Environmental Impact Assessment

Executive Summary

Proposed Low-rise and Low-density Residential Development

At Various Lots and their Adjoining Government Land

in D.D. 104, East of Kam Pok Road,

Mai Po, Yuen Long, N.T.

Prepared by

Ramboll Environ Hong Kong Limited

in association with

ADI Limited

AECOM

China Point Consultants Ltd.

CKM Asia Limited

Ecosystems Ltd.

MCAAL

Vision Planning Consultants Ltd.

Westwood Hong and Associates Ltd.

Date:

August 2016

Reference Number:

R2057_V6.F

Environmental Impact Assessment

Executive Summary

Proposed Low-rise and Low-density Residential Development

At Various Lots and their Adjoining Government Land

in D.D. 104, East of Kam Pok Road,

Mai Po, Yuen Long, N.T.

Prepared by:
Approved by:	Henry Ng Senior Consultant
	David Yeung Managing Director

Ramboll Environ Hong Kong Limited

Room 2403, Jubilee Centre,

18 Fenwick Street,

Wanchai, Hong Kong

Tel: 3465 2888

Fax: 3465 2899

E-mail: hkinfo@ramboll.com

Q:\Projects\HENKPRRDEI01\Report\EIA\FORMAL Submission_public inspection Aug16\CD_Report to EPD\Exe Summary_ENG\html format\Executive Summary R2057 V6.F Eng_160815_clean.htm

Table of Contents

1. Introduction_ 1-1

1.1 Background_ 1-1

1.2 Project Site 1-1

1.3 EIAO and Designated Projects 1-1

1.4 Project Description 1-1

2. KEY Findings of ENVIRONmental Impact Assessment (“EIA”) 2-1

2.1 General 2-1

2.2 Air Quality 2-1

2.3 Noise 2-2

2.4 Water Quality 2-4

2.5 Sewerage and Sewage Treatment 2-6

2.6 Waste Management 2-9

2.7 Ecology 2-11

2.8 Fisheries 2-12

2.9 Cultural Heritage 2-12

2.10 Landscape and Visual 2-13

3. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND AUDIT 3-1

4. OVERALL CONCLUSION_ 4-1

List of Figures

Figure 1 Location & Environs of the Project

Figure 2 Outline Zoning Plan

Figure 3 Conceptual Layout of the Project

Figure 4 Proposed Landscape Buffer along the Boundary of the Project Site

Figure 5 Illustrative Section of Noise Barrier Buffered & Visually Enhanced by Peripheral Planting

Figure 6 Recommended Landscape Mitigation Measures – Design of Landscape Berms

Figure 7 Recommended Landscape Enhancement – Provision of Landscape Pond

List of Appendix

Appendix A Environmental Impact Assessment Non-Technical Summary

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

1.1.1 This Project is a proposed low-rise and low-density residential development in the Project Site. The Site comprises various leased lots and their adjoining Government Land in D.D. 104, East of Kam Pok Road in Mai Po, Yuen Long. It covers a total area of about 3.8ha. The Project Site is bounded by Kam Pok Road to its west, Fung Chuk Road to its north, Ha Chuk Yuen Road to its north-east and Ha San Wai Road to its south and south-east. The site is surrounded by a number of existing and planned residential developments. Figure 1 shows the location and the surrounding environment of the Project Site.

1.1.2 According to the requirement of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO), an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been undertaken for the Project. It provides a detailed assessment of the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Project, including impacts on air quality, noise, water quality, waste management, ecology, fisheries, cultural heritage, landscape and visual resources; it also recommends mitigation measures to comply with relevant environmental legislations and standards. The impact assessments in the EIA have been conducted by qualified and experienced environmental experts in association with experts in various special fields including ecology, fisheries, engineering, urban planning, architecture, traffic, cultural heritage, landscape and urban design in accordance with the Project EIA Study Brief requirements as well as the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (“EIAO-TM”).

1.1.3 This Executive Summary provides a summary of the key findings of the EIA study. A non-technical summary providing a reader-friendly understanding of the key results of EIA study, is provided in Appendix A for reference.

1.2 Project Site

1.2.1 The Project Site is shown in Figure 1. It is zoned “Residential (Group D)” (“R(D)”) on the Approved Mai Po and Fairview Park Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) No. S/YL-MP/6 (“Subject OZP”) (see Figure 2). According to the Notes of the Subject OZP, the “R(D)” zone is intended primarily for improvement and upgrading of the existing temporary structures within the rural area through redevelopment of existing temporary structures into permanent buildings. It is also intended for low-rise, low-density residential developments if a planning permission is given by the Town Planning Board.

1.2.2 The Project Site is bounded by a number of existing and planned residential developments (i.e. Fairview Park to its west; Helene Terrace and Villa Camellia to its south; a vacant site planned for “Village Type Development” use to its east; and a vacant site planned for “R(D)” use to its north). The existing Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel is located to the further west of the Project Site across Kam Pok Road. To its further west and north across the said drainage channel is a Government proposed cycle track linking the existing local cycle track networks of Yuen Long to Sheung Shui.

1.2.3 In addition, the Project Area is located outside the Wetland Buffer Area and Wetland Conservation Area under the Town Planning Board Guidelines (TPB PG-No. 12C). The “no-net-loss in wetland” principle and wetland enhancement and management scheme according to the Guidelines do not apply to the Project.

1.3 EIAO and Designated Projects

1.3.1 Residential or recreational developments within Deep Bay Buffer Zones 1 or 2 are “designated projects” under the EIAO, of which environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required to be conducted. As the Project falls within Deep Bay Buffer Zone 2 (Figure 1) and comprises residential development, an EIA is required for the Project.

1.4 Project Description

1.4.1 The proposed development is a low-density residential development with residential clubhouse, swimming pool, and site drainage system and ancillary facilities. There are thirty-two (32) houses of two storeys (6.6m in height) set in spacious surrounding and provided with private gardens and carports (Figure 3).

Figure 1 Location of the Project Site

Figure 2 Outline Zoning Plan

Figure 3 Conceptual Layout of the Project

2. KEY Findings of ENVIRONmental Impact Assessment (“EIA”)

2.1 General

2.1.1 An EIA has been undertaken for the proposed development in accordance with the requirements stipulated in the EIAO-TM as well as those in the Project EIA Study Brief issued by the Government. The EIA is to provide a detailed assessment of the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Project.

2.1.2 The key findings, conclusions and recommendations of the EIA are summarised in the following sections.

2.2 Air Quality

Construction Phase Impact Summary

2.2.1 During the construction phase of the Project, fugitive dust emissions from the site formation work due to earth movement activities and transportation of excavated/ fill materials are the major sources of air pollution.

2.2.2 A number of mitigation measures and good housekeeping practices have been recommended such as dust control measures required under the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation, which will be implemented by the works contractors (e.g. imposing hard paving on the designated haul road; enclosing dump trucks with impervious sheeting when transporting dusty materials; spraying water on areas with active site formation work during workdays; covering excavated dusty materials or stockpile of dusty materials by impervious sheeting or sprayed with water; dusty materials to be sprayed with water prior to any loading, unloading or transfer operation; and limiting the speed of vehicles within construction site, etc.). The EIA also recommends project specific measures (e.g. site formation works to be conducted in stages so as to minimise construction dust emission). With implementation of all these mitigation measures, the dust level would comply with the relevant air quality objectives/ criteria under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance. The predicted mitigated dust levels due to construction of this Project are listed below:

	TSP (1-hour average)	RSP (24-hour average)	RSP (Annual average)	PM2.5 (24-hour average)	PM2.5 (Annual average)
Predicted Range, μg/m^3	164 – 316 ^**	78-80 ^*	43.3 – 43.7 ^**	59-59 ^*	30.7 – 30.8 ^**
No. of Exceedance	n/a	1 ^***	n/a	1 ^***	n/a
Compliance with Air Quality Criteria?	Yes	Yes ^#	Yes	Yes ^#	Yes
Air Quality Criteria, μg/m^3	500	100	50	75	35
No. of Exceedance Allowed	n/a	9	n/a	9	n/a

Remark: * The 24-hour average levels are based on the 10th highest 24-hour average concentrations at the receivers (Appendix 3-7 of EIA report refers).

** Predicted concentrations at ASRs (Tables 3-9, 3-12 to 3-13 of the EIA report refer).

*** Based on the maximum number of exceedances of the model-predicted 24-hour average concentrations at the receivers (Tables 3-10 to 3-11 of the EIA report refer).

# The predicted 10th highest 24-hour average concentrations as well as the no. of exceedances from the calculated 24-hour average concentrations are both within the air quality criteria / AQO.

2.2.3 Hence, according to the assessment results, no unacceptable air quality impacts are anticipated. Nevertheless, monitoring during construction is still recommended to ensure proper implementation of the mitigation measures, and to minimize the construction dust level as far as practicable. No adverse residual air quality impact is therefore anticipated.

Operational Phase Impact Summary

2.2.4 During operational phase (when the residents live in these dwellings), there will be no planned dust generating activities from the Project. Given the scale of this Project (for small houses development), vehicular emissions due to traffic of this Project is unlikely to be significant (~19 vehicles/ hour to be generated during peak hour), and it is unlikely that the Project will generate any adverse air quality impact. In addition, this Project would not contribute to additional traffic flow on nearby roads when compared with traffic flow generated by its existing open car park operation. Sewage generated by the proposed development will be discharged to the planned public sewerage system. The interim sewage treatment plant will be within enclosed building and located underground, and will be equipped with odour absorptive system (with odour removal efficiency of not less than 99.5%, and that the exhaust of the STP will be directed away from nearby ASRs). Thus, the Project Site itself will not cause any adverse air pollution or odour nuisance. There is also no air quality impact relating to industrial chimney emissions as no chimney is identified within the Assessment Area. Although the Project is adjacent to existing road network, sufficient setback distance (varies from 7m to over 104m) has already been incorporated between the development and the adjacent roads, hence the impact from vehicular emission from the roads is insignificant. Overall, no unacceptable air quality impact is expected.

2.2.5 In brief, with the implementation of the mitigation measures as recommended in the EIA report, no adverse residual air quality impact due to the Project is anticipated.

2.3 Noise

2.3.1 The use of Powered Mechanical Equipment for various construction activities will be the primary potential noise source during the construction phase of the Project. For operational phase, the main noise sources would be road traffic noise; fixed noise sources; as well as noise from proposed interim sewage treatment plant.

Construction Phase Impact Summary

2.3.2 The use of Powered Mechanical Equipment for various construction activities will be the primary potential noise source during the construction phase of the Project. A combination of noise mitigation measures have been proposed to minimize the noise level due to project works such as the use of quiet type equipment; scheduling of construction programme to avoid concurrent works; adaptation of best practices; provision of movable temporary noise barriers, etc. With the adoption of the recommended mitigation measures, the predicted mitigated construction noise level would range from 58dB(A) to 74dB(A), which comply with the relevant construction noise criteria specified in the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process. In addition, as a precautionary measure, a section of 3m tall temporary fixed noise barrier will be erected along a portion of the western site boundary to shield NSR (Bethel High School) near Fairview Park, which is over 150m away from the Project Site boundary, only if this Project has concurrent construction activities with other nearby planned public sewerage and cycle track projects. It can be seen from the above that, no adverse construction noise impact due to the Project or the nearby concurrent projects is anticipated.

Unmitigated Noise Level, dB(A)	Mitigated Noise Level, dB(A) *	Noise Criteria, dB(A)	Mitigation Measures
>75 (for dwellings)	58 - 74	75dB(A) for residential uses; and 70dB(A) for educational institutions (65B(A) during school examination period)	Quiet type construction equipment; scheduling of construction programme to avoid concurrent works; best practices; and provision of movable noise barriers and fixed temporary noise barriers.
>70 (for educational institutions)	61-62

Remark: * Mitigated construction noise level due to construction of this Project. Extracted from Table 4-19 of the EIA report.

2.3.3 Monitoring of the construction noise is recommended in the EIA report to ensure proper implementation of the required mitigation measures, and to minimize the noise level as far as practicable.

Operational Phase Impact Summary

2.3.4 Regarding the traffic noise impact from the adjacent roads on future residents of the Site, the proposed development has set back from Kam Pok Road (>8m). Thus, the predicted road traffic noise level would range from 46dB(A) to 70dB(A) at the proposed development, which can comply with the relevant noise criteria of 70dB(A). Hence, there will be no unacceptable noise impacts from road traffic.

2.3.5 An evaluation conducted on potential industrial noise from activities within nearby open storage sites to the further east of the Project Site and the proposed interim STP has found no adverse noise impacts on the residents in this Project by placing noise tolerant uses such as the proposed Sewage Treatment Plant (being 10.4mPD at roof level) between the proposed house and the industrial noise source; a noise barrier along the remaining eastern site boundary which has a solid boundary wall of 4.5m minimum height; and provision of recommended noise mitigation measures for the interim STP (see Section 2.3.6) The predicted noise level due to operation of the open storage site would comply with the relevant noise criteria of 55dB(A) (day-time) and 45dB(A) (night-time), respectively.

	Calculated Noise Level, dB(A)	Noise Criteria, dB(A)
Road Traffic Noise	46 – 70 *	70
Industrial Noise	52 / 45 (day-time/ night-time) **	55 (day-time); and 45 (night-time)

Remark: * Extracted from road traffic noise level in Appendix 4-3 of the EIA report.

** Estimated maximum noise level due to nearby industrial noise sources during day-time period and night-time period, respectively under a worst case scenario. Extracted from Appendices 4-6 and 4-7 of the EIA report.

2.3.6 With regard to the above, recommendations have been proposed for the proposed interim STP. Acoustic treatments such as provision of acoustic silencer and acoustic enclosure shall be proposed so that the SWL of STP should be 74dB(A) or below in order to meet the noise criteria (55 (day time); and 45 (night time)).

2.3.7 From the above, it is concluded that with the adoption of the noise mitigation measures recommended in the EIA report, there will be no unacceptable noise impacts.

2.4 Water Quality

Construction Phase Impact Summary

2.4.1 The Project will involve land-based works only. Thus, during construction of this Project, the major potential water quality impact will be from surface runoff and soil erosion of exposed surfaces. To alleviate the impacts, the EIA report recommends the adoption of good site practices and construction of a properly designed temporary drainage system within the site.

2.4.2 A peripheral site drainage system comprising precast concrete u-channels along the site boundary, together with sand/silt removal facilities and in accordance with the requirements stipulated in Professional Persons on Environmental Consultative Committee Practice Notes on the Site Drainage (ProPECC PN 1/94), will be constructed. The surface runoff will be properly treated prior to the discharge into Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel (NTMDC). Pursuant to the “Water Pollution Control Ordinance”, applications to the Environmental Protection Department for Discharge Licences are required prior to the commencement of the construction works and occupation of the development. A drainage management plan for the construction phase will be submitted by contractor, and its implementation will be monitored and audited. In addition, regular environmental audits, as part of the proposed Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) programme, including regular water quality monitoring and site inspections will be undertaken routinely in order to ensure there is no uncontrolled discharge of surface runoff and that the recommended mitigation measures are properly implemented.

Operational Phase Impact Summary

2.4.3 Upon occupation of the Site, all domestic sewage generated will be discharged to the future public sewerage system near Ngau Tam Mei Channel and Castle Peak Road between Ngau Tam Mei and San Tin under PWP item 4235DS. Before this proposed public sewerage system becomes available, an interim sewage treatment plant will be used for treatment of sewage generated from the proposed development and the treated effluent will be discharged to the adjacent NTMDC. The discharge of treated effluent would comply with the relevant discharge limits/ criteria in order to ensure there will be no net increase in pollution loading to Deep Bay areas (please refer to the sewerage section for details) by co-treatment of water extracted from nearby drainage channel with sewage generated from this Project . The discharge from the Sewage Treatment Plant is also subject to a discharge licence under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, and the discharge will comply with the terms and conditions in the licence as well as the conditions specified in the Environmental Permit (EP) of this Project.

2.4.4 Surface runoff from the development site will be discharged to the NTMDC. Best Management Practices have been proposed in order to abate first flush pollution in stormwater runoff. Examples of practices are: design measures to minimise soil erosion, minimizing paved area; proper managed landscape area; proper site drainage design/control; provision of devices/ facilities to control pollution and to remove pollution source; minimizing the use of fertilizers; and administrative measures for maintenance issues. Road gullies with silt traps and standard design, oil interceptors, etc. will be incorporated during the detailed design. Drainage outlet of covered car park will also be equipped with oil interceptor. With appropriate drainage system equipped within the proposed development, there will be no adverse water quality impact during the operation of the Project as the increase in surface runoff from this Project is insignificant when compared with the capacity of the trained downstream Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel, which are carefully constructed drainage channels designed for collecting stormwater.

2.4.5 Asides from the above, emergency response plans will also be developed to deal with inclement weather and emergencies for both construction and operation phases.

	Recommended Mitigation Measures
Construction Phase	· A peripheral site drainage system comprising precast concrete u-channels along site boundary and works area; · Equipped with sand/silt removal facilities in accordance with the requirements stipulated in Professional Persons on Environmental Consultative Committee Practice Notes on the Site Drainage (ProPECC PN 1/94); · Surface runoff to be collected and directed for treatment before discharge into Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel; · A construction phase drainage management plan with details of design of the temporary site drainage system to be prepared, implemented, and audited; · Regular environmental audits, as part of the proposed Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A), including regular water quality monitoring and site inspections to ensure there is no uncontrolled discharge of surface runoff and that the recommended mitigation measures are properly implemented; · Pursuant to the “Water Pollution Control Ordinance”, applications to the EPD for Discharge Licences prior to the commencement of the construction works and occupation of the development; and · An Emergency Response Plan during inclement weather and emergencies.
Operational Phase	· Domestic sewage to be discharged into planned public sewers under the permanent disposal scheme; · A sewage treatment plant to treat generated sewage in interim; · Treated effluent is to comply with relevant discharge limits in the licence and the conditions in the EP, and there is no net increase in pollution loading to Deep Bay areas; · Best Management Practices have been proposed to abate first flush pollution in stormwater runoff, which covers design measures; provision of devices/ facilities to remove pollutants; and administrative measures; · Proper drainage system to collect surface runoff from the development with appropriate facilities and sand traps. Road gullies with sand traps and oil interceptor and car park and similar facilities to be installed with oil interceptors; and · An Emergency Response Plan during inclement weather and emergencies.

2.4.6 With the adoption and implementation of the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA report, no adverse water quality impact is anticipated during both the construction and operation of the Project.

2.5 Sewerage and Sewage Treatment

Construction Phase Impact Summary

2.5.1 The proposed residential development is located at the east of Kam Pok Road near Fairview Park at Yuen Long in New Territories. During construction, chemical toilets will be provided to contain sewage generated from the construction workforce, which will be serviced and cleaned by a specialist contractor at regular intervals. Thus, no adverse residual sewerage impact is anticipated.

Operational Phase Impact Summary

2.5.2 There is currently no existing public sewerage system in the vicinity of the Development. The Project Area with maximum 132 people (including residents and employees) will generate a peak flow of about 4.4 L/s. As a permanent measure, sewage generated from the Development will be discharged to the planned San Tin and Ngau Tam Mei Trunk Sewerage under PWP No. 4235DS. Hydraulic analysis showed that the future public sewerage and pumping stations have sufficient spare capacity for conveying the overall sewage generated in year 2030 which includes the additional sewage from the Development. The hydraulic analysis also revealed that the Yuen Long Sewage Treatment Work (YLSTW) after upgrading would have adequate capacity for the sewage generated in year 2030.

2.5.3 The current implementation programme of San Tin and Ngau Tam Mei Trunk Sewerage under PWP No. 4235DS is still tentative and is subject to public consultation. It is necessary to consider the provision of on-site sewage treatment plant as an interim measure to handle the sewage generated from the Development. By co-treating the channel water from Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel, the on-site interim sewage treatment plant (STP) will achieve the target of no net increase of pollution load to Deep Bay as well as Group C inland water discharge standard in WPCO.

2.5.4 The interim STP shall comply with the no net increase in pollution load to the Deep Bay under the Town Planning Board (TPB) Guidelines. Since there is currently no existing sewage or pollution load generated from the Development Site, any on-site treatment with discharge would lead to increase in pollution load. Abstraction of water from the Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel for co-treatment in the interim STP is therefore proposed. According to the result of water quality monitoring at the Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel from September 2012 to September 2013 and from March 2015 to April 2015, samples covered 2 wet seasons and 2 dry seasons. The lowest pollutant concentration between the Wet Seasons average and Dry Seasons average were used to estimate the amount of channel water required, approximately 200 m³ per day will be abstracted to offset the pollution load due to the Development. Low side of pollutant concentrations are adopted in the offsetting calculation, which means this approach already taken into account the water quality fluctuation, as most of the time channel water pollutant will be above the adopted concentration, especially in Dry Seasons. Depending on the actual channel water quality during operation, the amount of abstraction requirement can be adjusted. The loading of BOD₅, TN-N, TP, TSS, NH₃-N, and E.coli all have reduction after the co-treatment as shown in table below which demonstrates that the Development will not cause net increase in pollution load thus can comply with the no net increase in pollution load requirement in Deep Bay under the TPB Guidelines.

2.5.5 The proposed treatment process of the interim STP include biological treatment, membrane filtration (including MBR – Membrane Bioreactor), and Reverse Osmosis (RO). The treatment technology is proven to be capable of producing high-quality effluent under of low turbidity, BOD₅, nitrogen, and bacteria level. The proposed treatment process could achieve target effluent standards and comply with the requirement under WPCO and TPB Guidelines. With the proposed treatment system, it would bring improvement by reducing pollutant load to the Deep Bay.

Item	Target Effluent Quality of STP *	Group C Inland Discharge Standards in WPCO (for flow of ≤100 m^3/d) *	Annual Pollution Loads from 200 m^3 channel water (before Development), **	Annual Pollution Loads (after Development with co-treatment) **	Annual Reduction of Pollution Loads at Deep Bay WCZ **
BOD5	3	<20	292	274	18
TN-N	4	Not Specified	398	365	33
TP	0.5	<10	58	47	11
TSS	10	<20	4,453	916	3,537
NH3-N	2	<2	197	183	15
E.coli. (no.)	1000	<1,000	2.2 x10^13	9.1 x10^11	2.1 x10^13

Remark: * All units in mg/L except E. coli which is in no./100ml.

** All units in Kg per annual except E. coli which is in no. per annual.

2.5.6 The sewerage system within the Development will be designed to facilitate the future connection to the San Tin and Ngau Tam Mei Trunk Sewerage once it becomes available. Adverse short-term and long-term environmental impacts in respect of water quality, ecological, public health and safety arising from both the long term and interim sewerage scheme are not anticipated. No adverse residual sewerage impact will be incurred as a result of the Development.

	Recommended Measures
Sewage from construction workforce (Construction Phase)	· Chemical toilets will be provided on-site; and · The facility will be serviced and cleaned by a specialist contractor at regular intervals.
Domestic Sewage (Operational Phase)	· A peak flow of 4.4 L/s sewage to be generated; · Sewage to be discharged to planned public sewer under permanent disposal scheme; · An interim sewage treatment plant (STP) will be in operation before the completion of San Tin and Ngau Tam Mei Trunk Sewerage; · The interim STP to be designed to facilitate future connection to the planned San Tin and Ngau Tam Mei Trunk Sewerage; · Maintenance and emergency measures recommended to ensure effective operation of the STP; · Discharge from interim STP will NOT result in net increase in pollution loads to Deep Bay by abstracting 200 m^3 of water per day from Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel for co-treatment at interim STP; · Equalization tank (with capacity of ~3 days of sewage storage) will be provided in case of entire outage of the STP. Tank away will be provided for prolonged outage of STP; · The discharge of treated effluent from the interim STP is to comply with the terms and conditions in the discharge licence under the WPCO as well as the conditions specified in the EP of this Project.

2.6 Waste Management

Construction Phase Impact Summary

2.6.1 The types and categories of waste that would be generated during the construction phase of the Project include site clearance, excavated soil/ sediment, construction and demolition materials, chemical waste from the maintenance of construction plant and equipment, and general refuse from the workforce. Opportunities for reduction in waste generation through recovery, re-use or recycling have been identified in the assessment. Excavated materials and C&D materials can be reused as filling materials where possible.

2.6.2 The Project Site is vacant and partially used as open air car park. No historic and/ or existing land uses at the Project Site that would result in potential land contamination has been identified. Thus, land contamination at the Project Site is not expected.

2.6.3 The appropriate disposal method for each type of waste generated from the construction method has been identified. Opportunities for reducing construction waste generation and maximizing re-use on-site have been evaluated. Environmental mitigation measures and good practices have been recommended in the EIA report in order to mitigate the environmental impacts.

Recommendations

Construction Waste

· A waste management plan to be prepared and implemented by contractor(s) through-out construction; · Implementation of proper trip ticket system; · Proper training on waste management to workers; · Avoidance and minimization to reduce the potential quantity of C&D materials generated; · Reuse of materials as practical as possible; · Recovery and Recycling as practical as possible; · Proper treatment and disposal in respect to relevant laws, guidelines and good practice; · Landfill disposal as the last resort; and · Regular environmental audit and monitoring to ensure effective implementation; · On-site re-use of excavated materials/ sediment will be required.

2.6.4 With the recommended practices strictly followed, no adverse residual impacts to the environment associated with waste generated by the construction phase of the Project are anticipated.

Operational Phase Impact Summary

2.6.5 As the Project is not a high-density development, even when fully occupied the development will generate limited amount of domestic waste. Appropriate refuse collection points will be provided for the handling and disposal of this small quantity of waste during the operational phase. Waste generated will be collected and disposed of properly by a licensed contractor using refuse collection vehicle. Thus, no adverse waste management issues are expected to arise during operation of the Project.

2.7 Ecology

2.7.1 The present Project will involve a low-density residential development. The Project Area mainly comprises of urbanised/disturbed area, and with small area of plantation and an abandoned pond. A twelve-month survey programme was conducted between 2009 and 2010 to assess the ecological value of habitats and wildlife utilisation within the Project Area and areas within 500m from the Project Area. Habitats within the Project Area only support low diversity of plant and most of which are exotic species. The faunal diversity was also low. The existing ecological values of these habitats are ranked as “very low”. Surveys were undertaken in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016 to confirm the validity of habitat conditions and ecological data, and it was convinced that there would be no significant adverse impact.

2.7.2 Within the 500m Assessment Area, eight types of habitats were identified, including urbanised/disturbed habitat, plantation, agricultural land, pond, flood storage pond, grassland/shrubland, nullah and drainage channel. Apart from the Ngau Tam Mei Drainage channel, all habitats were ranked as ecological values of “very low”/“low”/”low to moderate”. The Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel was considered of “moderate” ecological value. Large waterbirds mainly flew along this channel within the Assessment Area. As revealed from reviewed literatures and ecological surveys, high counts of waterbirds was only occasionally utilised this channel during low tides in winter. Black-faced Spoonbills were recorded in this channel but the abundance was very low.

Construction Phase Impact Summary

2.7.3 The ecological impact has been assessed in accordance with the requirements of Annexes 8 and 16 of the EIAO-TM and the EIA Study Brief for the Project (ESB-210/2009). Estimated habitat loss on-site includes 3.17 ha of urbanised/disturbed area, 0.3 ha of plantation and 0.33 ha of abandoned pond. The abandoned pond was not considered important habitat of waterbirds due to the small size, abandoned status, isolated from other wetland ecosystems in Deep Bay and subjected to long term disturbance from the adjacent car park at least since early 1990’s. Loss of habitats will only result in “insignificant” ecological impact. No mitigation measure for loss of habitats is therefore required. As the Project falls outside Wetland Conservation Area (WCA) and Wetland Buffer Area (WBA) under the relevant Town Planning Board Guidelines (TPB PG-No. 12C). The “no-net-loss in wetland” principle and wetland enhancement and management scheme according to the Guidelines do not apply to the Project. There will be no impact due to temporary or permanent loss of habitats from construction of access as public access road is available. Potential impact to surrounding habitats and associated fauna due to construction disturbance and runoff are considered Moderate and Minor to Moderate respectively.

2.7.4 Waterbirds foraging in the Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel during construction phase are considered the sensitive receivers of the Project. Abundance of waterbirds is higher in winter. A number of mitigation measures were recommended, including uses of quiet construction method and machinery, erection of site hoardings outside wintering season of waterbirds between October and March, provision of mobile noise barriers in adjacent to construction plants or provision of acoustic screens and implementation of good site practice to avoid adverse impact on birds along Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel. The effectiveness of the recommended mitigation measures will be evaluated by ecological monitoring in wintering season of bird during construction phase. Regular site audits will be conducted for checking the implementation of the proposed measures.

Operational Phase Impact Summary

2.7.5 It is anticipated that the Project will not cause significant ecological impact in the surrounding areas due to the new generated human activities and traffic noise offset by the existing car park vehicular and pedestrian movement, runoff and drainage/effluent discharge, habitat fragmentation, artificial lighting and barrier to bird flight during operation phase. Minimization of bird collision will also be taken into account in the design of noise barrier. Materials which are opaque, non-reflective panels with colour will be used for construction of noise barriers to reduce the risk of bird collision, particularly under dim condition (e.g. dusk and dawn). The wall of the interim sewage treatment plant will form part of noise mitigation measures and hence the extent of glass panel of the noise barrier will be reduced.

2.7.6 The Project will bring about reduction in environmental disturbance such as noise level, air quality and dust during operation phase. Landscape planting of the Project will increase the vegetation cover in the Project Site.

2.7.7 Overall, with the above mitigation measures in place, there would not be significant cumulative and adverse residual ecological impact from the proposed development during construction phase and operational phase.

2.8 Fisheries

Impact Summary

2.8.1 Assessment of potential fisheries impacts was conducted in accordance with the EIAO-TM requirements. The Project would cause loss of an abandoned fishpond of 0.33 ha. The chance that the small fishpond within the Project Area would be resumed as active pond is very low. Hence, the impact was considered insignificant. No mitigation measure is considered necessary. Water quality impacts on fishponds during construction and operation phases would be insignificant given that recommended mitigated measures (i.e. mitigation measures for water quality impact) are implemented. There will be no residual adverse impact due to this Project.

2.8.2 Hence no fisheries specific mitigation measure for construction and operation phases of the Project is required.

2.9 Cultural Heritage

Impact Summary

2.9.1 A Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment has been carried out for the Project. There is neither declared monument nor graded or proposed graded historic building identified within or adjacent to the Project Site. The proposed development will not encroach upon any known sites of archaeological interest or areas of archaeological interest, and will not have any direct or indirect impacts on any declared monuments, graded or proposed graded historic buildings, cultural landscape features, graves or historical village during construction and operational phases. No specific EM&A requirement is considered necessary.

2.10 Landscape and Visual

2.10.1 Within the Study Area, there are a total of 43 Landscape Resources (LRs) including village settlements, roadside amenity planting areas, grasslands, agricultural fields, fishponds, engineered water channels, development areas and open yard carparks. There are 6 Landscape Character Areas (LCAs) showing different rural residential, nullahside rural, open storage and warehouse landscape characters within the Study Area. These LRs and LCAs are considered to be relatively tolerable to the changes from the implementation of the proposed residential development and have a low to medium sensitivity to accommodate changes. A total of 11 Visually Sensitive Receivers (VSRs) and 3 Planned Visually Sensitive Receivers (PVSRs) were selected for the visual assessment, of which there are 1 VSR (existing villagers living adjacent to the Project Site) and 1 PVSR (planned residents adjacent to the Project Site) which are considered to have a high sensitivity to the change as a result of the implementation of the proposed development.

Review of the Planning Development Control Framework

2.10.2 The proposed house development will have direct impact on a Residential (D) zone under S/YL-MP/6 Mai Po & Fairview Park OZP. There is no impact on other zonings under S/YL-KTN/9 Kam Tin North, S/YL-NTM/12 Ngau Tam Mei and S/YL-NSW/8 Nam Sang Wai OZPs. The proposed development is a low-rise and low-density residential development which is compatible to the existing and planned land uses and planning framework. The introduction of a high quality residential landscape within the Project Site will assist the phasing out of unpleasant industrial uses in the rural area of New Territories. The proposed development is thus considered to be acceptable in planning terms. Upon full establishment of the recommended landscape and visual mitigation measures, proposed development will be integrated with the future outlook of this rural landscape context in combination with other planned low-rise residential and recreational developments along the Ngau Tam Mei Nullah. The proposed development scheme has been approved by the Town Planning Board under Section 16 of the Town Planning Ordinance.

Landscape Impact Summary

Construction Phase Impact Summary on LRs and LCAs

2.10.3 The main potential impacts on the existing LRs are the loss of the existing trees (LR3.5 and 3.8), abandoned fish pond (LR6.1) and open yard (LR10.3) due to the site formation works, building works and construction of the sewage treatment plant (temporary), utilities system, internal road network and the noise mitigation measures proposed within the Project Site.

2.10.4 Majority of the Project Site is hard-paved (over two-thirds of the total site area), the existing trees and vegetation are only concentrated at the periphery of the Project Site. A preliminary tree survey identified a total of 364 trees within and close to the Project Site boundary. A combination of native, a few ornamental and pioneer species are densely located on the sloping areas along Kam Pok Road, Fung Chuk Road and Ha Chuk Yuen Road, they create dense foliage and a greening effect for the roadside and nullahside amenity. Besides, approximately 15% of the existing trees (56 out of 364) are Leucaena leucocephala (銀合歡), which are weedy trees, and are proposed to be removed. The proposed development recognises the importance of tree preservation and the impacts on the overall landscape character and amenity of the Study Area. Approximately 274 existing trees (75.2%) can be retained, in their current locations or through tree transplanting.

2.10.5 To minimise the potential impacts on the above resources, a number of mitigation measures have been recommended including the preservation of the existing trees, limited works areas, coordination with concurrent projects, replanting of disturbed vegetation at the earliest possible stage, the reinstatement of roadside amenity planting areas, provision of new tree planting in proposed gardens within proposed development which will utilise a combination of ornamental, amenity, native and broadleaf tree species, introduction of landscape pond with surrounding planting which are bird and butterfly attracting plant species, preserve and create new landscape buffer and planting strip at the periphery of the Project Site. It is expected that the loss of trees will be compensated in terms of both quantity and quality with a replanting ratio of not less than 1:1. Through the implementation of landscape mitigation measures, construction impact significance on the affected LRs will be mitigated from moderate (unmitigated) to moderate or slight level (mitigated).

2.10.6 Proposed development will have a direct impact on Kam Pok Road Low-rise Residential Landscape Character Area (LCA5) due to the change of landscape character and the loss of LRs mentioned above during construction phase. Construction impacts on this LCA will be alleviated from moderated (unmitigated) to slight level (mitigated) through implementation of landscape mitigation measures. No direct impact on other LCAs identified within the assessment area.

Operation Phase Impact Summary on LRs and LCAs

2.10.7 With implementation of the landscape mitigation measures and maturity of the landscape planting during operation phase, the moderate unmitigated impact significance on the affected LRs and LCAs will be alleviated to moderate or slight (Day 1 mitigated) and slight adverse or insubstantial (Yr10 mitigated). The proposed development will be compatible within the existing rural lowland and nullahside landscape context.

2.10.8 There are many planned residential and recreational developments being undertaken surrounding the site along the Ngau Tam Mei Nullah. Although the proposed development does not have direct impact on the surrounding landscape characters, the introduction of proposed residential development and its associated landscape works in Kam Pok Road will benefit the landscape characters surrounding the site replacing the unpleasant industrial uses in rural area, and in combination of the proposed landscape mitigation measures mentioned above, the implementation of the proposed development would enhance and benefit to the landscape context of the assessment area.

Visual Impact Summary

Construction Phase Impact Summary on VSRs

2.10.9 Significant to moderate unmitigated impacts on the visual amenity of the VSRs will be alleviated to moderate to slight level (mitigated) with implementation of visual mitigation measures for construction phase.

Operation Phase Impact Summary on VSRs

2.10.10 The residential development and associated infrastructure, utilities, noise barriers and facilities proposed within the Project Site, would have significant to moderate unmitigated impacts on the VSRs without mitigation measures during operation phase. With implementation (Day1) and full establishment (Yr10) of visual mitigation measures, including limited works areas, innovative and responsive building disposition and design, integrated design of engineering structures including the proposed noise barrier and temporary sewage treatment plant, the use of green roof and vertical greening measures, creation of landscape berm  and planting strip (Figure 4 to 6 refer), and the restoration of the disturbed areas with roadside and amenity planting, the development mass will be softened. Hence, the mitigated impact on the VSRs both in close proximity to the Project Site and in the wider context will be alleviated to moderate to slight level at Day 1 operation phase and to a slight to insubstantial level at Yr10 operation phase. There is no residual impact on majority of VSRs with exception of the road users along roads and residents located immediately surrounding the site who will have slight adverse impacts (Yr10 mitigated). Furthermore, proposed development assists in phasing out the visually unpleasant features in the visual context along Ngau Tam Mei Channel, and hence will benefit the visual amenity in the views of the planned future residents and recreational users alongside of the Channel. Proposed development will change the visual amenity along the Ngau Tam Mei Channel however it will uplift the quality of the visual context through the implementation of landscape proposals associated with the development and hence proposed development will fit into the existing and planned visual context in a long term.

2.10.11 In accordance with Annex 10 and 18 of the EIAO-TM, the landscape and visual impacts of the proposed works would be ‘acceptable with mitigation measures’ that is to say ‘there would be some adverse effects, but these can be eliminated, reduced or offset to a large extent by specific measures’.

Table 2.10.1 Summary of Landscape and Visual Impact

ID	Sensitivity	Magnitude of Change		Significance Threshold (Unmitigated)		Mitigation Measures*	Significance Threshold (Mitigated)
		Construction Phrase	Operation Phrase	Construction Phrase	Operation Phrase		Construction Phrase/ Operation Phase Day 1 (Mitigated)	Operation Phrase
								Year 10 (Residual)
1.0 Key Landscape Resources (LRs) – Insubstantial to Slight residual impact significance
LR3.5 Fung Chuk Road Roadside Amenity	Medium	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate Adverse	Moderate Adverse	CP1, CP3, CP4, OP1, OP2, OP6	Slight Adverse	Insubstantial
LR3.8 Kam Pok Road Roadside Amenity		Small	Small			CP1, CP3, CP4, OP1, OP2, OP6
LR6.1 Ha San Wai Road North Fish Pond (Abandoned)	Low	Large	Large			CP3,OP2, OP7	Moderate Adverse	Slight Adverse
LR10.3 Ha Chuk Yuen Road Open Yards		Intermediate	Intermediate			CP3,OP1, OP2	Slight Adverse	Insubstantial
2.0 Key Landscape Character Areas (LCAs) – Insubstantial residual impact significance
LCA5 Kam Pok Road Low-rise Residential Landscape	Low	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate Adverse	Moderate Adverse	CP1, CP3, CP4, OP1, OP2, OP5, OP6, OP7	Slight Adverse	Insubstantial
3.1 Visually Sensitive Receivers (VSRs) - slight residual impact significance
VSR 3 Vehicular Travellers and Pedestrians along Fung Chuk Road	Medium	Large	Large	Significant Adverse	Significant Adverse	CP1, CP2, CP5, OP3, OP4, OP5, OP6	Moderate Adverse	Slight Adverse Further to the establishment of tree preservation and transplanting proposals and new tree planting proposals in the landscape buffer, the proposed development will be largely screened as in their original visual context.
VSR 5 Vehicular Travellers and Pedestrians along Ha Chuk Yuen Road						CP1, CP2, CP5, OP3, OP4, OP5, OP6		Slight Adverse Further to the establishment of tree preservation proposals and new tree planting proposals in the landscape buffer, the proposed development will be largely screened as in their original visual context.
VSR 7 Residents of Low-rise House Development along Ha San Wai Road						CP1, CP2, OP3, OP4, OP5, OP6		Slight Adverse Responsive design of the building height profile and massing and innovative design of noise barrier. Upon full establishment of transplanting proposals in landscape area of Ha San Wai Road, visual impact will be alleviated
VSR 11 Vehicular Travellers and Pedestrians alongside of Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel						CP2, OP3, OP4, OP5
3.2 Visually Sensitive Receivers (VSRs) – Insubstantial impact significance
PVSR 1 Residents of Planned Low-rise House Development at Fung Chuk Road North	High	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate Adverse	Moderate Adverse	CP1, CP2, CP5, OP3, OP6	Slight Adverse	Insubstantial
VSR 4 Villagers of Chuk Yuen Tsuen and Hang Fook Gardens						CP2, OP3,OP4,
VSR 8 Residents of Low-rise House Development along Fairview Park Boulevard	Medium	Small	Small	Moderate Adverse	Moderate Adverse	CP2, OP3, OP4, OP5	Slight Adverse	Insubstantial
VSR 10 Residents of Low-rise House Development at Fairview Park		Intermediate	Intermediate			CP1, OP6
VSR 2 Workers at Chuk Yuen Floodwater Pumping Station and Storage Pond	Low	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate Adverse	Moderate Adverse	CP1, CP2, CP5, OP3,OP6	Slight Adverse	Insubstantial
VSR 6.1 Workers of Warehouses and Open Container Storage at Ha San Wai Tsuen						CP1, CP2, CP5, OP3,OP4, OP5, OP6
VSR 6.2 Villagers of Ha San Wai						CP2, OP3, OP4, OP5, OP6
VSR 9 Vehicular Travellers and Pedestrians along Fairview Park Road South						CP2, OP3, OP4, OP5
3.3 Visually Sensitive Receivers (VSRs) – beneficial impact significance
PVSR 12A Future Residents of Planned Recreation Zone to the east of Fairview Park	Medium	Intermediate	Intermediate	Moderate Adverse	Moderate Adverse	CP1, CP2, CP5, OP3, OP5, OP6	Slight Adverse	Slight Beneficial Responsive design of the building height profile and massing. Upon full establishment of tree preservation, transplanting and new planting proposals in the roadside landscape area of Kam Pok Road, visual impact will be alleviated
PVSR 12B Future Recreational Users of Planned Recreation Zone to the east of Fairview Park

Note: Only key LRs, LCA and VSRs with impact as a result of proposed works are summarised in the table. Detail assessments refer to EIA Report Chapter11.

* Proposed Landscape and/or Visual Mitigation Measures

	Mitigation Code	Mitigation Measures	Landscape/Visual
Construction Phase	CP1	Preservation of Existing Vegetation	L/V
	CP2	Works Area and Temporary Works Areas	V
	CP3	Implementation of Mitigation Planting and Planting Species Selection	L
	CP4	Transplantation of Existing Trees	L
	CP5	Coordination with Concurrent Projects - Coordinated implementation programme with concurrent projects to minimise potential impacts and where possible reduce the period of disturbance.	V
Operational Phase	OP1	Roadside and Amenity Planting	L
	OP2	Compensatory Planting Proposals	L
	OP3	Responsive Design of Buildings	V
	OP4	Noise Mitigation Structures	V
	OP5	Design of Engineering Structure	L/V
	OP6	Creation of Landscape Buffer	L/V
	OP7	Provision of Landscape Pond	L

Figure 4 - Proposed Landscape Buffer along the Boundary of the Project Site

Figure 5 - Illustrative Section of Noise Barrier Buffered & Visually Enhanced by Peripheral Planting

Figure 6 – Recommended Landscape Mitigation Measures – Design of Landscape Berms

Figure 7 Recommended Landscape Enhancement – Provision of Landscape Pond

3. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND AUDIT

3.1.1 An environmental monitoring and audit (EM&A) programme will be implemented for the Project during the construction and operational phases to check sufficiency and effectiveness of the recommended mitigation measures in order to ensure compliance with relevant statutory criteria and requirements.

3.1.2 Details of the EM&A programme, mitigation measures required during construction and operational phases, and requirements are provided in the EM&A Manual of the EIA report. An Environmental Team (ET) comprises qualified staff and specialists shall be appointed to carry out the recommended EM&A works for the project. The Independent Checker (Environment) (IEC) shall advise the Engineer’s Representative on environmental issues related to the project and audit ET’s EM&A works. A summary of key monitoring schedule during construction and operation phases is provided below:

Key Monitoring Schedule During Construction and Operation

Environmental Aspects	Monitoring Requirements
General	Construction Phase: · Site Surveillance – once per week during construction phase by ET; · Environmental complaints investigation – upon receipt of complaints by ET and IEC; · Reporting – baseline monitoring report; monthly EM&A reports; quarterly EM&A summary reports; and final EM&A reports by ET.
Noise	Construction Phase: Monitoring noise level at nearby sensitive receivers. · Baseline Monitoring: Monitoring for 14 days prior to commencement of construction works by ET. · Impact Monitoring: Weekly monitoring throughout the construction phase by ET. Operational Phase: Nil
Air Quality	Construction Phase: Monitoring dust level at nearby sensitive receivers. · Baseline monitoring by ET: Monitoring for 14 days prior to commencement of construction works by ET. · Impact monitoring: Monitoring every six days and throughout the construction phase by ET. Operational Phase: Nil
Water Quality	Construction Phase: Monitoring water quality at nearby drainage channel and Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel by ET. · Baseline Monitoring: 3 days a week and for 4 weeks prior to commencement of construction works by ET. · Impact Monitoring: 3 days a week throughout the construction phase by ET. Operational Phase: Nil
Sewerage and Sewage Treatment	Construction Phase: Nil. Operational Phase: Regular sampling and testing of treated effluent in accordance with discharge licence requirements as well as conditions specified in the EP during operation of the interim sewage treatment plant by ET. The water quality at Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel will also be monitored regularly.
Waste Management	Construction Phase: Monitoring on waste generation, disposal and minimisation by ET and Engineer. Auditing on contractor(s) waste management performance. Operational Phase: Nil
Landscape and Visual	Construction Phase: · Baseline Review: Undertaken a tree survey 1 month prior to commencement of construction work by Certified Arborist or who has tree survey relevant experiences not less than 1 year. · Impact Monitoring: Monitoring and auditing of the protection of preserved trees quarterly from Day 1 of construction phase to the end of planting establishment period. Operational Phase: Nil.
Ecology	Construction Phase (by qualified ecologist): · Regular site auditing for checking the implementation of good site practice; · Utilisation of the Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel by birds between October and March will be monitored during the construction phase. A baseline survey will be conducted before commencement of construction works to record bird uses of the Ngau Tam Mei Drainage Channel and identification of any site condition changes. Operational Phase: · Nil
Fisheries	Construction Phase: · Nil; Operational Phase: · Nil

4. OVERALL CONCLUSION

4.1.1 The findings of this EIA have provided information on the nature and extent of environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Project Site.

4.1.2 Based on the results of the Assessment, the EIA study concludes that the Project would be environmentally acceptable and would comply with all environmental legislations and standards with mitigation measures in place. The EIA Study has also predicted that after the adoption of appropriate mitigation measures, there would be no adverse residual environmental impacts. An environmental monitoring and audit programme has been recommended to monitor the implementation of the mitigation measures and to ensure compliance with environmental requirements and standards.