Public Involvement

The government is keen to promote continuous public involvement (CPI) in the EIA process. Public input on projects during public exhibition of project profiles and EIA reports has been welcome for some time. New technology is enabling input at other stages of the process. A 3-D EIA public engagement tool, that helps people visualise a proposed project and its impacts, was developed in 2004. Two mock 3-D projects were uploaded onto the EPD website to demonstrate the tool to the public, and two information seminars were organised for professionals, academics, consultants, community groups and others. The first project to incorporate the 3-D tool was the EPD's Northeast New Territories Landfill Extension, which included it in its EIA study brief.

The EPD also piloted the use of an electronic whiteboard at a workshop on the Kwai Tsing District Revitalisation Project. Members of the public, community leaders and others recorded their comments and suggestions on a 3D image displayed on the whiteboards, which was then stored in computers for consideration by the design team.

Members of the public record their comments at a meeting using an electronic whiteboard.

Links with Stakeholders

EIAO Support: The EIAO Support Section provides assistance on the EIA process to other government departments and the private sector. In 2004 it launched an e-learning platform on the EIA mechanism and held 13 workshops on the EIA process for 430 participants. The section also operates a helpdesk and produced a Training Manual on the EIA Mechanism in 2003.

Help for SMEs: Targeted support was offered in 2004 to SMEs, which make up the main bulk of industry in Hong Kong and the Mainland but have little or no knowledge of environmental management systems or ISO 14001 certification. The EPD prepared a support package for SMEs in the construction industry and launched it at a seminar in December that attracted more than 200 participants. Feedback was very positive, with 87% of respondants rating the seminar "useful" or "very useful" and 98% saying it helped them understand the environmental trends facing the trade. Supporting materials were placed on the EPD website and published in a CD-ROM. A tailored package is also being prepared for the electrical/electronic sector, to be launched at a January 2005 seminar.

The support package in CD-ROM format.

EPD organised a seminar in December to launch an Environmental Management Information and ISO 14001 EMS support package for the construction sector, with speakers from the industry and government departments.

User Liaison Groups: The EPD has set up four User Liaison Groups, with government works departments, consultants, contractors, private developers and public corporations. A joint seminar on Continuous Public Involvement was held in May 2004, with more than 250 participants from different sectors.