7 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL

Introduction

7.1 The EIA has recommended that EM&A for landscape and visual resources is undertaken during construction and operational stages of the Project. The implementation and maintenance of the landscape compensatory planting measures is a key aspect and should be checked to ensure that the proposal is fully realised. It is recommended that detail design, implementation and operational maintenance of all the proposed landscape and visual mitigation measures are included within the EM&A. In the design stage, EM&A will consist of auditing the detailed landscape design. Construction and operational stage EM&A will comprise audit of the tree transplanting, compensatory planting and planting establishment in the form of site inspection. Details of the EM&A requirements with respect to the level of lLandscape impact on individual LCUs and LEs are listed in table 7.3, their respective quantities are listed in table 7.2. The recommended lLandscape mitigation measures with quantities at both construction stage and operation stage isare listed in table 7.4.

7.2 Any potential conflicts between the proposed landscape measure and any other project works and operational requirements should be resolved at the earliest possible date and without compromise to the intention of the mitigation measure.

Baseline Monitoring

7.3 Baseline monitoring for the landscape and visual resources will comprise a vegetation survey of the study area. An assessment of the landscape character will be made against which future change can be monitored. The landscape resources unit and element of particular concern are to be noted.

Construction and Operational Stage Audit

7.4 A competent Landscape Architect should be employed for the implementation of landscape construction works particularly during site clearance operations when the proposed tree felling and transplanting will take place and subsequent maintenance operations during the 12 month establishment period during the operational stage.

7.5 All measures undertaken by both the contractor and the landscape contractor during the construction stage and the first year of the operational stage shall be audited by a Landscape Architect, as a member of the Environmental Team. This shall be completed on a regular basis to ensure compliance with the intended aims of the EIA. Site inspections should be undertaken at least once every two weeks throughout the construction period and once every two months during the first year of the operational stage.

Table 7.1 Summary of Disturbance to Landscape Character Units

Description	Disturbance
LCU1 – Woodland and shrub bed	NIL
LCU2 – Transport corridor	Approximately 2775 sq m
LCU3 – Institutional	NIL
LCU4 – Residential	~~Approximately 0.2 ha. of land zone for village~~NIL
LCU5 – Industrial/Utility	Approximately 0.3 ha of land zone for ‘OU’ (Service Station) and approximately 0.3 ha of land zone for ‘OS’ (Open Storage)
LCU6 – ~~Wetland Conservation~~ ~~area~~Fishpond/Agricultural field	NIL

Table 7.2 Summary of Disturbance to Landscape Elements

Type of Landscape Element

Total Area within the Study Area of the Improvement Works

Area in Interaction with the Improvement Works

LE1

LE2

LE3

LE4

LE5

LE6

Woodland

Vehicle corridor

Road side tree

Residtial built up area

Industrial/Utility

Fishpond/Agricultural field

Approx.63.2 ha

Approx.3.7 ha

Approx.3.6 ha

Approx.61.9 ha

Approx. 5.3 ha

Approx.129.6 ha

Nil

Approx. 2775 sqm.

Approx. 0.9 ha

Nil

Approx. 0.6 ha

Nil

Table 7.3 Summary of Landscape Impact (Without Mitigation Measures)

LCU	Disturbed Area	Quality/Sensitivity of Change	Construction Stage		Operational Stage
LCU	Disturbed Area	Quality/Sensitivity of Change	Magnitude of Change and Source of Landscape Impact	Significance Threshold of Residual Landscape Impact	Magnitude of Change and source Landscape impact	Significance Threshold of Residual Landscape Impact
LCU1 Woodland	NIL	High/High	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible
LCU2 Transplant Corridor	Approximately 2775 sqm.	Medium/Low	Low (site formation + construction of viaduct, noise barrier and hoarding)	Slight Adverse	Low	Slight adverse
LCU3 Institutional	NIL	Medium/Low	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible
LCU4 Residential	~~Approximately 0.2 ha~~NIL	Medium/Low	Negligible	Negligible	Low	Slight adverse
LCU5 Industrial/Utility	Approximately 0.60 ha	Medium/Low	Low (site formation + construction of viaduct + delivery construction material + hoarding)	Slight Adverse	Low	Slight Adverse
LCU6 Fishpond/Agricultural field	NIL	High/High	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible
LEs
LE1 Woodland	NIL	High	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible
LE2 Vehicle corridor	Approximately ~~0.2 ha~~2775sq.m.	Low	Low (site formation + construction of viaduct, noise barrier and hoarding)	Moderate Adverse	Low	Slight Adverse
LE3 Existing Road side tree	Approximately 0.9 ha	High	High (site formation + construction of viaduct, noise barrier + delivery + hoarding)	Moderate Adverse	High	Slight Adverse
LE4 Residential built up area	NIL	Low	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible
LE5 Industrial/Utility	Approximately 0.6 ha	Low	Low (site formation + construction of viaduct, noise barrier + delivery + hoarding)	Slight Adverse	Low	Slight Adverse
LE6 Fishpond/Agriculture field	NIL	High	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible

Table 7.4 Summary of Residual Landscape Impacts (With Landscape Mitigation Measures)

LCU	With Recommend Mitigation Measure		Recommended Mitigation Measures	With Recommended Mitigation Measures
LCU	Landscape Impact during Construction Stage	Landscape Impact during Operation Stage	Recommended Mitigation Measures	Threshold of Residual Landscape Impact during Construction Stage	Threshold of Residual Landscape Impact during Operation Stage
LCU1 Woodland and Shrub bed	Negligible	Negligible	NIL	Negligible	Negligible
LCU2 Transport corridor	Slight adverse	Slight adverse	LMM3, LMM4, LMM5, LMM6,LMM7,LMM8 14,440 sq.m.	Slight adverse	Negligible
LCU3 Institutional	Negligible	Negligible	NIL	Negligible	Negligible
LCU4 Residential	Negligible	Negligible	NIL	Negligible	Negligible
LCU5 Industrial/Utility	Slight adverse	Slight adverse	LMM1, LMM2, LMM4, LMM5,LMM7,LMM8 19,080 sq.m.	Slight adverse	Negligible
LCU6 Fishpond /Agricultural field	Negligible	Negligible	NIL	Negligible	Negligible
LE
LE1	Negligible	Negligible	NIL	Negligible	Negligible
LE2	Slight adverse	Slight adverse	LMM3, LMM4, LMM5, LMM6, LMM7, LMM8	Slight adverse	Negligible
LE3	Moderate adverse	Slight adverse	LMM1, LMM4, LMM5, LMM6	Slight adverse	Negligible
LE4	Negligible	Negligible	NIL	Negligible	Negligible
LE5	Slight adverse	Slight adverse	LMM1, LMM2, LMM4, LMM5	Slight adverse	Negligible