Technical Memorandum
3. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) STUDY BRIEF
3.1 The EIA study brief sets out the purposes and objectives of the
EIA study, the scope of environmental issues which shall be addressed,
the requirements that the EIA study shall need to fulfil, and the necessary
procedural and reporting requirements. Where appropriate, the methodologies
or approaches that the EIA study needs to follow, or the matters that
the EIA study shall take into account, may be prescribed.
3.2 In setting out the scope of the issues to be addressed, the Director
shall have due regard to the factors listed in Annex 3, other guidelines
and criteria laid down in this technical memorandum, and the following
criteria in limiting the scope of the EIA study:
(a) the scope of issues must be relevant to the project by virtue of its
type, scale and location, or the likely emissions, discharges, waste generation,
destruction, alteration or environmental changes that may result from
the project;
(b) previous relevant EIA and environmental studies have identified such
issues as being of relevance to the project and of having the potential
for causing adverse environmental impacts;
(c) the issues under consideration have been causes of environmental complaints
in the past;
(d) experiences on actual implementation of similar projects, scientific
researches or overseas experiences show that a particular aspect of the
project has potential to cause serious environmental effects.
3.3 The EIA study brief shall define the purposes, objectives and detailed
requirements of the study and indicate the scope of issues, the timeframe
of environmental issues if appropriate, and the framework in which the
applicant shall carry out an EIA study to meet the requirements laid down
in this technical memorandum. The study brief may stipulate the geographic
and temporal boundaries of the assessment.
3.4 The EIA study brief may set out issues relating to the combined impacts
of the entire project or the cumulative impacts of the existing, committed
and planned developments in the vicinity of the project, but such issues
shall be limited to those that may have a bearing on the environmental
acceptability of the project. Such assessment shall be based on the best
available information at the time of the assessment. Such information
shall be that which the applicant has access to or is as provided or referred
to by the Director in the EIA study brief.
3.5 The EIA study brief shall be limited to those issues for which compliance
with the guidelines or criteria in this technical memorandum has not been
demonstrated or where there are doubts about their compliance with the
guidelines or criteria in this technical memorandum.
3.6 Where necessary, the Director may prescribe in the EIA study brief
the assessment methodologies which are necessary for sound assessment
of certain issues listed in the brief.
3.7 The EIA study brief may cover more than one designated project. The
applicant shall state in the project profile the number and types of designated
projects that shall be covered by the same EIA study.
3.8 The EIA study brief shall set out the duration of the validity of
the study brief.
3.9 The Director shall specify the number of EIA reports and executive
summaries and other reporting requirements, including any necessary appendix
report, for the purpose of submission of the report for approval, for
the public exhibition of the report, for the submission to the Advisory
Council on the Environment where applicable, and for depositing the EIA
report and the executive summary in the register. The number of reports
required shall be governed by the size of population that may be affected
by the project, the number of government departments that may be involved
in reviewing the EIA report, and the likely extent of interest that the
public may have on the project. As a general guidance, the number of reports
normally required to be made available by the applicant free of charge
is given below:
(a) for the purpose of review of the EIA report by the Director and other
relevant departments, 30 copies of the EIA report and 50 copies of the
executive summary may be required;
(b) for the purpose of public inspection of the report and the deposition
of the report in the register, 40 copies of the EIA report and 80 copies
of the executive summary may be required;
(c) for the purpose of consultation with the Advisory Council on the Environment,
20 copies of the EIA report and 50 copies of the executive summary may
be required; and
(d) the number of reports as required by the relevant District Boards
or other government consultative bodies.
3.10 In the case of an unusually complex project or a project that arouses
strong public interest, the number of the EIA report and the executive
summary specified in the brief may be larger than indicated above.
3.11 Subject to the payment by the interested parties of the full costs
of printing the EIA report and executive summary, the applicant is required
to make additional copies available to interested parties.
|
