constructed at the waterfront, and jetties/slipways were formed at
some of the marine lots for marine access, hence, it forms an irregular
waterfront. Since these marine lots are
all fenced off by wall or metal fence, the waterfront is invisible and
inaccessible by the public at present.
The sensitivity of coastline and waterfront is considered medium.
Bay
8.4.9
Yau Tong Bay is recessed from the Victoria Harbour
with bay area about 13 hectares and most of it is being occupied by vessels and
barges as sheltered anchorage at present moment, while the remained area is
left as marine access to various marine lots.
The sensitivity of bay to proposed changes is considered medium.
Vegetation
8.4.10
The site is only sparsely
vegetated, most of the marine lots were hard paved with concrete and occupied
by metal shed or low-rise concrete buildings.
Only a few number of mature trees (about 30
nos.) are found within these marine lots at Ko Fai Road and Cha Kwo Ling Road, while some shrubs and weeds are found in the vacant marine
lots. The conditions of these existing
trees within the site boundary of Yau Tong Bay
Development are fair in general. The sensitivity of the existing vegetation are considered low.
Summary of survey record of existing trees are shown on Appendix 8A.
Landscape Character (Figure 8.8)
8.4.11
Yau Tong Bay is located
at the urban fringe of East Kowloon which is
characterized as an industrial areas with shipyards
and factories built along the waterfront, while some public housing estates are
located at the hillside above Yau Tong Bay at Lei Yue Mun Road and Ko Chiu Road. On a wider scale, it is at
the transition from the urban landscape areas of Kwun
Tong and Cha Kwo Ling at its north to the industrial
landscape character area of Yau Tong and village type
landscape character area of Lei Yue Mun to its south, while the Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan with public housing estates at Lam Tin and Ko Chiu Road at its east form the backdrop to Yau Tong Bay. The various landscape character areas are
briefly discussed as follows:-
Kwun Tong
8.4.12
Kwun Tong is a well-established urban landscape character area in East Kowloon, and most of the buildings were built in 70's to 80's. This area is characterized as a mixed
industrial and residential area, most of the factories are medium rise
buildings built along the waterfront formed from previously reclaimed land (Kwun Tong Industrial Area), while medium rise residential
buildings with ground floor shops are located at the centre and residential
buildings and high rise public housing estates are built at the hill side. Due to the previous height restriction in the
vicinity of former Kai Tak Airport, the buildings at waterfront and Kwun
Tong centre are medium rise building of similar height. Recently, some of the industrial buildings at
Kwun Tong Industrial Area near Kwun Tong Road are being demolished and redeveloped into commercial / office
buildings, and Kwun Tong Industrial Area is
transforming from an obsolete industrial area to a business centre with modern
commercial / office buildings. This area
is densely populated and there are only a few public open space
within Kwun Tong.
The waterfront area is mainly used as cargo handling area and the
elevated Kwun Tong Bypass which raised above the sea
along the waterfront form a dominant feature at the waterfront. The scenic value for this area is low and its
sensitivity to change is considered low.
Cha Kwo Ling
8.4.13
Cha Kwo
Ling is a recently developed urban landscape character area in East Kowloon. It is separated from Kwun Tong by an open nullah at
its north and from Yau Tong Bay by the
existing hill (Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine) and Eastern Harbour Crossing Tunnel to its south. This area is
characterized by squatter areas at the foot of Cha Kwo
Ling Kaolin Mine along Cha Kwo Ling Road and residential area by the recently built medium rise private
housing development Laguna City (which was built in early 90's on the previously reclaimed
land). In addition to Laguna Park, the
former Sai Tso Wan landfill
site with dense vegetation and the Cha Kwo Ling quary site (which currently used a temporary LCSD depot)
form the public open space within this area, while the waterfront beside Cha Kwo Ling is used as public cargo working area without
public access to the waterfront. The
scenic value of this area is low and its sensitivity is considered medium.
Yau Tong Bay and Yau Tong
8.4.14
Yau Tong Bay is
characterized as an industrial landscape area while Yau
Tong is a mixed industrial and residential landscape area. Yau Tong Bay is flat and is an industrial area in character and of low scenic
value. Low rise industrial buildings,
steel and timber sheds were built within these marine lots around Yau Tong Bay. Except few mature trees found
at Ko Fai Road and Cha Kwo Ling Road, and some shrubs and weeds found at the vacant lots, there is
virtually no vegetation within these existing marine lots, and most of the land
is hard paved with concrete. The bay
area is presently used by barges for loading, unloading and anchorage, and most
of the bay area is occupied by barges and vessels with some remaining areas for
marine access. The waterfront is mostly
degraded and there is no public access to the waterfront.
8.4.15
Yau Tong Industrial Area to the south of Yau Tong Bay is mainly an industrial area formed on previously reclaimed flat
land. With exception of Yau Tong Centre which is a medium size residential
development, all the other buildings are medium rise industrial buildings. Sam Ka Tsuen Recreational
Playground is the only public open space within Yau
Tong Industrial Area.
8.4.16
Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment Area to the east of Yau Tong Bay is mainly a residential area.
The previous Yau Tong Estate is a public
housing estate built on the slope above Yau Tong Bay. At present, all the housing estates were demolished and
construction activities are being carried out on site for Yau
Tong Estate Redevelopment, the whole development comprises 5 phases which are
targeted to be completed from year 2001 to 2006. These new residential buildings are all
high-rise building with 40 storeys high behind the
future Yau Tong MTR Station which is being
constructed near Cha Kwo Ling Road on eastern side of Yau Tong Bay.
8.4.17
In general, the landscape of Yau Tong Bay, Yau Tong Industrial
Area and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment are of low
scenic value due to dominance of barges/vessels and steel/timber sheds at Yau Tong Bay marine lots, factories and industrial
buildings at Yau Tong Industrial Areas and
construction activities at Yau Tong Estate
Redevelopment Area, and their sensitivitives to
change are considered low.
Lei Yue Mun
8.4.18
Lei Yue
Mun is characterized as a village type landscape
area. Low-rise village type buildings
were built at the foot of Devil's Peak to form the Lei Yue Mun Village while the Sam Ka Tsuen typhoon shelter is
located at the waterfront and is occupied by fish boats. The Sam Ka Tsuen
typhoon shelter is at present being actively used by the fishermen. The scenic value of this area is moderate and
its sensitivity to change is considered medium.
Lam Tin, Ko Chiu Road, Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan
8.4.19
Lam Tin and Ko Chiu Road is recently being developed into an
densely populated residential area at mid level of hill above Yau Tong. Many
Public Housing Estates were built which included Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin
Estate, Tak Tin Estate, Kwong
Tin Estate, Hong Pak Court, Hong Nga Court, Hong Shui Court, Ko Chun Court and Ko Yee Estate, and most of these new
residential buildings were about 40 storeys high and
it virtually formed a wall of buildings surrounding Yau Tong Bay. The slope between Lam Tin, Ko Chiu Road and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment Area
are densely covered with vegetation and it formed the green belt in between the
aforesaid areas.
8.4.20
Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan with a height of 305mPD and 248mPD
respectively formed the major hill behind Yau Tong Bay. The ridgeline raise from Lam Tin toward Black Hill and then down
toward south (between Hong Pak Court and Ko Chun
Court) and then raise again to Chiu Keng Wan Shan and
then down toward south and then raise again to Devil's Peak on eastern side of
Lei Yue Mun village. The ridge is naturally wooded except at the
area between Hong Pak Court and Ko Chun Court where site formation works were being carried out to form the
access road to a private residential development (Ocean Shores) at Tiu Keng Leng. The view of ridgeline was partially breached
by the public housing estates of Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Pak Court,
Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, Ko
Chui Road Estate Redevelopment and Lei Yue Mun Estate Development.
8.4.21
On a wider scale, Yau Tong Bay is surrounded by Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine
to the north, Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan (with
the Public Housing Estates) to the east and Yau Tong
Industrial Area to the south. The
combined skyline of the surrounding land form and buildings creates a sense of
enclosure within the Bay Area.
8.4.22
Although Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan form a green drop to the east of Yau Tong Bay, the landscape is in general of moderate scenic value due to the
dominance of many high rise public housing estates
built at the mid level of these hill, and its sensitivity to change is
considered medium.
Visual Baseline
8.4.23
The project's visual baseline
is established by reference to the extent of its visibility, to its visual
amenity, the character of key views and by the views of visual receivers at
various location.
8.4.24
The visual envelope of the
development is defined by that area from which any part of the development can
be seen in various place.
8.4.25
In general, the human eye can
distinguish significant detail within 5km radius, while beyond this distance,
the detail becomes blurred.
8.4.26
Since Yau
Tong Bay is recessed from Victoria Harbour and is
surrounded by existing hill at its three sides, so it can only be visible from
the following locations:-
·
Sceneway Garden –
upper. storeys only as the
hill on southern side of Eastern Harbour Crossing
blocks part of the views. In future,
upon completion of the residential development at EHC site, all these views
toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked.
·
Lam Tin Estate - upper storeys only. All
these views toward Yau Tong Bay will be
blocked upon completion of residential development at EHC site.
·
Ping Tin Estate - middle to
upper storeys.
All these views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked upon completion of residential development at EHC
site.
·
Kwong Tin Estate - upper storeys only as most
of the views toward Yau Tong Bay are
blocked by Hong Pak Court. All these views toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked in near future by Yau
Tong Estate Redevelopment which is already under construction.
·
Hong Nga Court - middle to upper storeys. All these views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked by the residential development at EHC site in
future.
·
Hong
Pak Court and Hong Shui Court - middle to upper storeys. These views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked by Yau Tong Estate
Redevelopment and residential development at EHC site.
·
Ko Chun Court - upper storeys only. The view toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked in near future by the Ko
Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment and Yau Tong Estate
Redevelopment which are already under construction.
·
Ko Yee Estate - upper storeys only. The view
toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked in near future by the Ko
Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment and Yau Tong Estate
Redevelopment which are already under construction.
·
Yau Tong Service Reservior Playground. All the views toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked in the near future by the Yau
Tong Estate development which is already under construction.
·
Industrial buildings facing Ko Fai Road.
·
Future Yau
Tong Estate Redevelopment.
·
1 no. of future school at Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment. The view toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked by residential development at EHC site.
·
Po Chiu College.
·
St.Antonius Primary School. The view toward Yau Tong Bay will be fully blocked by residential development at EHC Site.
·
Future Yau
Tong MTR Station.
·
Future Residential
Redevelopment at EHC site.
·
Future School (3 nos.) at EHC
site.
·
Quarry Bay Park at Hong Kong Island.
·
Future Lei Yue
Mun Estate Development - upper storeys
only.
·
Future Residential Development
and a school village at Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine
site.
·
Future Residential
Redevelopment and CDA Redevelopment at Yau Tong
Industrial Areas – Upper storeys only.
8.4.27
The locations of the visual
sensitive receivers (VSRs) are also indicated on Figure 8.9.
Key Views (Figures
8.10 to 8.18)
8.4.28
The key views of the site can
be summarized into the following groups:-
i) View at high level from residential
buildings on north and eastern side of the site which include Sceneway Garden, Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Hong Nga Court, Hong Pak Court, Ko
Chun Court, Ko Yee Estate and Yau
Tong Service Reservoir Playground (see Figure 8.13,
8.14 and 8.15). These views are about 500m from the
site. In these views towards Victoria Harbour, the foreground is composed by the construction
site of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, the middle
distance by the industrial buildings at Ko Fai Road, the shipyards and timberyard
buildings of marine lots, numerous vessels and barges at Yau
Tong Bay and Victoria Harbour, and the background by
Eastern part of Hong Kong Island. The construction site of Yau
Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC site and Yau Tong MTR
Station form the visual distracter to these views. The visual amenity of these
views is low.
ii) View from Industrial
Buildings along Ko Fai
Road at south eastern side
of the site and views from the future ‘CDA’ and ‘R(E)’
Redevelopment at the Yau Tong Industrial Area. (see Figure 8.11). The existing buildings at marine lots
together with the barges and vessels form the visual distracters for the views
toward Yau Tong Bay. The visual amenity of these views are low.
iii) View from Cha Kwo Ling Road at eastern side of the site which include
future residential development at EHC site, future Yau
Tong Estate Redevelopment, Relocated Po Chiu College and St. Antonius Primary School, and future Yau
Tong MTR station (see Figures 8.12 and 8.13). Due
to its closest distance to the site, the existing timber yards, shipyards...
etc form the prominent part of these views and the visual quality of these
views is considered low.
iv) Views from Hong Kong Island across Victoria Harbour which include Quarry Bay Park (see Figure 8.17) and Shek Kei Wan. These views are about 1500m from the
site. Due to the fact that Yau Tong Bay is recessed from the Victoria Harbour, so it is only visible from eastern side of Hong Kong Island. There are lots of barges and vessels occupied
most of the bay area, and the month of Yau Tong Bay is visually blocked by these vessels. With exception of the existing medium rise Wing
Shan (Agincourt) Industrial building, the other marine lot buildings are less
visible from this view. The existing high-rise housing estates at mid level
like Lam Tin Estate, Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Pak Court,
Ko Yee Estate, the constructed tower blocks of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, Ko
Chui Road Estate Redevelopment and Lei Yue Mun Estate Development together with Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan formed the visual background. These vessels and barges at month of Yau Tong Bay detract the quality of the views toward Yau Tong Bay.
8.5
Review of the Planning and Development Framework
8.5.1
The following plans and
planning studies are considered to be related to the Yau
Tong Bay Development:-
a) "Central and East Kowloon Development Statement" 1998 (CEKDS).
b) "Cha Kwo
Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan" (OZP).
c) "Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment" 1992.
8.5.2
The above documents are being
reviewed so as to identify the design consideration on Yau Tong Bay and its adjacent areas, and the main points are summarized below.
"Central and East Kowloon Development
Statement" 1998
1) The CEKDS stated that under the Outline
Master Development Plan (OMDP), Yau Tong/Cha Kwo Ling has been identified as a potential development
node on account of the following considerations:-
·
the proposed siting of a high capacity MTR interchange station as part
of the proposed new Tseung Kwan O Line extension
connecting with the existing Kwun Tong Line;
·
the opportunity to redevelop
obsolete sites in the area, including Yau Tong Bay
and the site east of the Eastern Harbour Crossing
(EHC) portal and the Kaolin Mine Site at Cha Kwo
Ling; and
·
the proposed road
infrastructure in the area, namely the Western Coast Road (WCR).
2) The proposed redevelopment of Yau Tong Bay would achieve the following:-
·
Utilize the existing obsolete
sites for residential development in responded to the need for additional
housing in the Territory;
·
Remove air, noise and water
pollution emitters within the site; and
·
Environmental upgrading of the
waterfront by provision of public access to the waterfront.
Cha Kwo Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) (Figure
8.3)
1) Yau Tong Bay is included within the draft Cha Kwo Ling, Yau Tong, Lei Yue Mun - Outline Zoning Plan
(Plan no.: S/K15/13). The proposed site
is covered by the zonings 'CDA', 'I' and 'GIC'.
Follow the approval of rezoning request for Yau
Tong Bay Development by Town Planning Board on 11 December 1998. Supplementary information
was submitted to Town Planning Board to apply for the incorporation of the
proposed reclamation boundary into the draft OZP. Having considered the changing planning
circumstances and the uncertainty in provision of transport infrastructure in
the East Kowloon, the Board agreed that it is
premature to incorporate amendments to the Yau Tong
Bay “Comprehensive Development Area” zone into the Outline Zoning Plan for
public inspection for the reasons that :
•
additional information is
required to substantiate that the public benefits arising from the proposed
extension of reclamation limit would outweigh the preservation of this part of
the harbour for the purpose of complying with the
“presumption against reclamation principle” in the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance; and
•
further discussion with concerned Government departments is required to
address the interface of the development for the Yau Tong Bay “CDA” with the proposed WCR and to establish a level of development
which is sustainable in planning, urban design, traffic and environmental
terms; and that sufficient public facilities would be provided as part of the
proposed development.
2) The OZP specified that the Yau Tong Bay Marine Lots together with the adjoining
proposed reclamation area and Yau Tong Industrial Area
are proposed to be developed in a comprehensive manner for residential,
commercial and community uses.
3) The Cha Kwo Ling
Kaolin Mine (CKL site) and a site to the east of Eastern Harbour
Crossing Portal (EHC Site) are zoned as "Residential (Group A) 4" and
"Residential (Group A) 5" respectively for public housing development
in future. Both of these sites are
located at north of Yau Tong Bay. The
proposed completion year of EHC site development is by year 2004 to 2006.
4) The Yau Tong
Estate Site to the east of Yau Tong Bay is zoned
as "Residential (Group A)" for Public Housing Re-development. The construction work of Yau
Tong Estate re-development are in progress at present, Phase 1 has recently
been completed and Phase 2, 3 & 5 are expected to be completed by end of
year 2002, while the latest phase (Phase 4) will be completed by year 2004.
5)
The industrial lots at Yau Tong Industrial Area at south of Yau
Tong Bay are re-zoned to "Commercial", “Comprehensive Development
Area” and "Residential (Group E)" to encourage future redevelopment
of these lots from industrial use to commercial and residential use. It will help to upgrade the environmental
quality of Yau Tong as a whole.
6)
3 nos. of Industrial Lots at Yau Tong Industrial Area have already got Town Planning
Board's approval to be redeveloped to Commercial / Residential
development. The lot at 15 Sze Shan Street will be redeveloped to a 45 storeys high
commercial / residential building, the lot at 19 Sze Shan Street will be redeveloped to a 40 storeys residential
building, while the lot at 6 Cho Yuen Street will be redeveloped to a 39 storeys
commercial / residential building.
Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment - 1992
1) The Planning Brief for Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment prepared in 1992 is intended for
the “CDA” zone currently shown on the OZP.
2) The planning brief has set out the planning
parameters including environmental, engineering and other factors that
developers have to consider in the detailed planning and implementation of Yau Tong Bay Redevelopment.
3) Although the “CDA” boundary of this EIA
Study is based on the re-zoning boundary which agreed by Town Planning Board at
its meetings on 11/12/1998, and the reclamation boundary is larger than the
original “CDA” zone of this planning brief.
However, the planning intention of this planning brief is still valid
and are discussed below.
4) According to the endorsed Metroplan Selected Strategy, the site is designated as a
comprehensive development area mainly for private sector commercial/residential
and associated community uses.
5) The site is envisaged to play four
important roles:-
·
To meet new demand for private
housing in the Metropolitan area;
·
To serve as a 'solution space'
for redressing the shortfalls of district open space and community facilities
in its hinterland;
·
To create a community focus for
the Yau Tong and Lei Yue Mun area; and
·
To provide land for an
additional road access to Tseung Kwan O, i.e., the
proposed Western Coast Road (WCR) - Coastal Option.
4) The Planning Brief has also specified that
an urban design and landscape framework should be formulated with due regard to
the principles and concept set out in the Metroplan
Urban Design Statement and with a view to:
·
Creating a community focus for
the Yau Tong Area;
·
Promoting strong visual and
functional integration of the site and its adjoining areas;
·
Promoting high quality and high
standard residential layout and building design;
·
Addressing the
industrial/residential and road/residential interface problems;
·
Ensuring visually prominent
developments are of approximate scale and treatment in relation to the harbour;
·
Enhancing physical and visual
access to the water's edge;
·
Providing a coherent pedestrian
circulation system;
·
Providing an integrated open space
system and high quality landscape treatment; and
·
Provide 20m wide waterfront
promenade.
8.5.3
Based on the above documents,
it is noted that the proposed reclamation work of Yau
Tong Bay have gained Government's support from urban planning point of view as
it will eventually upgrade the environmental quality of Yau
Tong by removal of the existing shipyards, timber yards, sawmills, concrete
batching plant, godown and open storage.
8.5.4
Part of the reclaimed land at Yau Tong Bay will form district open space for the resident, and the newly
formed waterfront may become waterfront promenade for enjoyment of harbour view and recreational use by the public.
8.5.5
The major planning guidelines
for the development are to provide an integrated open space system with
adjacent open space in Yau Tong/Cha Kwo Ling, and to enhance physical and visual access to the
waterfront. These issues will be due
with in the Master Layout Plan and Landscape Plan design for the proposed
comprehensive development.
8.5.6
For Reclamation Option 2, the
provision of reclaimed land for construction of Western Coast Road (WCR) in
front of Yau Tong Bay has an additional advantage of reduction in the proposed raised
road level of the Western
Coast Road as marine
access to Yau Tong Bay would not be required. It,
in term, will minimize WCR's impact to the sensitive
receivers viewed from Hong
Kong Island and to
the future residential development at Yau Tong Bay. While for Reclamation
Option 1 with WCR Tunnel Option, the extent of reclamation will be reduced and
will help to minimize the environmental impact to the Victoria Harbour.
8.5.7
In general, the boundary of
proposed reclamation work has conformed to the above requirement by provision
of reclaimed land for residential development, district open space,
construction of Western Coast Road (WCR) (Reclamation Option 2 only) and
waterfront promenade.
8.6
Landscape Impact Assessment
8.6.1
Reclamation of Yau Tong Bay is basically a reclamation project which involves reclamation of
land within Yau Tong Bay, and
decommissioning of all the existing marine lots. Therefore, it has minimum impact on the
existing landscape landform and vegetation.
8.6.2
Since the project is creating a
new landscape in the area, the assessment of the adjoining land uses and
landscape feature are required to assess the compatibility of the new landscape
with the existing areas.
8.6.3
Moreover, due to the proposed
reclamation, the existing coastal area along Cha Kwo
Ling to Lei Yue Mun will be
affected by the project, and the sensitivity of the landscape framework such as
coastline and its ability to accommodate change are reviewed.
8.6.4
In general, landscape impacts
are assessed as a function of the magnitude of change and the sensitivity of
the landscape resource or landscape character.
Landscape sensitivity is a measure of the ability of the landscape
resource or character to accommodate change without prejudice to the quality of
that resource or character.
8.6.5
The potential impacts during
the construction phases are identified as follows:-
·
Loss of the bay area
·
Formation of new coastal line
and sea wall
·
Land filling and dumping
·
Demolition of existing
buildings at marine lots
·
Loss of existing trees and
vegetation within the site
·
Diversion of existing drains
and construction of new box culvert
·
Construction of infrastructure
e.g. access road and underground utilities
·
Preloading mount formed for
surcharge of reclaimed land
8.6.6
The potential impacts during
the operation phases are identified as follows:-
·
Loss of the bay area
·
Loss of existing trees and
vegetation within the site
·
Extension of reclaimed flat
land for future development
·
Removal of existing buildings
within site. Since some of the owners of
YTML have not reached an agreement with the Joint Ventures at present, the
existing buildings at YTML 1, 2-4, 25-27, 73 and 74 might remain
Impact
on Landscape Resource during Construction Phase
8.6.7
The predicted potential impacts
to the landscape resources are discussed in Table 8.3.
8.6.8
The sensitivity of topography
is generally low, so despite the magnitude of impact is considered high due to
an additional 12 hectares of land formed by reclamation for Reclamation Option
1 or 18 hectares of land formed by reclamation for Reclamation Option 2, the
overall impact during construction phase is moderately negative.
8.6.9
Due to the present intrusion of
irregular jetties at various areas along the waterfront and the existing
condition of waterfront is considered degraded, hence, the sensitivity of
coastline and waterfront at Yau Tong Bay is generally medium. The
magnitude of change for re-alignment of the future waterfront due to
reclamation works is considered high as it will formed a straight waterfront
which caused moderate negative impact during construction phase. The impact could be minimized by careful
design of the alignment of waterfront to create interest point and well
coordinated construction activities during construction of seawall.
8.6.10
The sensitivity of the bay is
considered medium as most of the existing bay area is being occupied by
barges/vessels with few space left for marine access
only. The impact is considered moderate
negative during construction phase as about 12 hectares of bay area for
Reclamation Option 1 or 18 hectares of the bay area for Reclamation Option 2 will
be loss.
8.6.11
With exemption of a few mature
trees (about 30 nos.) found within the marine lots near Ko
Fai Road and Cha Kwo Ling
Road, only shrubs and weeds found in the vacant lots. The quality of the existing vegetation is low
and its sensitivity is considered low.
Hence, the reclamation works will only caused low negative impact to the
existing vegetation. The impact would be
minimized by provide proper protection to these mature trees during carried out
demolition works and transplantation of the aforesaid mature trees to the
future landscape area upon completion of the superstructure construction works.
8.6.12
According to Figures 8.5A and 8.5B,
the proposed reclamation works would encroach part of Victoria Harbour and both reclamation options are subjected to the Protection of the
Harbour Ordinance.
However, since most of reclamation works are confined within Yau Tong Bay and the proposed future coastline are in
general follow a straight line from Kwun Tong to Lei Yue Mun without any major
projection into Victoria Harbour, the width of
Victoria Harbour will only be slightly reduced for
Reclamation Option 2, while the width of Victoria Harbour
will not be affected for Reclamation Option 1.
In general, it will create a moderate to low negative impact to the
existing coastline for Reclamation Option 1, and moderate negative impact to
the existing coastline for Reclamation Option 2.
8.6.13
With reference to the
Protection of the Harbour Ordinance and Figures 8.5A and 8.5B,
the proposed reclamation limit for Reclamation Option 2 (i.e. WCR coastal
option) is less desirable as it involves a greater area of reclamation than
Reclamation Option 1, and it will create relatively greater negative impact to
the existing coastal line.
Impact on Landscape Character During Construction Phase
8.6.14
The existing landscape quality
of Yau Tong Bay is considered to be low. The
factories, timber and steel sheds built at the marine lots are generally in a poor conditions, the waterfront is degraded and fenced
off from the public by wall and metal fences, and the bay area is always
occupied by numerous barges and vessels for loading/unloading activities and
anchorage purpose.
8.6.15
At present, Site Formation
activities is just being carried out at East Harbour
Crossing Portal (EHC) site to the north of Yau Tong
Bay, and construction activities for Yau Tong MTR
Station and Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment are in
progress, and the construction activities will all be completed by year
2006. These construction activities have
worsened the landscape quality of Yau Tong.
8.6.16
The scenic value of the Yau Tong Industrial Area to the south of Yau Tong Bay is also considered low due to the dominance of the factories. Hence the overall sensitivity of Yau Tong and Yau Tong Bay to the proposed reclamation works is generally medium.
8.6.17
The magnitude of change on
demolition of existing old timber/steel sheds and factories at the marine lots
is considered low and it will only caused low negative impact, while the
removable of barges and vessels within the bay will bring a slight positive
impact to the landscape quality.
8.6.18
The construction activities
which included reclamation works, demolition work and infrastructure work will
result in worsening of the current landscape quality. However, considering the current situation
that construction works are being carried out around Yau Tong Bay, the impact of reclamation work on the local landscape is in
general only low negative as most of the work will be carried out near sea
level / ground level.
8.6.19
On a wider scale, the impact of
proposed reclamation works to the landscape character Areas of Kwun Tong, Cha Kwo Ling, Lei Yue Mun, Lam Tin, Ko Chiu Road, Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan vary
and depend on its sensitivity and compatibility to the proposed changes.
8.6.20
Kwun Tong is a densely developed urban area with low sensitivity, it is
relatively far away from Yau Tong Bay and the
magnitude of change due to the reclamation works is considered negligible,
hence, the proposed reclamation works would only have negligible negative
impact to its landscape character.
8.6.21
Cha Kwo
Ling is recently developed urban area with medium sensitivity, however, since
the construction activities are mainly carry out at sea level and the magnitude
of change due to the reclamation works is considered low, the proposed
reclamation works would have low negative impact to its landscape character.
8.6.22
Lei Yue
Mun is a village type landscape area with medium
sensitivity, however, the proposed reclamation works is far away from Lei Yue Mun and the magnitude of
change due to the reclamation works is considered negligible, hence, it would
have low to negligible negative impact to its landscape character.
8.6.23
Lam Tin, Ko Chiu Road, Black Hill and Chiu Keng Wan Shan are of
medium sensitivity, it is quite far away from Yau Tong Bay, and the magnitude of change due to the reclamation works is
considered low, hence, the proposed reclamation works would only have low
negative impact to its landscape character.
8.6.24
Due to the reduction in extent
of reclamation works for Reclamation Option 1, the negative impact to the
landscape character for Reclamation Option 1 will be slightly less than
Reclamation Option 2 during construction phase.
Impact on Landscape Resource and Landscape Character
during Operational Phase
8.6.23
In general, the proposed
reclamation works has a moderate to low negative impact to the landscape
resource and landscape character temporarily, however, in long term, it would
provide an improvement over the existing situation:-
a) Removable of
non-compatible land use such as ship yards, timber yards, concrete batching
plant, open storage, car repairing workshop etc.
b) Clearance of barges and
vessels from the bay.
c) Provision of land for
future construction of waterfront promenade and public open space which will be
pleasantly landscaped.
d)
Provision of land for
construction of Western Coast
Road (Reclamation Option 2
only) so that the structure of Western Coast Road could be constructed at a lower level.
8.6.24
Since the extent of land
reclaimed and loss of bay area for Reclamation Option 1 is less than
Reclamation Option 2, the negative impact to the landscape resource and
landscape character for Reclamation Option 1 is less than Reclamation Option 2.
8.7
Visual Impact Assessment
8.7.1
Visual Impacts are assessed
against two main aspects. These are the
key views of the site, as well as the viewers who will be affected. Visual impacts are defined as a function of
the sensitivity of a receiver and the magnitude of the change to that
receiver's view.
8.7.2
The assessment of visual
impacts is structured by receiver's sensitivity. Receivers are identified through the
definition of the development's visual envelope (i.e. the area within which
views of the development are possible, see Figure
8.9).
8.7.3
For the purpose of this study,
receivers have been grouped into the following categories:-
Residential - who would view the scheme from their home
Occupational - who would view the scheme from their
workplace
Travellers - who
would view the scheme from vehicles or on foot
Recreational - who would view the scheme while engaging in
recreational activities
8.7.4
The sensitivity of receivers to
visual impacts are influenced by the immediate context of the viewers, the activity
in which they are engaged and the value that they attach to this location in
particular, the quality of existing view, availability of alternative view of
the receivers and population size of the receiver group. Receivers are categorized as being of high,
medium or low sensitivity to visual impacts.
(Please refer to section 8.3.2).
8.7.5
The sensitivity for various
visual sensitive receivers (VSRs) the proposed
changes are assessed as follows:-
·
The sensitivity of the resident
of Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate and Sceneway
Garden are considered medium as they are far away from the site (more than
500m), and Yau Tong Bay only constitute a minor
portion of their view toward Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.
·
The sensitivity of the resident
of Hong Nga Court, Kwong
Tin Estate, Hong Pak Court, Hong Shui Court, Ko Chun Court and Ko Yee Estate
are considered medium as they are not far from the site, and Yau Tong Bay constitute a part of their view toward Hong
Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.
·
The sensitivity of the resident
of Future Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment are
considered high as they are close to Yau Tong Bay and
it constitute a major part of their view toward Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.
·
The sensitivity of the resident
of Future EHC site residential development are considered high as they are
close to Yau Tong Bay and it constitute a major part
of their view toward Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.
·
The sensitivity of the student
and teachers at the 1 no. of future schools at Yau
Tong Estate and 3 nos. of future schools at EHC site are considered low as most
of the time they are concentrated at the internal environment of the school.
·
The sensitivity of the workers
at industrial buildings facing Ko Fai Road are considered low as they are mostly
concentrated at their working environment within the building.
·
The sensitivity of the student
and teachers at the relocated Po Chiu College and St. Antonius
Primary School are considered medium as most of the time they are concentrated
at the internal environment of the school.
·
The sensitivity of the public
at Yau Tong Service Reservoir are considered low as
their view toward Yau Tong Bay only constitute a
minor portion of their views, and most of the view are being blocked the
residential towers of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment.
·
The sensitivity of the
president of Future Lei Yue Mun
Estate are considered medium as Yau Tong Bay only constitute a part of their view toward Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour.
·
The sensitivity of the resident
of Future Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine site are
considered high for those units facing Yau Tong Bay,
while it is medium for other units as their major view are either toward
Victoria Harbour or EHC site.
·
The sensitivity of receivers
from residential redevelopment and CDA redevelopment at Yau
Tong Industrial Area are considered medium as their major views are toward Victoria Harbour.
·
The sensitivity of the public
at Quarry Bay Park are considered medium as the view of Yau Tong Bay constitute a part of the overall view of East Kowloon Peninsula.
·
The sensitivity of travellers at Yau Tong MTR
Station, Eastern Harbour Crossing, Cha Kwo Ling Road, Pik Wan Road, Ko Chiu Road, Ko Fai Road and future Western Coast Road are considered low as
the duration of their views toward Yau Tong Bay are
short and intermittent.
8.7.6
The criteria used to determine
the change of a view are affected by the following factors:-
·
The nature of the development /
project
·
The size and scale of the
development / project
·
The visibility of the project
·
The duration of the impact
·
Value of existing views
·
Degree of change to these views
·
Distance of receivers from the
scheme.
·
Availability and amenity of
alternative views
·
Compatibility and reversibility
of the impact
8.7.7
The potential impacts during
the construction phases are identified as follows:-
·
Clearance of barges within the
bay
·
Dredging activities at mouth of
Yau Tong Bay
·
Land filling and dumping
·
Drilling of bore piles
·
Construction of sea wall and
box culvert
·
Temporary works
·
Presence of construction
machinery
·
Demolition of existing
buildings at marine lots
·
Movement of construction
traffic
·
Construction activities on
provision of infrastructure
·
Combined effect of construction
activities in the adjacent sites
·
Erection of temporary noise
barriers of 3m to 5m high along site boundary adjoining Cha Kwo
Ling Road and Ko Fai Road
8.7.8
The potential impacts during
the operation phases are identified as follows:-
·
Reclaimed land with preloading
soil
·
Loss of portion of bay view
·
Removal of existing buildings
at marine lots. (the existing buildings
at YTML 1, 2-4, 25-27, 73 and 74 might be remain)
·
Hoarding and covered walkway
surrounding the site
8.7.9
Since all the reclamation works
will be carried out at sea level, hence, despite the fact the proposed
reclamation works and associated construction activities are quite large in
scale, the magnitude of change to those sensitive receivers far away from the
site or view at low level would be low or negligible. While for those view the site from a high level,
the magnitude of change is considered moderate.
8.7.10
The degree and extent of the
visual impacts that will result from the reclamation work is highly dependent
upon the degree to which development of adjacent lots has progressed by that
time.
8.7.11
According to the preliminary programme for proposed reclamation work, it will commence
in year 2004 and be completed by year 2007.
8.7.12
Based on the present
information, the status of development for adjacent lots are as follows:
a) Residential Development
at EHC Site
·
Phase 1 and 2 of the
development is targeted to be completed in year 2004, while the remaining phase
will be completed in year 2006.
b) Yau
Tong MTR Station
·
It will be completed by end of
year 2002
c) Yau
Tong Estate Redevelopment
·
The residential blocks and 1 no.
school are targeted to be completed from year 2001 to 2002, while the remaining
commercial development will be completed by year 2006.
d) 3 nos. schools at EHC
site
·
It will be completed in year
2004.
e) Ko
Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment
·
Remaining phase 3 & 5 will
be completed in year 2002.
f) Lei Yue
Mun Estate Development
·
Phase 1 of the development will
be completed in year 2002 while Phase 2 will be completed in year 2005.
g) Residential Development
at Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine Site
·
The construction programme is still not been fixed, and the preliminary
target completion date is year 2006.
h) Residential Redevelopment
and CDA Redevelopment at Yau Tong Industrial Areas
·
The redevelopment programmes for these sites are uncertain at present moment.
8.7.13
The future passenger of Yau Tong MTR Station, future resident of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC site, and Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine Site, and student / teacher of 3 nos. school at EHC site and Po Chiu College would likely be
affected by the proposed reclamation works of Yau Tong Bay.
8.7.14
The summary of visual impact to
various key views are summarized in Table 8.4 and
illustrated by photomontages in Figures 8.16
and 8.18 for Reclamation Option 1 and
Reclamation Option 2.
Visual Impact during Construction Phase (Figure 8.19)
8.7.15
The visual quality of the Yau Tong Bay is considered to be low, however, the
construction activities will result in worsening of the current visual
environment due to the presence of construction machinery and construction
activities.
8.7.16
The impact to the future
resident at Yau Tong Estate and Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine Site with a view toward Yau Tong Bay are considered moderate negative as they will
experience the construction works at a close distances, and they will also be
affected by views of construction activities.
However, since the construction activities are mainly confined to sea
level or ground floor level, the magnitude of change is low. While the impact to those resident with views
away from Yau Tong Bay are negligible.
8.7.17
The impact to the future
resident at EHC site (Phase 1 and 2) with a view toward Yau
Tong Bay are considered moderate as they will experience the construction works
at a close distances, and they will also be affected by views of construction
activities. However, since the
construction activities are mainly confined to sea level or ground floor level,
the magnitude of change is low. While
the impact to those resident with views away from Yau Tong Bay are negligible.
8.7.18
The impact to the student and
teachers at 3 nos. of future schools at EHC site, 1 no. of future school at Yau Tong Estate, Po Chiu College and St.Antonius Primary School are considered as moderate negative to low negative as they are
less sensitive to the visual environment outside. The construction activities are mainly
confined to sea level or ground level, and the magnitude of change is low. The view toward Yau Tong Bay from St.Antonius Primary School
and future school at Yau Tong Estate will be fully
blocked by residential towers of EHC site in year 2006.
8.7.19
The impact to the industrial
workers inside factories at Ko Fai
Road is considered as
moderate negative to low negative as they are less sensitive to the visual
environment outside their work place.
8.7.20
The impact to the resident at
Lam Tin Estate Sceneway Garden, Kwong
Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Hong Nga Court, Hong Pak
Court, Hong Shui Court, Ko
Chun Court, Ko Yee Estate and recreational users at Yau Tong Service Reservoir are considered low negative due
to their far distance from the site, and most of their views toward Yau Tong Bay will be blocked by Yau
Tong Estate Redevelopment and Ko Chiu Road Estate
Redevelopment (Figure 8.15 and 8.16) in year 2001.
8.7.21
The impact to the recreational
users at Quarry Park at Hong Kong Island is considered negligible due to the far distance across the harbour, and the visibility is usually reduced by the hazy
weather. Moreover, the construction
activities are carried out at sea level, so it is less visible from Hong Kong Island. (Figure 8.17
and 8.18) and the magnitude of change is
negligible.
8.7.22
The impact to the travelling receivers at Yau Tong
MTR Station will be low negative as the duration is very short, while the
impact to the travelling receivers at Eastern Harbour Crossing, Cha Kwo Ling
Road, Pik Wan Road, Ko Chiu
Road and Ko Fai Road is
considered negligible since the magnitude of change to these receivers are
negligible.
Visual Impact During Operational Phase (Figure
8.20)
8.7.22
For both Reclamation Option 1
and Reclamation Option 2, the difference in reclamation boundary during
construction phase will constitute only slight different in magnitude of change
to the visual sensitive receivers as the reclamation works at mouth of Yau Tong Bay are far away from them.
8.7.23
Upon completion of the proposed
reclamation work, the visual quality of the whole environment will be slightly
improved due to removal of existing visual distracters. However, since a large piece of bare flat land
is formed, the magnitude of change is considered moderate, and the visual
impact is considered moderately negative to the resident of future Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC site and Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine site..
8.7.24
For Reclamation Option 1, the
visual impact to the resident of future Yau Tong
Estate Redevelopment, EHC site and Cha Kwo Ling
Kaolin Mine site are relatively less as compared to Reclamation Option 2 as the
extent of reclaimed land is less and a bigger portion of Victoria Harbour would be seen.
8.7.25
For the other visual sensitive
receivers, which included the student and teachers of schools, industrial
workers, recreation users travellers around Yau Tong Bay, the magnitude of change during operational
phase is considered low and the impact during operational phase of proposed
reclamation works are in general low negative to negligible.
8.7.26
The impact to the existing
residents at Lam Tin Estate, Sceneway Garden, Kwong Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Hong Nga
Court, Hong Pak Court, Hong Shui Court, Ko Chun Court, Ko Yee Estate
would be negligible as their views toward Yau Tong
Bay will be completely blocked by housing blocks of Yau
Tong Estate Redevelopment, Ko Chiu Road Estate
Redevelopment and EHC site in year 2006.
8.7.27
The impact of operation phase
of proposed reclamation works to the sensitive receivers, recreational users at
Quarry Bay is negligible as the extent of reclamation for both Option 1 and
Option 2 are not obvious while the removal of vessels and barges will
contribute a slight positive effect.
8.8
Recommended Mitigation Measures and Residual Impact
Mitigation Measures
(Construction Phase)
8.8.1
Recommended mitigation measures
for impacts caused during the construction process are as follows:-
·
Preservation and protection of
existing mature trees of high amenity value to be retained on site
·
Transplanting of existing
mature trees if necessary
·
Control of night time lighting
·
Erection of decorative screen
hoarding/covered walkway around the site
·
Minimizing the height of
temporary buildings
·
Sequence of reclamation work to
be commenced from marine lots toward the sea.
8.8.2
However, in view of the large
scale of the project and the number of machinery to carry out the work, the
ability of the above proposal to mitigate the landscape and visual impacts will
be limited.
8.8.3
Proposal to enhance the visual
and landscape quality during the construction phase are as follows:-
·
Incorporation of landscape
design input to the design of the seawall in advance to improve the interface
between land and sea and maximise recreational use of
the promenade.
·
Careful design of the seawall
and site formation works to minimise the restriction
on the design of planting and building structure for the promenade e.g.
pavilion and tree pits along the seawall.
·
Slope seawall to be formed
facing Victoria Harbour to create a more natural waterfront.
8.8.4
The above design aspect of the
mitigation measures will be carry out by the consultancy team of Reclamation
Work during the design stage to ensure these mitigation measures are well
incorporated into the construction drawings.
While the actual work will be carry out by the Reclamation Work
Contractor.
Mitigation Measures
(Operational Phase)
8.8.5
Mitigation Measures for the
operational phases of proposed reclamation work is limited to colour hoarding/covered walkway.
8.8.6
The most effective measure is
to ensure that the construction work for proposed comprehensive development to
be commence as soon so that it would minimize the visual impact of the large
piece of bare reclaimed land. According
to the preliminary programme for Yau
Tong Bay Comprehensive Development, the construction work for the proposed
development will start after completion of surcharge period for the reclaimed
land. If the lapse time between the
commencement of the comprehensive development and the completion of reclamation
work is over one year, hydroseeding will be provide
to minimize the negative landscape and visual impact.
8.8.7
Construction of waterfront
promenade to be implemented at earlier stage to allow for both Reclamation
Option 1 and 2 to allow for establishment of planting, and to co-ordinate with
the construction programme and activities of WCR (for
Reclamation Option 2 - WCR coastal option only) so that the promenade could be
open earlier for public use.
8.8.8
The residual impact after the
application of the above mitigation measures during the construction phase and
operational phase are considered acceptable with mitigation measures, provided
that the site will not be idled for too long after completion of reclamation
work.
8.8.9
The aforesaid mitigation
measures will be funded by the developer, with the work to be carry out,
implement, manage and maintain by their contractors based on this EIA
report. An Environmental Team will also
be set up to monitor/check to ensure these mitigation measures are done
properly.
8.9
Conclusion
8.9.1
The quality of the existing
landscape of Yau Tong Bay is
generally poor. The access to waterfront
is blocked by the shipyards, timberyards and open
storage areas, and the bay is occupied by numerous vessels and barges.
8.9.2
The construction activities
will have low negative impact to the landscape resource and landscape
character. The negative impact would be
further reduced if Reclamation Option 1 is adopted.
8.9.3
The mitigation measures
proposed will minimize the potential visual and landscape impact, although, the
effect is limited.
8.9.4
The extent of visual impact to
adjacent lots will depend on the construction programme
of these lots. In general, Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment and EHC site Phase 1 and 2
will be completed and occupied by future resident during construction phase of
the project, while resident for EHC site (Phase 3) will still not move in.
8.9.5
The construction activities
will have moderate negative visual impact to the future resident of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment, EHC site (Phase 1 and 2) and
Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine site, while the impact to
the industrial workers at Ko Fai
Road will be low. The visual impact to the existing resident at Sceneway Garden, Lam Tin Estate, Ping Tin Estate, Kwong Tin Estate, Hong Nga Court,
Hong Pak Court, Ko Chun Court and Ko
Yee Estate at mid level of Chiu Keng Wan Shan are
considered low as their view toward the site will be mostly blocked by the
housing blocks of Yau Tong Estate Redevelopment and Ko Chiu Road Estate Redevelopment (Phase 3 and 5) at year
2001, and EHC site development at year 2004 to 2006.
8.9.6
During the operational phase,
the impacts remain the same as construction phase if the flat piece of
reclaimed land is allowed to left idle.
The impact would be reduced if construction work for proposed
comprehensive development proceeds continuously after completion of reclamation
work, although, there will likely be some negative impact due to the
construction work.
8.9.7
Based on the above study, the
landscape and visual impact are considered acceptable with mitigation measures
for both Reclamation Option 1 and Reclamation Option 2.
8.9.8
If coastal option of Western Coast Road is adopted, Reclamation Option 2 would be carried out and the
proposed elevated structure of Western Coast Road would be constructed at the reclaimed land on western side of the
project site, it would form a dominant feature along the waterfront of East Kowloon. The visual impact is
considered negative. It would be
beneficial to the harbour views if the Western Coast Road is built at grade on the reclaimed land directly. If such proposal is adopted, footbridges
and/or underground tunnels will be provided across the Western Coast Road to improve the pedestrian linkage from Yau
Tong and CDA site to the waterfront.
8.9.9
The magnitude of negative
impact on both landscape and visual quality due to the proposed reclamation
works at operational phase would be reduced if Tunnel Option for the future Western Coast Road is adopted (i.e. Reclamation Option 1). It would also help to minimize the impact to
the coastal line of Victoria Harbour as the proposed extent of reclamation works are
reduced.
