10. LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL IMPACT ACCESSMENT

10.1 Introduction

10.1.1 This section assesses the potential landscape and visual impacts arising from the widening of Tuen Mun Road at Tsing Tin Interchange, in accordance with the criteria and guidelines as stated in Annexes 10 and 18 of the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM). Landscape and visual impacts of any above ground structures and works areas associated with the Project during both construction and operation stages within the study area were assessed.

10.1.2 The assessment includes: a definition of the scope and contents of the study, including a description of the assessment methodology, a review of the relevant planning and development control framework, a baseline study providing a comprehensive and accurate description of the baseline landscape resources, landscape character areas and Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs),recommendation of appropriate mitigation measures and associated implementation programmes, identification of the potential landscape and visual impacts and prediction of their magnitude and potential significance, before and after the mitigation measures, and an assessment of the acceptability or otherwise of the predicted residual impacts, according to the five criteria set out in Annex 10 of the EIAO-TM.

10.2 Environmental Legislation, Standards and Guidelines

10.2.1 The following legislation, standards and guidelines are applicable to landscape and visual impact assessment associated with the construction and operation of the Project:

· Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap.499.S.16) and the Technical Memorandum on EIA Process (EIAO-TM), particularly Annexes 10 and 18;

· Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance Guidance Note 8/2002;

· Town Planning Ordinance (Cap 131);

· Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines;

· Land Administration Office Instruction (LAOI) Section D-12 - Tree Preservation;

· HyDTC No. 10/2001 – Visibility of Directional Signs;

· WBTC No. 25/92 - Allocation of Space for Urban Street Trees;

· WBTC No. 7/2002 - Tree Planting in Public Works;

· ETWB TCW No. 2/2004 - Maintenance of Vegetation and Hard Landscape Features;

· ETWB TCW No. 29/2004 - Registration of Old and Valuable Trees, and Guidelines for their Preservation;

· ETWB No. 36/2004 - Advisory Committee on the Appearance of Bridges and Associated Structures (ACABAS);

· ETWB TCW No. 13/2003A - Guidelines and Procedures for Environmental Impact Assessment of Government Projects and Proposals Planning for Provision of Noise Barriers;

· ETWB TCW No. 3/2006 - Tree Preservation,

· Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines Chapter 4 and Chapter 11, and

· Study on Landscape Value Mapping of Hong Kong.

10.3 Assessment Methodology

10.3.1 Landscape and visual impacts have been assessed separately for the construction and operational phases of the Project.

10.3.2 The assessment of landscape impacts has involved the following procedures:

· Identification of the baseline landscape resources found within the study area. This is achieved by site visit and desktop study of topographical maps, information databases and photographs.

· Assessment of the degree of sensitivity to change of the landscape resources. This is influenced by a number of factors including:

- quality and maturity of landscape resources/characters,

- rarity of landscape resources/characters,

- whether is considered to be of local, regional, national or global importance,

- whether there are any statutory or regulatory limitations/requirements relating to the landscape resource/characters, and

- ability of the landscape resource/character to accommodate change.

The Sensitivity of each landscape resources and character areas is classified as follows:

High:	Important landscape or landscape resources of particularly distinctive character or high importance, sensitive to relatively small changes.
Medium:	Landscape or landscape resources of moderately valued landscape characteristics reasonably tolerant to change.
Low:	Landscape or landscape resources of relatively unimportant landscape characteristics largely tolerant to change.

· Identification of potential sources of landscape impacts. These are the various elements of the construction works and operational procedures that would generate landscape impacts.

· Identification of the magnitude of landscape impacts. The magnitude of the impact (or magnitude of change) depends on a number of factors including:

- the physical extent of the impact,

- compatibility of the project with the surrounding landscape,

- duration of impacts i.e. whether it is temporary (short, medium or long term), under construction and operation phases, and

- reversibility of change.

The magnitude of landscape impacts is classified as follows:

Large:	The landscape or landscape resource would suffer a major change.
Intermediate:	The landscape or landscape resources would suffer moderate change.
Small:	The landscape or landscape resources would suffer slight or barely perceptible change.
Negligible:	The landscape or landscape resources would suffer no discernible change.

· Identification of potential landscape mitigation measures. Mitigation measures may take the form of

- adopting alternative design or revisions to the basic engineering the architectural design to prevent and/or minimize adverse impacts,

- remedial measures such as colour and textural treatment of physical, engineering and building features,

- compensatory measures such as the implementation of landscape design measures (e.g. tree planting, creation of new open space etc) to compensate for unavoidable adverse impacts and to attempt to generate potentially beneficial long term impacts.

A programme for the mitigation measures is provided. The agencies responsible for the funding implementation, management and maintenance of the mitigation measures are identified.

· Predicted significance of landscape impacts before and after the implementation of the mitigation measures. By synthesising the magnitude of the various impacts and the sensitivity of the various landscape resources it is possible to categorise impacts in a logical, well-reasoned and consistent fashion. Table 10.1 shows the rationale for dividing the degree of significance into four thresholds, namely insubstantial, slight, moderate, and substantial, depending on the combination of a negligible-small-intermediate-large magnitude of impact and a low-medium-high degree of sensitivity of landscape resource/character.

Table 10.1 Relationship between Receptor Sensitivity and Impact Magnitude in Defining Impact Significance

Magnitude of Impact (Change)	Large	Moderate	Moderate / Substantial	Substantial
	Intermediate	Slight / Moderate	Moderate	Moderate / Substantial
	Small	Slight	Slight / Moderate	Moderate
	Negligible	Insubstantial	Insubstantial	Insubstantial
		Low	Medium	High
		Receptor Sensitivity (of Landscape Resource, Landscape Character Area or VSRs)

· Prediction of Acceptability of Impacts. An overall assessment of the acceptability, or otherwise, of the impacts according to the five criteria set out in Annex 10 of the EIAOTM.

10.3.3 The assessment of visual impacts has involved the followings:

· Identification of Zones of Visual Influence (ZVIs) during the construction and operational phase of the Project. This is achieved by site visit and desktop study of topographic maps and photographs, and preparation of cross-section to determine visibility of the project from various locations.

· Identification of Visual sensitive receivers (VSRs) within the Zone of Visual Influence (ZVIs) at construction and operational stages. These are the people who would reside within, work within, play within, or travel through, the ZVIs.

· Assessment of the degree of sensitivity to change of the VSRs. Factors considered include:

- the type of VSRs, which is classified according to whether the person is at home, at work, at school, at play, or travelling. Those who view the impact from their homes are considered to be highly sensitive as the attractiveness or otherwise of the outlook from their home will have a substantial effect on 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 and at school are considered to be only moderately sensitive as the attractiveness or otherwise of the outlook will have a less important, although still material, effect on their perception of their quality of life. The degree to which this applies depends on whether the workplace is industrial, retail or commercial. Those who view the impact whilst taking part in an outdoor leisure activity may display varying sensitivity depending on the type of leisure activity. Those who view the impact whilst travelling on a public thoroughfare will also display varying sensitivity depending on the speed of travel.

- other factors which are considered (as required in the EIAO GN 8/2002) include the value and quality of existing views, the availability and amenity of alternative views, the duration or frequency of view, and the degree of visibility.

The sensitivity of VSRs is classified as follows:

High:	The VSR is highly sensitive to any change in their viewing experience.
Medium:	The VSR is moderately sensitive to any change in their viewing experience.
Low:	The VSR is only slightly sensitive to any change in their viewing experience.

· Identification of relative numbers of VSRs. This is expressed in term of whether there are very few, few, many or very many VSRs in any one category of VSR.

· Identification of potential sources of visual impacts. These are the various elements of the construction works and operational procedures that would generate visual impacts.

· Assessment of the potential magnitude of visual impacts. Factors considered include

- the compatibility with the surrounding landscape,

- the duration of the impact,

- the reversibility of the impact,

- the scale of the impact and distance of the source of impact from the viewer, and

- The blockage of view

The magnitude of visual impacts is classified as follows:

Large:	The VSRs would suffer a major change in their viewing experience.
Intermediate:	The VSRs would suffer a moderate in their viewing experience.
Small:	The VSRs would suffer a small change in their viewing experience.
Negligible:	The VSRs would suffer no discernible change in their viewing experience.

· Identification of potential visual mitigation measures. These may take the form of adopting alternative designs or revisions to the basic engineering and architectural design to prevent and/or minimise adverse impacts, remedial measures such as colour and textural treatment of building features, and tree planting to screen the roads and associated structures. A programme for the mitigation measures is provided. The agencies responsible for the implementation, management and maintenance of the mitigation measures are identified and their approval-in-principle has been sought.

· Prediction of the significance of visual impacts before and after the implementation of the mitigation measures. By synthesising the magnitude of the various visual impacts and the sensitivity of the VSRs, and the numbers of VSRs that are affected, it is possible to categorise the degree of significance of the impacts in a logical, well-reasoned and consistent fashion. Table 10.1 shows the rationale for dividing the degree of significance into four thresholds, namely, insubstantial, slight, moderate and substantial, depending on the combination of a negligible-small-intermediate-large magnitude of impact and a low-medium-high degree of sensitivity of VSRs.

The significance of visual impacts is categorised as follows:

Substantial:	Adverse / beneficial impact where the proposal would cause significant deterioration or improvement in existing visual quality.
Moderate:	Adverse / beneficial impact where the proposal would cause a noticeable deterioration or improvement in existing visual quality.
Slight:	Adverse / beneficial impact where the proposal would cause a barely perceptible deterioration or improvement in existing visual quality.
Insubstantial:	No discernible change in the existing visual quality.

· Prediction of Acceptability of Impacts. An overall assessment of the acceptability, or otherwise, of the impacts according to the five criteria set out in Annex 10 of the EIAOTM.

10.3.4 It is assumed that funding, implementation, management and maintenance of the mitigation proposals can be satisfactorily resolved according to the principles in WBTC 14/2002. All mitigation proposals in this report are practical and achievable within the known parameters of funding, implementation, management and maintenance. The suggested agents for the funding and implementation (and subsequent management and maintenance, if applicable) are indicated in Tables 10.5 and 10.6. Approval-in-principle to the implementation, management and maintenance of the proposed mitigation measures is being sought from the appropriate authorities.

10.4 Scope and Content of the Study

10.4.1 The Study Area, as shown in aerial photography of Figure 10.1.1, is demarcated by Castle Peak Road to the east, Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road to the south, Tuen Mun Riverside Park to the west and Light Rail to the north.

10.4.2 According to EIA Study Brief No. ESB-127/2005, the study area for the landscape impact assessment shall include all areas within 100m from the Project as described in Section 10.4.1.1 above. The assessment of landscape character areas will include all areas within the study area. The assessment area for the visual impact assessment shall be defined by the visual envelope of the Project and associated works.

10.4.3 In the landscape assessment, the existing and planned landscape resources and character of the assessment areas are described, appraised, analyzed and evaluated. Plans of suitable scale showing the baseline landscape resources and landscape character mapping of impact assessment are used to present the findings of impact assessment. A broad brush tree survey which identifies the species and approximate numbers to be affected is included. The assessment focuses on the sensitivity of the landscape framework and its ability to accommodate change. The degree of compatibility of the Project and associated works with the existing and planned landscape settings are identified. The landscape impact assessment quantifies the potential landscape impacts as far as possible, so as to illustrate the significance of such impacts arising from the Project and associated works. All landscape impacts are clearly mapped.

10.4.4 In the visual impact assessment, the following items have been included:

· Identification and plotting of visual envelope of the Project and associated works,

· Identification of key groups of sensitive receivers within the visual envelope with regard to views from ground level and elevated vantage points,

· Description of the visual compatibility of the Project and associated works within the surrounding, both existing and planned uses, its obstruction and interference with the key views of the adjacent areas; and

· Description of severity of visual impacts in terms of nature, distance and number of sensitive receivers. The visual impact of the Project and associated works with and without mitigations shall be assessed, and the effectiveness of the mitigation measures shall be demonstrated.

10.4.5 The merits of preservation in totality, in parts or total destruction of existing landscape and the establishment of new landscape character areas are evaluated. Alternative alignment(s), design(s) and construction methods that would avoid or reduce the identified landscape and visual impacts have been evaluated for comparison before adopting other mitigation or compensatory measures to alleviate the impacts. The mitigation measures proposed will not only be concerned with damage reduction but will also include consideration of potential enhancement of existing landscape and visual quality.

10.4.6 Measures will be included in the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project and associated works to mitigate landscape and visual impact and reduce to acceptable levels. Relevant responsible parties will be identified for the on-going management and maintenance of the proposed mitigation works to ensure their effectiveness throughout the operation phase of the Project and associated works. Approval-in-principle to the implementation, management and maintenance of the proposed mitigation measures is sought from the appropriate authorities are indicated in Tables 10.6 and 10.7; according to the principles in WBTC 14/2002.

10.5 Review of Planning and Development Control Framework

10.5.1 A review of the existing and planned development framework for the proposed works and for the surroundings has been considered. It aims to identify issues for the neighbouring planned land uses, to identify potential resources and sensitive receivers, and to ensure a high compatibility between the proposed Project and the surroundings.

10.5.2 The proposed widening works is located within the Draft Tuen Mun Outline Zoning Plan No. S/TM/22; OZP plan refers to Figure 10.2.1; which indicated that the proposed works in Tsing Tin Interchange will remain as ‘road’ which complies with the planning intention. No potential conflicts are found with respect to landscape and visual impacts within the existing Planning and Development Control framework.

10.5.3 It is considered that the proposed development and associated works are in principle following the planning intentions for the study areas as set out in the OZPs.

10.6 Baseline Study

Landscape Resources

10.6.1 The baseline landscape resources that would be affected during the construction phase and operation phase, together with their sensitivity to change, are described below. The locations of baseline landscape resources are mapped in Figure 10.3.1. Photo views illustrating the landscape resources within the study area are illustrated in Figure 10.3.2. For ease of reference and co-ordination between text, tables and figures, each landscape resource is given an identity number.

LR1 – Roadside planting at Tsing Tin Interchange

10.6.2 This LR refers to the buffer planting (approximately 1.3ha.) along Tsing Tin Interchange which provides greening opportunity for the extensive hard-paved Tuen Mun urban area. There are 179 trees in this LR which are common species such as Acacia confuse, Albizia lebbek, Caryota ochlandra, Dracaena marginata, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Melacula quinquenervia, Thevetia peruviana, etc. These trees are fairly large in size and of fair conditions. Since the trees are generally in fair form, the sensitivity to change is Medium.

LR2 – Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park

10.6.3 The park forms an important local open space with a mature landscape setting. The area of the Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park is approximately 1.93 ha. The open space contains footpaths, shade structure with associated seating areas and mature trees setting. There are 185 existing trees, form one of the key resources of the area, including specimens of. Acacia confuse. Albizia lebbek, Bauhinia spp., Caryota ochlandra, Cinnamomum burmanni, Gossampinus malabarica, Dracaena marginata, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Celtis sinensis, Melacula quinquenervia, Thevetia peruviana, etc. They have a High landscape value and sensitivity to change.

Landscape Character Area (LCA)

LCA1 – Transportation Corridor LCA

10.6.4 This LCA refers to the landscape character area along the Tuen Mun transportation corridor. The locations of baseline landscape character area are mapped in Figure 10.4.1. Between the roads are landscaped embankments and islands, generally with a semi-mature amenity vegetation of trees and shrubs.

LCA2 – Park Urban LCA

10.6.5 These recreation landscapes areas comprise urban parks. Their land uses are mainly as passive recreation, and typically include ornamental planting, pathways, sitting area and pavilions. They often however include sports facilities such as ball courts. In character, these landscapes are typically semi-formal, tranquil and verdant.

LCA3 – Tuen Mun Urban LCA

10.6.6 This LCA are characterized by their medium or high-rise residential estates, set amongst open space, together with associated road, footbridges, school or community facilities and retail facilities. Vegetation includes roadside trees, shrub planting and planting in open spaces and around residential area. The result is a fairly homogenous, ordered landscape comprising largely built elements softened to a certain extent by the effects of surrounding planting and greenery.

LCA4 – Tuen Mun River Channel LCA

10.6.7 This LCA refers to Tuen Mun River Channel in Tuen Mun. It is a channelized river with limited vegetations. The sensitivity to change is medium.

Landscape Sensitivity to Change

10.6.8 The landscape resources and landscape character areas that would be potentially affected during the construction phase and operation phase, together with their sensitivity to change, are listed in Table 10.2.

Table 10.2 List of the Landscape Resources / Landscape Character Areas and Their Sensitivity to Change

Id. No.	Landscape Resource / Landscape Character Zone	Sensitivity to Change (Low, Medium, High)
LR1	Roadside planting at Tsing Tin Interchange	High
LR2	Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park	High
LCA1	Transportation Corridor LCA	Intermediate
LCA2	Park Urban LCA	High
LCA3	Tuen Mun Urban LCA	Medium
LCA4	Tuen Mun River Channel LCA	Medium

Zone of Visual Influence (ZVI)

The primary ZVI for the Project during the construction phase are illustrated in Figure 10.5.1. Photo views illustrating the Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs) within the study area are illustrated in Figures 10.5.2-10.5.6.

Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs)

10.6.9 Table 10.3 lists the key VSRs found within the ZVIs. For ease of reference, each VSR is given an identity number, which is used in all relevant tables and figures in this report. VSR are divided into 4 types: Residential, Recreational, Government/ Institution/ Community (Occupational) and Transport related.

Table 10.3 Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs) and Their Sensitivity to Change

Id. No.	Key Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs)	Type of VSRs	Number of Individuals (Many/ Medium/ Few/ Very Few)	Quality of Existing View (Good/ Fair/ Poor)	Availability of Alternative Views (Yes/ No)	Degree of Visibility (Full/ Partial/ Glimpse)	Frequency of View (Very Frequent/ Frequent/ Occasional/ Rare)	Sensitivity to Change (Low, Medium, High)
R1	Lakeshore Building, Rich Building, Victory Building, Kim Po Building and Common Bond Building	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Full	Frequent	High
R2A	Kam Fat Building, Yan Oi Building, Lam Kwong Building and Kam Men Mansion	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Full	Frequent	High
R2B	Florence Mansion, Ka Hay Building, Hip Pont Building	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Partial	Frequent	High
R3	Dorboa Building, Elite Garden, Tung Wai Court, Wah Hing Mansion, Wah Lee Building, Sai Po Building, Look Yuen, Cheung Lung Building, On Lai Building and Man Cheong Building	Residential	Many	Fair	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
R4	Brilliant Garden	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
R5	Tuen Mun Fire Services (R&F) Married Quarters	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
R6	Tsing Chung Koon Road Government Quarters	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Partial	Frequent	High
R7	Affluence Garden	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Partial	Frequent	High
R8	Chelsea Heights	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
R9	Siu Hong Court	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
R10A	Prime View Garden	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
R10B	Kingston Terrace	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
R11	Grandeur Garden and Elegance Garden	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
R12	Parkview Court	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
R13	Eldo Court and Hong Lai Garden	Residential	Many	Good	Yes	Glimpse	Frequent	Medium
GIC1	CCC Tam Lee Lai Fun Memorial Secondary School	Occupational	Many	Good	Yes	Partial	Occasional	Medium
GIC2	Mung Yan Primary School	Occupational	Many	Fair	Yes	Partial	Rare	Medium
GIC3	Tuen Mun Hospital and Ambulatory Care Centre	Occupational	Many	Good	Yes	Partial	Occasional	Medium
GIC4	Kwong Choi Market	Occupational	Many	Fair	Yes	Partial	Occasional	Medium
GIC5	Tuen Mun Government Primary School	Occupational	Many	Fair	Yes	Glimpse	Occasional	Low
GIC6	Tuen Mun Church, Tuen Mun Tseng Choi Street Joint-user Complex, and Electric Sub-station	Occupational	Many	Fair	Yes	Glimpse	Rare	Low
O1	Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park	Recreational	Medium	Good	Yes	Full	Occasional	High
O2	Tuen Mun Riverside Park	Recreational	Medium	Good	Yes	Partial	Occasional	Medium
O3	Fung Tei Garden	Recreational	Few	Good	Yes	Partial	Occasional	Medium
O4	San Wo Lane Playground	Recreational	Medium	Good	Yes	Partial	Occasional	Medium
T1	Traveller along Tuen Mun Road	Transportation	Many	Fair	Yes	Full	Occasional	Low
T2	Users of Light Rail	Transportation	Many	Fair	Yes	Partial	Occasional	Low

10.6.10 The magnitude of the impacts, before implementation of mitigation measures on the VSRs that would occur in the construction and operation phase are described and tabulated in Table 10.4. All impacts are adverse unless otherwise stated.

Table 10.4 Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs) and Their Magnitude of Impacts

Id No.	Key Visual Sensitive Receiver (VSR)	Blockage of View (Full/ Partial/ Glimpse	Viewing Distance (M)	Scale of Development (Large/ Medium/ Small)	Compatibility (Good/ Fair/ Poor)	Reversibility of Change (Yes/ No)	Magnitude of Impacts (Large/ Intermediate/ Small/ Negligible
Id No.	Key Visual Sensitive Receiver (VSR)	Blockage of View (Full/ Partial/ Glimpse	Viewing Distance (M)	Scale of Development (Large/ Medium/ Small)	Compatibility (Good/ Fair/ Poor)	Reversibility of Change (Yes/ No)	Construction	Operation
R1	Lakeshore Building, Rich Building, Victory Building, Kim Po Building and Common Bond Building	Full	60	Large	Fair	No	Large	Large
R2A	Kam Fat Building, Yan Oi Building, Lam Kwong Building and Kam Men Mansion	Full	120	Medium	Fair	No	Intermediate	Intermediate
R2B	Florence Mansion, Ka Hay Building, Hip Pont Building	Full	265	Medium	Fair	No	Intermediate	Intermediate
R3	Dorboa Building, Elite Garden, Tung Wai Court, Wah Hing Mansion, Wah Lee Building, Sai Po Building, Look Yuen, Cheung Lung Building, On Lai Building and Man Cheong Building	Glimpse	250	Medium	Good	No	Small	Small
R4	Brilliant Garden	Glimpse	240	Medium	Good	No	Small	Small
R5	Tuen Mun Fire Services (R&F) Married Quarters	Glimpse	400	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
R6	Tsing Chung Koon Road Government Quarters	Partial	175	Medium	Fair	No	Intermediate	Intermediate
R7	Affluence Garden	Partial	275	Medium	Fair	No	Intermediate	Intermediate
R8	Chelsea Heights	Partial	425	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
R9	Siu Hong Court	Glimpse	550	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
R10A	Prime View Garden	Glimpse	275	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
R10B	Kingston Terrace	Glimpse	375	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
R11	Grandeur Garden and Elegance Garden	Glimpse	300	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
R12	Parkview Court	Glimpse	600	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
R13	Eldo Court and Hong Lai Garden	Glimpse	750	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
GIC1	CCC Tam Lee Lai Fun Memorial Secondary School	Partial	125	Large	Fair	No	Large	Large
GIC2	Mung Yan Primary School	Glimpse	215	Medium	Fair	No	Intermediate	Intermediate
GIC3	Tuen Mun Hospital and Ambulatory Care Centre	Glimpse	200	Medium	Fair	No	Intermediate	Intermediate
GIC4	Kwong Choi Market	Partial	75	Large	Fair	No	Large	Large
GIC5	Tuen Mun Government Primary School	Glimpse	450	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
GIC6	Tuen Mun Church, Tuen Mun Tseng Choi Street Joint-user Complex, and Electric Sub-station	Partial	475	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
O1	Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park	Full	0	Large	Fair	No	Large	Large
O2	Tuen Mun Riverside Park	Glimpse	115	Medium	Fair	No	Intermediate	Intermediate
O3	Fung Tei Garden	Glimpse	125	Medium	Fair	No	Intermediate	Intermediate
O4	San Wo Lane Playground	Glimpse	300	Small	Good	No	Small	Small
T1	Traveller along Tuen Mun Road	Full	0	Large	Fair	No	Large	Large
T2	Users of Light Rail	Glimpse	150	Medium	Fair	No	Intermediate	Intermediate

10.7 Landscape Impact Assessment

Sources of Landscape Impacts

Construction Phase

10.7.1 Sources of impacts in the construction phase would include:

· Widening of Tuen Mun Road,

· Construction of noise barriers,

· Temporary site access areas, site cabins and heavy machinery,

· Construction site traffic

· Increased road traffic congestion,

· Temporary noise mitigation eg. barriers, enclosures,

· Contractor’s temporary works areas, including site accommodation and parking areas,

· Night time lighting, and

· Dust during dry weather

Operation Phase

10.7.2 Sources of impacts in the operation phase would include:

· Widening of Tuen Mun Road,

· New noise barriers – 100m long 6m high barrier with 3.5m cantilever length at 23 degrees to the horizontal at the north of Kowloon bound carriageway; and 80m long6m high barrier with 2.5m cantilever length at 23 degrees to the horizontal at the south of Yuen Long bound carriageway

Degree of compatibility of the Project and associated Works

10.7.3 The proposed road widening works are in line with the existing transportation corridor character setting in the urban environment.

10.7.4 The proposed noise barriers composed of steel frame and acoustic panel. Absorptive panel will be adopted for the bottom layer and transparent or translucent reflective panel would be adopted for the upper layers of panel in order to reduce the visual impact. The steel works will be painted in different tones of mat finished green to blend in with the surrounding environment. It is considered the noise barriers/screening will not create substantial impact on existing or proposed landscape setting.

10.7.5 As a whole, the proposed project and associated works would not create substantial visual intrusion to the existing urban environment and is considered as compatible to the existing and proposed landscape settings.

Nature and Magnitude of Impacts of Unmitigated Landscape Impact in Construction Phase

10.7.6 The magnitude of the impacts, before implementation of mitigation measures, on the landscape resources and character areas that would occur in the construction phase are described and tabulated in Table 10.5. All impacts are adverse unless otherwise stated.

Table 10.5 Significant Landscape Impacts of the Proposed Works during Construction Phase

Id No.	Landscape Resources/ Landscape Character Areas	Source of Impact	Description of Impacts	Magnitude of Impacts
LR1	Roadside planting at Tsing Tin Interchange	· Widening of Tuen Mun Road and associated slope works · Construction of noise barrier	· Approx. 34 nos. of existing trees would be affected by the permanently works.	Large
LR2	Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park	· Widening of Tuen Mun Road and associated slope works · Construction of noise barrier · Temporary and Permanent alienation of part of Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park	· 1.03ha of the open space would be temporary affected · 0.09ha of the open space would be permanently alienated by the widening road, and · Approx. 13 nos. of existing trees would be affected by the permanently works.	Large
LCA1	Transportation Corridor LCA	· Widening of Tuen Mun Road and associated slope works · Construction of noise barrier	· Approximate 34 nos. of existing trees would be affected by the permanently works.	Large
LCA2	Park Urban LCA	· Widening of Tuen Mun Road and associated slope works · Construction of noise barrier · Temporary and Permanent alienation of part of Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park	· 1.03ha of the open space will be temporary affected · 0.09ha of the open space will be permanently alienated by the widening road, and · Approx. 13 nos. of existing trees would be affected by the permanently works.	Large
LCA3	Tuen Mun Urban LCA	· Widening of Tuen Mun Road · Storage of Construction equipment and plant	· Change of existing car park to a site for construction activities	Small

Nature and Magnitude of Impacts of Unmitigated Landscape Impact in Operation Phase

10.7.7 The magnitude of the impacts, before implementation of mitigation measures, on the landscape resources and character areas that will occur in the operation phase are the same as the permanent and irreversible impacts described in the construction phase.

Landscape and Visual Mitigation Measures in Construction and Operation Phase

10.7.8 The proposed landscape and visual mitigation measures for the construction and operation of the Project are listed in Tables 10.6 and 10.7 below, together with an indication of Funding, Implementation and Maintenance and relevant Authorities. Generally, all landscape mitigation measures are to be implemented as early as possible and they are illustrated in Figures 10.7.1 and 10.7.2.

Table 10.6 Proposed Construction Phase Landscape and Visual Mitigation Measures

ID No.	Landscape and Visual Mitigation Measures	Funding Agency	Implementation Agency
CM1¹	Topsoil, where identified, should be stripped and stored for re-use in the construction of the soft landscape works, where practical.	HyD	HyD
CM2¹	Existing trees to be retained on site should be carefully protected during construction.	HyD	HyD
CM3	Trees unavoidably affected by the works should be transplanted where practical.	HyD	HyD
CM4	Compensatory tree planting should be provided to compensate for felled trees.	HyD	HyD
CM5¹	Control of night-time lighting.	HyD	HyD
CM6	Erection of decorative screen hoarding compatible with the surrounding setting.	HyD	HyD

Note: (1) HyD shall be responsible for the implementation of road works and associated amenity landscape areas; refer to Good Site Practices.

Table 10.7 Proposed Operation Phase Landscape and Visual Mitigation Measures

ID No.	Landscape and Visual Mitigation Measures	Funding Agency	Implementation Agency	Maintenance/ Management Agency
OM1	Aesthetic design of road-related structures, including noise barriers and enclosure.	HyD	HyD	HyD
OM2	Shrub planting to soften and screen proposed roads and associated structures.	HyD	HyD	LCSD/HyD
OM3	Tree and Shrub Planting in the central strip	HyD	HyD	LCSD/HyD
OM5	Area reinstated to match former condition	HyD	HyD	LCSD

Note: (1) HyD shall be responsible for the maintenance and management for hard streetscape works and LCSD shall be responsible for the maintenance and management of soft landscape works.

Programme of Implementation of Landscape and Visual Mitigation Measures

10.7.9 The Construction Phase Measures listed above shall be adopted from the commencement of construction and shall be in place throughout the entire construction period. The Operation Phase Measures listed above shall be adopted during the detailed design and be built as part of the construction works so that they are in place at the date of commissioning of the Project.

Prediction of Significance of Landscape Impacts

10.7.10 The potential significance of landscape impacts during the construction and operation phases, before and after mitigation, is provided below in Table 10.8. The assessment follows the proposed methodology and assumes that the appropriate mitigation measures identified in Tables 10.6 and 10.7 above would be implemented, and the full effect of the soft landscape mitigation measures would be realized after 10 years. Photomontages of the proposed project without and with mitigation measures are illustrated in Figure 10.8.1. The locations of the viewpoints are indicated in Figure 10.5.1

Residual Landscape Impacts in Construction and Operation Phase

10.7.11 Impacts on landscape resources and character areas occur in the Operation Phase are same as the permanent and irreversible impacts in the construction phase. Residual impacts of moderate to substantial significance are summarized as below.

Impact on Existing Open Spaces

10.7.12 Impact on Existing open space is primarily due to permanent alienation of open space for the proposed works. Under the proposed development, approximately 1.03ha of Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park will be temporarily closed and affected during the construction stage. Approximately 0.09ha of land in the park would be permanently lost for the widening of Tuen Mun Road. As such, the residual landscape impact during operation on Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park is considered as slight.

Impact on Existing Trees

10.7.13 Based on broad brush survey (refer to Appendix 10.1), approximately 47 trees in total would be affected due to the construction of noise barrier, widening of Tuen Mun Road and associated slope works. 47 new trees would be compensated within study boundaries for the loss of greenery from proposed work. The detail compensatory plan is listed in Figure 10.7.3 and Figure 10.7.4. Most of compensatory trees will be planted within San Hui Park.

10.7.14 None of these are LCSD Champion Trees or Registered Old and Valuable Trees. There are no rare species or endangered specie but common species. All the trees with high amenity value which are unavoidably affected by the works would be transplanted where possible. Detailed tree preservation, transplanting and felling including compensatory planting proposals shall be submitted to relevant government departments for approval in accordance with ET WBTC no. 3/2006. The overall residual impacts on existing trees are considered as slight with mitigation measures.

Impact on Landscape Character Areas

10.7.15 Impact on Landscape Character Areas during construction would be primarily due to the construction activities including associated temporary works for the road widening works and construction of noise barrier. After implementation of mitigation measures, there would be moderate residual impacts on Transportation Corridor LCA and Park Urban LCA. During Operation, all the LCAs would have insubstantial impacts with the implementation of mitigation measures.

Id. No.	Landscape Resource / Landscape Character	Sensitivity to Change (Low, Medium, High)	Magnitude of Change (Negligible, Small, Intermediate, Large)	Impact Significance before Mitigation (Insubstantial, Slight, Moderate, Substantial)	Recommended Mitigation Measures	Impact Significance Day 1 after Mitigation	Impact Significance 10 years after Mitigation
Part 1 –Landscape Resources
LR1	Roadside planting at Tsing Tin Interchange	High	Medium	Large	Large	Substantial	Moderate	CM1 to CM6; OM1 to OM5	Moderate	Slight	Insubstantial
LR2	Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park	High	High	Large	Large	Substantial	Substantial	CM1 to CM6; OM1 to OM5	Substantial	Moderate	Slight
Part 1 –Landscape Character Areas
LCA1	Transportation Corridor LCA	Intermediate	Low	Large	Large	Moderate	Moderate	CM1 to CM6; OM1 to OM5	Moderate	Slight	Insubstantial
LCA2	Park Urban LCA	High	High	Large	Intermediate	Substantial	Moderate	CM1 to CM6; OM1 to OM5	Moderate	Slight	Insubstantial
LCA3	Tuen Mun Urban LCA	Medium	Medium	Small	Small	Small	Slight	CM5, CM6, OM5	Insubstantial	Insubstantial	Insubstantial
LCA4	Tuen Mun River Channel LCA	Medium	Medium	Negligible	Negligible	Insubstantial	Insubstantial	Not required	Insubstantial	Insubstantial	Insubstantial

Table 10.9 Significance of Visual Impacts in the Construction and Operation Phases (Note: All impacts adverse unless otherwise noted.)

Id No	Key Visual Sensitive Receiver (VSR)	Receptor Sensitivity (Low, Medium, High)	Magnitude of Impact (Negligible, Small, Intermediate, Large)		Impact Significance without Mitigation Measures (Insubstantial, Slight, Moderate, Substantial)		Recommended Mitigation Measures	Residual Impact Significance with Mitigations (Insubstantial, Slight, Moderate, Substantial)
Id No	Key Visual Sensitive Receiver (VSR)	Receptor Sensitivity (Low, Medium, High)	Construction	Operation	Construction	Operation	Recommended Mitigation Measures	Construction	Day 1 Operation	10 year after operation
R1	Lakeshore Building, Rich Building, Victory Building, Kim Po Building and Common Bond Building	High	Large	Large	Substantial	Substantial	CM1 to CM6 OM1 to OM5	Moderate	Moderate	Slight
R2A	Kam Fat Building, Yan Oi Building, Lam Kwong Building and Kam Men Mansion	High	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R2B	Florence Mansion, Ka Hay Building, Hip Pont Building	High	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R3	Dorboa Building, Elite Garden, Tung Wai Court, Wah Hing Mansion, Wah Lee Building, Sai Po Building, Look Yuen, Cheung Lung Building, On Lai Building and Man Cheong Building	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R4	Brilliant Garden	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R5	Tuen Mun Fire Services (R&F) Married Quarters	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R6	Tsing Chung Koon Road Government Quarters	High	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R7	Affluence Garden	High	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R8	Chelsea Heights	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R9	Siu Hong Court	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R10A	Prime View Garden	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R10B	Kingston Terrace	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R11	Grandeur Garden and Elegance Garden	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R12	Parkview Court	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
R13	Eldo Court and Hong Lai Garden	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
GIC1	CCC Tam Lee Lai Fun Memorial Secondary School	Medium	Large	Large	Substantial	Substantial		Moderate	Moderate	Slight
GIC2	Mung Yan Primary School	Medium	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
GIC3	Tuen Mun Hospital and Ambulatory Care Centre	Medium	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
GIC4	Kwong Choi Market	Medium	Large	Large	Substantial	Substantial		Moderate	Moderate	Slight
GIC5	Tuen Mun Government Primary School	Low	Small	Small	Slight	Slight		Insubstantial	Insubstantial	Insubstantial
GIC6	Tuen Mun Church, Tuen Mun Tseng Choi Street Joint-user Complex, and Electric Sub-station	Low	Small	Small	Slight	Slight		Insubstantial	Insubstantial	Insubstantial
O1	Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park	High	Large	Large	Substantial	Substantial		Moderate	Moderate	Slight
O2	Tuen Mun Riverside Park	Medium	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
O3	Fung Tei Garden	Medium	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
O4	San Wo Lane Playground	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
T1	Traveller along Tuen Mun Road	Low	Large	Large	Moderate	Moderate		Slight	Slight	Insubstantial
T2	Users of Light Rail	Low	Intermediate	Intermediate	Slight	Slight		Insubstantial	Insubstantial	Insubstantial

*Note: A: Road widening and associated slope works

B: Noise Barrier

C: Temporary Works Area

10. LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL IMPACT ACCESSMENT

10.1 Introduction

10.2.1 The following legislation, standards and guidelines are applicable to landscape and visual impact assessment associated with the construction and operation of the Project:

10.3.1 Landscape and visual impacts have been assessed separately for the construction and operational phases of the Project.

10.3.2 The assessment of landscape impacts has involved the following procedures:

10.3.3 The assessment of visual impacts has involved the followings:

10.4.1 The Study Area, as shown in aerial photography of Figure 10.1.1, is demarcated by Castle Peak Road to the east, Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road to the south, Tuen Mun Riverside Park to the west and Light Rail to the north.

10.4.4 In the visual impact assessment, the following items have been included:

10.5.3 It is considered that the proposed development and associated works are in principle following the planning intentions for the study areas as set out in the OZPs.

Landscape Resources

LR1 – Roadside planting at Tsing Tin Interchange

LR2 – Castle Peak Road (San Hui) Park

Landscape Character Area (LCA)

LCA1 – Transportation Corridor LCA

LCA2 – Park Urban LCA

LCA3 – Tuen Mun Urban LCA

LCA4 – Tuen Mun River Channel LCA

10.6.7 This LCA refers to Tuen Mun River Channel in Tuen Mun. It is a channelized river with limited vegetations. The sensitivity to change is medium.

Landscape Sensitivity to Change

10.6.8 The landscape resources and landscape character areas that would be potentially affected during the construction phase and operation phase, together with their sensitivity to change, are listed in Table 10.2.

The primary ZVI for the Project during the construction phase are illustrated in Figure 10.5.1. Photo views illustrating the Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs) within the study area are illustrated in Figures 10.5.2-10.5.6.

Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs)

10.6.10 The magnitude of the impacts, before implementation of mitigation measures on the VSRs that would occur in the construction and operation phase are described and tabulated in Table 10.4. All impacts are adverse unless otherwise stated.

Sources of Landscape Impacts

Construction Phase

10.7.1 Sources of impacts in the construction phase would include:

Operation Phase

10.7.2 Sources of impacts in the operation phase would include:

Degree of compatibility of the Project and associated Works

10.7.3 The proposed road widening works are in line with the existing transportation corridor character setting in the urban environment.

10.7.5 As a whole, the proposed project and associated works would not create substantial visual intrusion to the existing urban environment and is considered as compatible to the existing and proposed landscape settings.

Nature and Magnitude of Impacts of Unmitigated Landscape Impact in Construction Phase

10.7.6 The magnitude of the impacts, before implementation of mitigation measures, on the landscape resources and character areas that would occur in the construction phase are described and tabulated in Table 10.5. All impacts are adverse unless otherwise stated.

Nature and Magnitude of Impacts of Unmitigated Landscape Impact in Operation Phase

10.7.7 The magnitude of the impacts, before implementation of mitigation measures, on the landscape resources and character areas that will occur in the operation phase are the same as the permanent and irreversible impacts described in the construction phase.

Landscape and Visual Mitigation Measures in Construction and Operation Phase

Programme of Implementation of Landscape and Visual Mitigation Measures

Prediction of Significance of Landscape Impacts

Residual Landscape Impacts in Construction and Operation Phase

10.7.11 Impacts on landscape resources and character areas occur in the Operation Phase are same as the permanent and irreversible impacts in the construction phase. Residual impacts of moderate to substantial significance are summarized as below.

Impact on Existing Open Spaces

Impact on Existing Trees

Impact on Landscape Character Areas

Potential Sources of Visual Impacts

10.8.1 The sources of visual impacts due to the Project would create varying levels of visual impact during the construction and operation phases. Potential impacts would result from the elements stated in Sections 10.7.1 and 10.7.2.

Visual Mitigation Measures

10.8.2 The proposed visual mitigation measures in the construction and operation phases are summarized in Tables 10.6 and 10.7, together with an indication of Funding, Implementation, Management and Maintenance Agencies. The mitigation Measures are illustrated in Figures 10.7.1 and 10.7.2

Prediction of Significance of Visual Impacts

Residual Visual Impacts

Construction Phase

10.8.6 Residual visual impacts in the Construction Phase are listed out in Table 10.9. In the Construction Phases, after the implementation of proposed mitigation measures, there would still be some adverse residual visual impacts are shown in Table 10.9.

Operation Phase

10.9.4 With implementation of mitigation measures during construction, there would still be some moderate negative visual impact on the VSRs adjacent or close to the Project. Residual impacts on VSRs further away the works area would become slight to insubstantial.