2.1.1. This Section provides information on the need for the proposed Project and describes scenarios with and without the proposed Project. Several options and alternatives were considered in terms of engineering feasibility, site conditions, programme, environmental considerations, design and construction methodologies for refinement and selection of the preferred option of the proposed Project.
2.1.2. This Section is prepared in accordance with clause 3.3 of the EIA Study Brief.
2.2.3. The proposed Project will also resolve the shortage of laboratory accommodation faced by the GL and long-term need for permanent depot facility of the EMSD and centralised store for the HKPF’s case property.
2.2.4. The proposed Project aims to accommodate these facilities. The specific functions and needs for each of the future operators of the proposed Project are summarised below.
HKPF PVP&EC
2.2.5. The HKPF PVP&EC at the Quarry Bay temporary site currently handles around 1,500 vehicles per year. As this is the only PVP&EC on Hong Kong Island at present, re-provisioning is necessary upon the development of the extension of Quarry Bay Park Phase II. The size of the new PVP&EC will be similar to the existing one in Quarry Bay.
2.2.6. The re-provisioning of the HKPF PVP&EC in the proposed Project will enable the HKPF to continue with its examination and detention services on vehicles involving in accidents/traffic offences/crime cases on Hong Kong Island. It is one of the Core Policy Objectives to enhance road safety by reducing traffic accidents and maintaining a smooth and safe traffic flow in Hong Kong. No vehicle maintenance works will be carried out in the new PVP&EC.
HKPF Centralised Case Property Store
2.2.7. The establishment of a Centralised Case Property Store for the HKPF in the proposed Project will enable the HKPF to enhance the investigative capabilities of its Crime Wing headquarters units through a more efficient deployment of manpower in retrieval and deposit of case property from the current scattered locations to a single secured location.
2.2.8. A permanent and centralised case property store can also ensure case property items to be held for protracted periods of time and enhance operational efficiency by saving travelling time of officers handling case property.
FEHD Depot
2.2.9. One of the objectives of the FEHD is to maintain a clean and hygienic living environment for Hong Kong citizens. The FEHD Depot is essentially required for ensuring the provision of quality environmental hygiene services and facilities to safeguard public health. Adequate provision of parking spaces and operational facilities plays an important role in providing effective hygiene services to the public.
2.2.10. There is a genuine operational need for keeping the vehicle depot under the FEHD in Hong Kong East as these vehicles have to serve North Point, Quarry Bay, Shau Kei Wan and Chai Wan. Thus, the permanent depot is required to be located at a suitable site in Hong Kong East to minimise travelling distance within the district.
EMSD Depot
2.2.11. The proposed Project enables the provision of the Hong Kong Vehicle Depot in Hong Kong Island Region for essential and emergency vehicle repair and maintenance services to meet its service requirement on the Hong Kong Island.
2.2.12. Although the Lands Department approved in 2009 a Temporary Government Land Allocation at Sheung On Street, Chai Wan for relocating the EMSD Depot which is pending the accommodation of a permanent vehicle depot. A permanent site is more desirable to ensure prompt emergency support to clients.
GL Specialist Laboratory
2.2.13. In view of a number of requests for enhanced and extended scope of scientific services from other Government departments including the Customs and Excise Department, the Department of Health and the FEHD etc., approval has been given to the GL for creation of a number of new posts and procurement of scientific equipment in the past few Resources Allocation Exercises (RAEs). Additional accommodation was requested for installation of the procured equipment and service provision by the GL.
2.2.14. Currently, all the laboratory areas in the GL is fully utilised and suitable laboratory space is very limited despite continuous efforts in site searching in recent years. In addition, the annual expenditure for renting laboratory space from purpose-built laboratory premises is recorded to be substantial, the current proposal is regarded as the best long-term measure that settles the shortage of laboratory space faced by the GL and allows saving in rent.
2.3.1. A fundamental alternative of the proposed Project is the option not to construct the new vehicle depot-cum-office building in Chai Wan, which is referred to as the “do-nothing” option in environmental terms. As spelt out in Section 2.2 above, the site is earmarked for the development of the extension of Quarry Bay Park Phase II whilst services provided by the HKPF, FEHD and EMSD on Hong Kong Island is crucial to the public.
2.3.2. In the absence of the proposed Project, the services for the said region would have to depend upon other depot(s) in the other districts, which in turn demands longer travelling distance and time. It would lead to other environmental impacts including increase in traffic volume, and hence noise and vehicular emissions.
2.3.3. The absence of the proposed Project will also affect the future extension of Quarry Bay Park Phase II, as mentioned in Section 2.2.2 and sustain the shortage problem of GL laboratory, EMSD permanent depot facility and HKPF’s case property centralised store.
2.3.4. Taking the above reasons into account, the “do-nothing” option is not preferred and not considered to be an environmentally-preferred solution to cope with the current demand for vehicle repair / testing services from EMSD and operational services from the HKPF, FEHD, EMSD and GL in the region.
2.3.5. As discussed in Section 2.2 above, there is an urgent need for a vehicle depot-cum-office building on the Hong Kong Island, especially in the Eastern District. In the early planning stage of the proposed Project, two potential sites in the Chai Wan area were identified and shortlisted for evaluation. The locations of the two sites are indicated in Figure 2.1, which include:
· Site A: the Project site, which is a land piece located at the junction of Sheung Tat Street, Sheung On Street and Sheung Mau Street
· Site B: a nearby land piece which is located at the junction of Sheung Tat Street and Chong Fu Road
2.3.6. Site A is located farther away from nearby residential developments while being sandwiched by the existing New World First Bus Chong Fu Road Permanent Depot (hereinafter referred to as NWFB Depot) to the north and Citybus Chai Wan Bus Depot (hereinafter referred to as Citybus Depot) to the south. The adjacent industrial developments allow less flexibility to building type of future development at the site. Industrial development is therefore considered as one of the most appropriate development types at the aforementioned land piece.
2.3.7. Besides, locating the proposed Project at Site A can also shorten the travelling distance and time to access the major carriageway, the Island Eastern Corridor (IEC). Such arrangement is anticipated to ease the ingress/ egress traffic and also introduce less vehicular emission and noise nuisance to nearby sensitive receivers.
2.3.8. Site B, on the other hand, is located less than 20m from the Heng Fa Chuen Playground and 120m from Knight Court and Heng Fa Chuen Block (Block 50). It is considered as a less favourable site for the proposed Project due to its close proximity to the nearby sensitive receivers and thus would have greater potential of air quality, noise, visual and hazard to life impacts towards nearby residents and users of recreational facilities.
2.3.9. Overall, Site A is deemed to be a more environmentally-favourable option than Site B with a view to the type of adjacent land use, distance to major carriageway and separation from nearby sensitive developments. Site A is eventually selected as the Project site of the proposed Project.
(Selected location of the Project site)