This Section summarises the environmental outcomes
associated with the construction and operation of the Project.
13.2
Summary of Environmental Impacts
13.2.1
Air Quality
The enhancement works and associated works within the
Ecological Reserve will be carried out with hand tools only. No major excavation works will be required
and no dust impact is anticipated. Only minor
works will be required during emergencies or routine maintenance. No air pollution generating activity is
required and no air quality impact is expected during the operational phase.
Dust nuisance from construction works and
gaseous emissions from diesel-powered equipment are the potential air quality
concerns during the construction of the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat cum
Columbarium. Dust may be generated from
materials handling, excavation and filling, wind erosion and truck movements
during site formation works. The scale
of the construction works is likely to be small and the rate of excavated soil
generation will also be low (ie 94 m3/day
on average). With the implementation of
recommended dust control measures and good site practices, dust impact is not
expected. The number of diesel-powered
construction equipment to be operated at any one time will be limited owing to
the small scale of the works and the division of the works into phases. Gaseous emissions from the operation of
diesel-powered equipment are expected to be minor, and no adverse air quality
impact is anticipated.
The number of visitors during public holidays and
festival holidays will be increased.
However, burning of effigies and paper offerings will not be allowed at the
future development; therefore no adverse air quality impact is anticipated
during the operation of the development.
In-house management measures such as signage to remind visitors on the
prohibition of burning effigy should be provided. Vehicular emissions from Sha Lo Tung Road are
the key air quality concern during the operation of the columbarium. However, during normal days, two 24-seats
shuttle buses which depending on the technology available, could be electricity
driven, will be provided for serving the visitors. During festive periods, shuttle buses will be
hired from coach suppliers and SLTDC would try to use electric vehicles as far
as practicable. In view of the large
separation distances between ASRs and the future columbarium and compliance
with HKPSG recommendations, no adverse air quality impact is anticipated.
In addition, the Motor
Vehicle Idling (Fixed Penalty) Ordinance has been in effect on 15 December 2011. It is prohibited to allow the drivers leaving
vehicle engines idling for more than three minutes in any 60-minute
period. As such, no air emission is
anticipated from the shuttle buses during idling in the parking area.
Dust nuisance from construction works and gaseous
emissions from diesel-powered equipment are the potential concerns during the
road improvement works. Materials
handling, wind erosion and truck movements are expected to be the major sources
of construction dust. The road improvement
works will be conducted over a period of 19 months and the works will be
carried out in phases, each of which covers only a road section of
approximately 800m in length, and therefore the works area will be small. In view of the large separation distances
between ASRs and the works area, no adverse dust impact is anticipated. The number of diesel-powered equipment to be
used for the works will be limited owing to the small size of the works area. The air emissions from diesel equipment are
expected to be minor and no adverse air quality impact is expected. With the implementation of the recommended
dust control measures and good site practices, the dust impact is expected to
comply with the dust criteria. Vehicular
emissions are envisaged to be the only air quality concern during the operation
of the widened Sha Lo Tung Road. During
normal days, two 24-seats shuttle buses which depending on the technology
available, could be electricity driven, will be provided for serving the
visitors. During festive periods,
shuttle buses will be hired from coach suppliers and SLTDC would try to use
electric vehicles as far as practicable.
In view of the sufficient buffer distances between ASRs and the widened
road and compliance with HKPSG recommendation, no adverse vehicular emission
impact is anticipated.
Owing to the proximity of the NSRs
to the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement, mitigation measures are required to be
implemented to mitigate the construction noise impacts. Practicable mitigation measures, including
use of quiet construction plant, reduced utilisation rates of PME and movable
noise barriers, have been recommended to be implemented during the three
phases. With the implementation of
mitigation measures, the mitigated construction noise levels at the
representative NSRs would comply with the
construction noise criterion of 75 dB(A) throughout the construction
period. Noise monitoring during the
construction stage is recommended to ensure compliance with the relevant noise
criteria.
During the operational phase of the Project, the
induced traffic on Sha Lo Tung Road will not cause any adverse noise impact to
the NSRs. The
predicted operational fixed plant noise l
Sha
Lo Tung Valley comprises water quality sensitive receivers including Sha Lo
Tung SSSI and stream, which are also considered of high ecological and conservation significance, as well as
the wet abandoned agricultural land to the east of the Development Site. It has been identified that the water quality
sensitive receivers (WSRs) of the Development Site
and Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement include Sha Lo Tung SSSI, Fung Yuen Valley
SSSI and streams.
No pesticides or herbicides will be used for weed
removal during the enhancement works.
Other work within the Ecological Reserve will include construction and
removal of the temporary footbridge, and fencing at Lei Uk
and minor improvement of the existing new footpath to Lei Uk. These works will be carried out with hand
tools only. No major excavation works
will be required and no water quality impact is anticipated. Only minor works will be required during
emergencies or routine maintenance. No
wastewater generating activity will occur and no water quality impact is
expected during the operational phase.
During the construction phase of the Project water
quality impacts have the potential to arise from construction runoff, general
construction activities and domestic sewage discharge. To avoid ecological risk to the downstream
Sha Lo Tung Valley, any discharge of construction runoff from the Development
Site is prohibited. Necessary practices
and measures have been
proposed with target
to ensure no discharge of construction runoff to the downstream ecological sensitive
areas (See Section 13.3.8). Consequently,
the potential water quality impacts will be controlled and are expected to be
minimal.
The principal impacts on the existing drainage that
require mitigation are as follows:
·
Increase
in the total volume of run-off;
·
Increase
in peak intensity of run-off flow; and
·
Increase
in risk of pollution.
The increase in water quantity has been
addressed by minimising the creation of impermeable surfaces, encouraging
natural ground water recharge through soakaways/filter
drains and transferring all highway runoff into the adjacent urban
catchment. The increase in peak
intensity has been addressed by controlled run-off attenuation using swales,
naturally lined channels, catchpits, and vortex grit
separator with outlet control and undeveloped buffer zones. The risk of pollution has been addressed by
transferring runoff from higher risk areas to the adjacent urban catchment, and
the use of catchpits, filter drains and vortex grit
separator in the traffic free, low risk Development Site. The hazards and risk associated with
accidental oil spillage and leakage are negligible because all storm water
run-off from the access road and car park within the Development Site will be
isolated, collected in the pumping station located beneath the proposed car
park and then pumped back into the stormwater
drainage system for the upgraded access road where it will re-enter the
existing main storm water drainage system for the Ting Kong Road.
During
the construction phase of the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement, the water quality
impacts have the potential to arise mainly from construction runoff and general
construction activities. It is
anticipated that the effects on water
quality from the construction activities are likely to be minimal, provided
that major earthworks are undertaken during dry season, and that good
construction practices and a well designed temporary drainage system are
implemented.
Vehicles will enter the Ecological Reserve, Nature Interpretation Centre, and a Multi-Cultural
Education Retreat cum Columbarium along
the improved Sha Lo Tung Road to the car park which will be situated at the
western side of the Development Site.
The road runoff may contain minimal amounts of oil, grease and grit that
may cause water quality impacts to the watercourses, if uncontrolled. With the collection of the run-off and
then pumping back into the structured highway drainage system along the
improved Sha Lo Tung Road that ultimately connects to the existing stormwater system in Ting Kok
Road, no adverse impacts to the WSRs are
anticipated. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the number of vehicles entering the
area will be relatively low when compared to the main roads and this will
further minimise water quality impacts.
13.2.4
Sewerage
Impact Assessment
Taking into consideration the constraints of the
Development Site, and the existing and planned sewage network in the region,
three sewage disposal options for the development of the Site have been
investigated. In broad terms, the three
proposed sewage disposal options are discharging to Tai Po Sewage Treatment
Works, treatment on Site and removal off site.
Among the three options, the option of discharging
the sewage to Tai Po Sewage Treatment Works is recommended. The option of provision of on-site sewage
treatment plant and removal of the sewage off site by tanker are not
recommended. The recommended option is
considered feasible and practical given that the impacts to the downstream sewer
and the Tai Po Sewage Treatment Works are considered insignificant. The details of the recommended sewage
disposal scheme will be further confirmed at the detailed design stage and
close liaison will be carried out with relevant departments to approve the
scheme.
An assessment of the impacts of sewage generation
during festival days has also been considered.
With proposed measures to manage the increase in sewage generation, no
adverse impacts to the sewerage system are expected.
As part of the associated works within the
Ecological Reserve, a temporary footbridge will be constructed across the
stream within the Sha Lo Tung Stream SSSI.
Minor excavation for the construction of the bridge footing will be
required. It is estimated that about 1.1
m3 of C&D materials will be generated from the footing
construction. About 0.4 m3 of
this material will be reused as backfilling onsite and the rest will be
disposed offsite at the appropriately waste reception facility. With the implementation of good waste management and on-site waste
minimisation practices, no adverse impact associated with the management of
green waste is expected during the maintenance and operation of the Ecological
Reserve.
Approximately 16,100 m3 of
inert soft materials will be excavated during site formation and approximately
7,600 m3 of public fill are required for filling to the required
level. The in-situ excavated materials
will be reused for the backfilling, and the cutting and filling activities for
the site formation and slope works will be planned and arranged in such a way
that the requirement for stockpiling will be minimised. The waste management assessment is based on
the worst case scenario assuming there is no reuse of materials on-site. The average rate of excavated soil generation
and filling rate will be low (ie about 134 m3/day and 63 m3/day,
respectively). Assuming 10 working hours
a day, about 4 to 5 trucks and 1 trucks will be required per hour on average
(considered as worst case scenario as some materials will be reused
on-site as much as possible) to dispose to public filling facilities and to
import fill materials, respectively. It
should be noted that the trucks will only travel along the improved Sha Lo Tung
Road (with pedestrian footpath after the improvement) during weekday’s normal
working hours for five months but not in the weekends or public holidays. The number of trucks can be reduced by
reusing the materials on-site and the nuisance to hikers or visitors to Sha Lo
Tung due to the trucks can therefore be minimised as well. About 1,490 m3 of construction
waste will be generated from new building construction. Given the implementation of recommended
mitigation measures (ie waste management programme)
and good site practices, no adverse environmental impact is expected during the
construction phase.
Limited quantities of general refuse and chemical
wastes are expected to be generated during the operation of the Nature
Interpretation Centre, Multi-Cultural Education Retreat cum Columbarium. With good site practices, the potential
environmental impacts associated with the storage, handling, collection,
transport and disposal of a small quantity of general refuse and chemical
wastes arising from the operation of the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat will
meet the relevant EIAO-TM criteria
and no adverse impact associated with waste management is anticipated.
The road improvement works will be divided
into three phases. The three phases of
the road improvement works will be undertaken in consecutive sequence with some
overlap between phases. A total of
11,000 m3 of soil will be excavated over the 19-month construction
period. About 20m3 of soil is
estimated to be generated per day. Even
if a peak factor of 2 is applied to cater for the potential increase in spoil generation
during the overlapping of two phases, the estimated peak volume of spoil to be
generated per day (ie 40 m3) is still
considered small. Assuming a capacity of
7.5 m3 per truck and a bulk factor of 1.2, about 7 trucks per day
will be required to dispose to public filling facilities. A small volume of fill materials (ie, 1,000 m3) will be required. Assuming 24 working days a month, a capacity
of 7.5 m3 per truck and a bulk factor of 1.2, the filling rate, on
average, will be 2 m3 per day and about 1 truck will be required to
import the fill materials. With such a
small number of truck trips generated, the effect on the existing traffic on
Sha Lo Tung Road would be minimal.
Chemical waste generated from maintenance of
construction equipment will be generated during the construction phase. Given the implementation of the recommended
mitigation measures, no adverse environmental impact is expected during the
construction phase.
The ecological impact assessment has been prepared
using the results of comprehensive literature reviews and ecological field
update surveys conducted between 2004 and 2011.
The Ecological Reserve
covers areas within Sha Lo Tung Valley and is considered of high ecological
significance. Habitats recorded include
Fung Shui
The Development Site is mainly covered by grassland shrubland mosaic with a small part of the area occupied by
secondary woodland and developed area.
The grassland shrubland mosaic is frequently
disturbed by hill fire and is considered to have low to moderate ecological
value. The secondary woodland is
dominated by climax native tree species such as Schima superba with densely vegetated understorey and is considered of moderate to high
ecological value. Faunal species of
conservation interest recorded within the Development Site included Greater Coucal, Lesser Coucal, Hwamei, Savannah Nightjar with
sighting of the Crested Serpent Eagle flying overhead. Floral species of conservation interest
included Bamboo Orchid and Willow-leaved Camellia.
Habitats within the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement area
include secondary woodland, plantation, grassland-shrubland
mosaic and developed area. The secondary
woodland is of moderate to high ecological value, the grassland-shrubland mosaic of low to moderate ecological value, the
plantation of low ecological value and the developed area of negligible
ecological value. Species of
conservation interest recorded within the Construction Works Boundary along the
Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement included Incense Tree, Lamb of Tartary, Hong
Kong Pavetta, Rhodoleia, Common
Tutcheria and Cycad fern and all the same bird
species of conservation interest as found in the Development Site, with the
addition of the Emerald Dove and a Common Buzzard flying overhead. In addition, evidence of the Masked Palm
Civet, a mammal of conservation interest, in the form of scats on the road, was
also recorded.
The enhancement works for the
establishment of the Ecological Reserve and the implementation of the
Conservation Management Plan will enhance the conservation value of Sha Lo Tung
Valley. In addition, human disturbance such as
hill fire will be largely reduced/ controlled.
As a consequence, the proposed Project is expected to bring about long term and sustainable
benefits to the ecology of Sha Lo Tung Valley and the habitats and associated
wildlife.
Direct habitat loss may result from the land taken for
the construction of proposed buildings and facilities as well as the Sha Lo
Tung Road improvement works. The
majority of the proposed development will be constructed on the grassland-shrubland mosaic and thereby reduce the impacts on the secondary
woodland. The proposed development also
avoided impacts on the wet abandoned agricultural land and the associated
aquatic species of conservation interest.
With the provision of a 20 m
building buffer from Sha Lo Tung SSSI, the riparian woodlands which served as
wildlife (particularly Family Gomphidae dragonflies)
foraging/ roosting grounds are significantly preserved. The small-sized habitat loss due to the
proposed development is not predicted to cause adverse impacts to the wildlife
using the SLT SSSI and associated habitats.
The ecological impacts on the larval stage of the dragonfly community in
the SSSI due to the water quality impacts from the construction activities are
likely to be avoided through water pollution control measures. No unacceptable ecological impacts during the
construction and operational phases are expected based on the current design
given that appropriate mitigation measures are properly implemented.
No adverse residual water quality or
associated ecological impacts were predicted to occur due to construction and
operation of the Project on the basis that the recommended mitigation measures
are adopted in full.
13.2.7
Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
Fourteen
Landscape Resources and four Landscape Character Areas were identified within
the 500 metre Study Area. A number of mitigation
measures have also been proposed for both the design and construction period to
not only reduce potential landscape and visual impacts but also to improve the
overall amenity of the Project.
The following residual landscape impacts have been
identified during the construction phase:
·
There will be ‘Moderate’ impacts on LR1 Woodland, LR2 Open Shrubland, LR6 Plantation, LCA1 Upland and Hillside
Landscape and LCA4 Sha Lo Tung Valley.
·
There will be ‘Slight’ impacts on LR3 Abandoned Agricultural Land, LR4
Developed Area, LR7 Roads and LCA2 Fung Yuen Valley.
·
There will be ‘Negligible’ residual impacts of all other LRs and LCAs during the
construction phase.
The following residual landscape impacts have been
identified during the operation phase:
·
During the operation phase, there will be ‘Moderate’ residual landscape
impacts on LCA4 Sha Lo Tung Valley at Day 1 of operation, reducing to ‘Slight’
at Year 10 of operation.
·
There will be ‘Slight’ impacts on LR1 Woodland, LR2 Open Shrubland, LR2 Open Shrubland,
LR6 Plantation and LCA1 Upland and Hillside Landscape at Day 1 of operation. At
year 10 of operation, ‘Slight’ impacts will remain for LR1 Woodland, LR 3
Abandoned Agricultural Land and LCA1 Upland and Hillside Landscape. The impacts will reduce to ‘Negligible’ for
LR3 Abandoned Agricultural Land and LR6 Plantation.
·
There will be ‘Negligible’ residual impacts of all other LRs and LCAs during the operation
phase at both Day 1 and Year 10.
In
addition to a review of the physical barriers forming the natural visual
envelope of the project, a GIS analysis and an analysis of the parameters of
human vision was undertaken. The visual
envelope was found to extend to 2.3 km from the boundary of the Development Site
and 900m from the road improvement works.
Ten
recreational, seven residential, two occupational and three travelling VSRs were identified within the visual envelope.
The following residual visual impacts have been
identified during the construction phase:
·
Temporary residual visual impacts of ‘Moderate’ significance will
include R1 Hikers on the Wilson Trail west of the site, R2 Cyclists along Ting Kok Road, R3 Hikers within the Pat Sin Leng
Country Park west of the site, R4 and R5 visitors to Cheung Uk
and Lei Villages, R6 Hikers on the path from Fung Yuen to Sha Lo Tung Road, R7
Hikers in Fung Yuen valley, R8 Hikers on the Wilson Trail north of the site, R9
Hikers in Pat Sin Leng Country Park North of project
areas and T3 Travelers along Sha Lo Tung Road.
·
Residual visual impacts of ‘Slight’ significance will include R10 Hikers
in Pat Sin Leng Country Park east of project
areas. Residential VSRs
including H1 residents and Fu Heng Estate, H2
Residents in Pinehill, Yue Kok Tsuen and Tit Mei Tsai, H3
and H4 Residents in Fung Yuen village and the proposed new Fung Yuen
development and H5 Residents at Ha Hang will experience ‘Slight’ visual
impacts. T1 and T2 Travelers along Ting Kok and Fung Yuen roads will also experience ‘Slight’
residual impacts.
·
All other VSRs will experience ‘Negligible’
impacts during construction.
The following residual visual impacts have been
identified during at Day 1 of the operation phase:
·
At Day 1 of the operation phase, ‘Moderate’ residual visual impacts have
been identified for R1 Hikers on the Wilson Trail west of the site ,R2 Cyclists along Ting Kok
Road, R3 Hikers within the Pat Sin Leng Country Park
west of the site ,R4 and R5 visitors to Cheung Uk and
Lei Villages, R6 Hikers on the path from Fung Yuen to Sha Lo Tung Road, R7 Hikers
in Fung Yuen valley and T3 Travelers along Sha Lo Tung Road.
·
Residual visual impacts of ‘Slight’ significance at Day 1 of operation
will include R8 Hikers on the Wilson Trail north of the site and R9 and R10
Hikers in Pat Sin Leng Country Park north and east of
project areas.
·
All other VSRs will experience ‘Negligible’
residual visual impacts at Day 1 of operation.
·
At Year 10 of operation, ‘Slight’ impacts will remain for R1 Hikers on
the Wilson Trail west of the site, R2 Cyclists along Ting Kok
Road, R3 Hikers within the Pat Sin Leng Country Park
west of the site, R4 and R5 visitors to Cheung Uk and
Lei Villages, R6 Hikers on the path from Fung Yuen to Sha Lo Tung Road, R7
Hikers in Fung Yuen valley and T3 travelers along Sha Lo Tung road.
In accordance with Annex 10 of the EIAO-TM,
the landscape and visual impacts are considered acceptable with mitigation measures.
Desktop review supplemented by field survey identified
that there is no declared monument within the Built Heritage Impact Assessment
(BHIA) and the Archaeological Impact Assessment (AIA) assessment areas. Hok Tau Reservoir –
Two graded historic buildings (
Six graves are identified
within the Development Site, the project proponent and the grave owners have
come up to an agreement that all the graves in the Development Site will be
relocated. No other cultural heritage resources
are identified within the Development Site.
The archaeological impact assessment identified two
pieces of artefacts dated back to Neolithic Age and Tang to Song Dynasties
respectively at the southern portion of the proposed Sha Lo Tung Road
Improvement. Archaeological monitoring
has been recommended during construction stage of the Sha Lo Tung Road
Improvement to preserve potentially impacted archaeological resources by
record. The need and scope of the archaeological monitoring is subject to the
detailed design of the construction works.
A landscape feature, an earth shrine (LF01), is
identified at the southern section of the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement. The construction work adjacent to the shrine
may affect the access to the shrine. It
is recommended that safe access of visitors to the shrine should be
ensured. A temporary fence with access
entrance should be erected to prevent any direct impact to LF01 during the
construction work. Potential vibration
impact will also be a concern if sheet piling works are required for laying
of drainage pipes adjacent to the earth shrine.
Recommendations have been made to avoid and minimise the potential
vibration impact through construction method review. If it is considered not feasible, a vibration
monitoring has been recommended. No
other built heritage resources are identified within the Sha Lo Tung Road
Improvement.
13.3
Summary of measures of minimazing
environmental Impacts
13.3.1
Consideration of Alternative Development Options
Selection of Development Site
As part of the
Sha Lo Tung Valley location selection process for the proposed development, a
number of locations have been analysed.
Disturbance to terrestrial ecological resources of acknowledged
conservation significance was avoided by screening out the following areas from
consideration when planning and designing the Development Site:
·
Sha Lo Tung Valley core areas;
·
Sha Lo Tung Site of Special Scientific
Interests (SSSI);
·
Conservation Area;
·
Wet abandoned agricultural land adjacent to
the Development Site (Hong Kong Paradise Fish recorded in this habitat); and
·
Secondary woodland within the Development
Site.
The Development Site, located at the
entrance of Sha Lo Tung Valley (mainly grassland shrubland
mosaic), is not considered to be an ecologically significant area. It should be noted that the Development Site
also avoids the Pat Sin Leng Country Park and
Conservation Area, as well as the wet abandoned agricultural land. With the adoption of the 20 m wide
non-building buffer and proper design, the building layout preserved the
majority (about 92%) of the secondary woodland (with a total of 0.3 ha and only
0.025 ha to be affected) within the Development Site.
Consideration of Alternative Layout of the
Development Site
The Project has identified and examined three layout
options for the proposed development concession within the Development
Site. The options differ primarily in
regard to the future development profile in the central and northern portions
of the site. Option 1 emphasises retaining the
natural knoll as far as possible which resulted in locating development in the
northern lower-lying area - closer to the sensitive SSSI zone and involving
significant tree felling around this habitat.
Option 2 reflects the priority given to setting back construction works
from the SSSI zone and retaining the majority of the secondary woodland -
resulting in more development on and around the knoll. Option 3 reflects the priority given to
setting back construction works from the SSSI zone, retaining the natural knoll
and the majority of the secondary woodland as far as possible - resulting in
less visual concern.
In assessing whether an alternative is practical and
reasonable, five criteria were applied to the Development Site, including extend of land take and site formation, encroachment into
Sha Lo Tung SSSI, encroachment into Country Park, potential disturbance to existing woodland and trees and potential environmental impact. From this assessment, it is considered that Option 3
is recommended as the preferred option for the layout of the development to be
taken forward for the purposes of the detailed environmental assessment and
subsequent planning approval applications.
Alternative Access Road Design
Under the Project, the existing Sha Lo Tung Road
(approximately 2.3 km) will be improved to the minimum safety requirement of a
Single Track Access Road that would also enable emergency access for fire
engines and provide safe access to visitors of the surrounding country park,
the proposed Nature Reserve with Nature Interpretation Centre and the
development concession facilities.
An alternative design for the lower section of Sha Lo
Tung Road was considered. The
alternative route is an abandoned track route with staircase connecting Ting Kok Road near Ha Hang Estate and Sha Lo Tung Road near the
WSD Ha Hang Fresh Water Service Reservoirs.
The width of the track route is approximate 1 – 1.2 m. It rises from 4.4 mPD
to around 62 mPD in 700 m length. The gradient of the staircase is over 1:6
(greater than 16%). A significant amount
of cut and fill slope work would be involved if the staircase was converted
into vehicular access. Moreover, there
are a large number of trees and vegetation located along both sides of the
track route and staircase.
Based on the existing contour plan, gradient and the
local site constraint, upgrading and improving the whole existing Sha Lo Tung
Road is preferred rather than constructing a new road alignment for the lower
section. The benefits of this include minimal cut
and fill slope area, minimal impact on trees/vegetation, minimal impact to
the environment (i.e. air quality and noise impact to Ha Hang village) and minimal
construction time.
13.3.2
Design Consideration of Master Layout Plan
Minimisation of the Building Footprint
The preliminary
Master Layout Plan minimised the building footprint within the Development
Site. Although the total area of the
Development Site is approximately 4.1 ha, the land take for the main buildings including the Nature
Interpretation Centre, Multi-Cultural Education Retreat, Columbarium
structures, car park and major paths connecting all buildings, but not
including site formation and landscape areas
is approximately 1.27 ha (only about 31.0% of the total area).
Provision of a minimum additional 20 m wide
Non-Building Buffer from the Sha Lo Tung SSSI
To avoid impacts to the Sha Lo Tung SSSI
and natural stream, the proposed Master Plan will have a minimum 20 m wide
additional buffer area from the existing SSSI zone to further safe guard the
Sha Lo Tung Stream which is already protected by the existing general 30 m wide
buffer areas (designated under the SSSI zone) (Figures 3.7 and 3.8). Hence
building works will be generally of 50 m from any stream course within the Sha
Lo Tung SSSI. In addition, provision of
the non-building 20 m buffer zone can preserve the existing trees and
vegetation, and the secondary woodland habitats.
Retrofitting Development to the Natural
Topography Profile
Rather than one continuous form of
development, the master plan proposes a number of separate structures to
maximise retention of the existing natural topography and trees. This results in a building footprint, access
and earthworks which are contoured largely around the existing terrain profile. By so doing, the extent of site formation and
excavated materials is reduced and potential environmental impacts in particular construction
runoff and vegetation removal on the SSSI zone are minimised. The separation of the Columbarium and the Multi-Cultural
Education Retreat reduces their visibility from public trails within the
Valley. The proposed development fully
utilises the existing profile and natural topography, and avoids the ridge top
so as to minimise potential visual impacts.
Locating Development back from the Sha Lo Tung SSSI
and Stream
In addition to the proposed 20m buffer
setback for development from the “SSSI” zone, building works along the southern
edge of this setback are limited to that for the proposed parking area and the
northern lower building of the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat. As this use occupies only a short section of
this linear buffer boundary and the remaining area is landscaped, the visual
impact of such uses close to the SSSI zone is significantly reduced. Moreover, reducing the extent of development
along the southern edge of the 20m wide buffer minimises the potential for
accidental spillage of construction runoff and enables any such spillage to be
directed to the southeast side, where the temporary storage tanks and drainage
system are provided, not toward the SSSI stream.
Extensive Use of Green Roofing
While sensitive location of the required
structures and connecting access routes within the Development Site helps
minimise the construction impact, extensive provision of flat roofing for all structures
within the site offers potential ‘greening’ benefits such as collection of
rainwater and planting to minimise visual impact. Such treatment allows the development
concession uses to better blend into the rural character of the Valley.
Preservation of Existing Woodland and Trees
The Master Plan avoids disturbance to the
existing woodland and trees as much as possible, providing the least impact to
the woodland and trees through minimising the construction footprint.
13.3.3
Design Consideration of Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement
The principles adopted for the design of the road
improvement works are: -:
·
Minimize disturbance to the
existing landscape and trees;
·
Preserve woodlands of
ecological value;
·
Provide a safe access road engineered
to meet the traffic demand; and
·
Enable emergency vehicle access
to the Ecological Reserve, Nature Interpretation Centre, Multi-Cultural
Education Retreat cum Columbarium.
With such principles, the impacts arising from the
improvement works will be kept to a minimum.
In light of the low volume of traffic expected, the improved access road
shall remain a single track access which satisfies the following Transport and
Planning Design Manual (TPDM) requirements and with the following
considerations:
·
The access road shall follow
the existing road alignment and profile to minimise earthworks and impacts to
the existing environment. Nevertheless,
the road shall be re-profiled to ensure a maximum gradient less than 16%
because a gradient more than 16% is not suitable for use of emergency vehicles;
·
The road will be widened
towards the eastern side through cutting the uphill slopes to avoid disturbing
the woodland dominating on the western side;
·
Soil nailing, if required to
stabilise slopes particularly downhill, can be implemented carefully to avoid
damage to trees and the slope surface can be planted to maintain a green
landscape after the improvement works are finished;
·
Provision of a drainage system
with additional verges and a sewer;
·
No encroachment into the
Conservation Area and Pat Sin Leng Country Park; and
·
Appropriate landscape design
along the access road.
13.3.4
Carefully Designed Construction Activities and
Sequence
The construction activities will be carefully designed
to avoid ecological impacts to the nearby Conservation Area, Pat Sin Leng Country Park, Sha Lo Tung SSSI and Stream. The following precautionary measures have
been adopted in the proposed construction activities in order to minimise
construction impacts, in particular the possible construction runoff to the
SSSI zone and stream courses within the Sha Lo Tung SSSI:
·
Careful site developments to
avoid encroachment and possible construction runoff to the sensitive stream
course within the Sha Lo Tung SSSI at northern side of the site;
·
Minimise the permanent and
temporary cutting areas;
·
Minimise the footprint of the
temporary access road within the site;
·
Divide the works into three
stages to minimise the concurrent works within the site (Sha Lo Tung Road
improvement with its drainage network will be completed prior to any
construction works undertaken within the Development Site);
·
Start with the construction at
southern side to minimize any impact to the ecological sensitive stream to the
north of the site.
·
Undertake earthworks (soil
excavation and filling works) during the dry season (November to March);
·
Provide well designed temporary
drainage systems around the entire Development Site in advance in order to
ensure no construction runoff discharge to Sha Lo Tung Stream and Conservation
Area;
·
No restaurant will be
constructed in the Nature Interpretation Centre, and a Multi-Cultural Education
Retreat cum Columbarium;
·
No night time construction
works within the Development Site.
·
Locating the designated
stockpile area at a substantial distance of approximately 320m from Sha Lo Tung
SSSI and streams. The area will be on
concrete access road, which provided with concrete bunds and interceptor drains
along its perimeter to prevent the loss of materials such as soil, silt or
debris to the surrounding area. The
stockpile will also be covered with tarpaulin or similar impermeable covering
materials during rainstorms to ensure that no impact on the water gathering
ground, Sha Lo Tung SSSI and streams will arise;
·
All unavoidable surplus
excavated materials will be removed from the works area and delivered by truck
on a daily basis. The trucks will only
travel along the improved Sha Lo Tung Road (with pedestrian footpath after the
improvement) during weekday’s normal working hours but not in the weekends or
public holidays. The number of trucks
can be reduced by maximising the reuse of materials on-site and therefore the
nuisance to hikers or visitors to Sha Lo Tung due to the trucks can also be
minimised as well; and
·
All fuel tanks and chemical
storage areas will be provided with locks and be sited on paved areas and
located next to the temporary stockpiling area at the south of the Development
Site. The storage areas will be surrounded
by bunds with a capacity equal to 110% of the storage capacity of the largest
tank to prevent spilled oil, fuel and chemicals from reaching the receiving
waters.
Given the priority of the conservation of Sha Lo Tung
Valley as well as the public safety concern, the Ecological Reserve enhancement
works and other minor works will be conducted in advance. In order to meet the traffic demand during
construction and facilitate the transportation of construction plants or raw
materials to/from the Development Site as well as control of construction
runoff, it is proposed to complete the road improvement works with drainage and
sewerage systems prior to commencement of site formation works. The works programme and the work sequence of
the Project will be Ecological Reserve, Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement and Development Site
Structures.
13.3.5
Measures during the Operation of the Development Site
The following measures will be implemented during
operation:
·
Burning of effigies and paper
offerings in the Development Site (covers all locations in the Site including
the Columbarium, Multi-cultural Education Retreat and open space) will be
prohibited during the operation of the columbarium. Prohibition of burning of effigies, paper
offerings, candles and incense would be set out clearly in the sales and
purchase agreement for buying the niches.
Staff would be stationed to enforce the rules and in-house management
measures such as signage would be put in place to remind visitors. Limited burning of incense and candles will
be allowed only within the MCER on special supervised occasions with only one
incense lit within the complex at all times;
·
Designs of the Multi-Cultural
Education Retreat and Columbarium (by provision of fencing and landscape
planting) will manage visitors’ activities within the site and encourage them
not to wander into the Ecological Reserve, particularly during festival days;
·
The wastewater generated on
site will be discharged into the sewer connected to the public sewer at Ting Kok Road via improved Sha Lo Tung Road, and no wastewater
will be discharged into watercourses.
Surface runoff on site will be diverted and discharged into the newly
constructed stormwater drainage system within the
Development Site and along the improved Sha Lo Tung Road following the existing
drainage regime;
·
Application of pesticides,
insecticides and chemical fertilizers for the landscaping purpose and
vegetation maintenance will be prohibited during operation. Should organic fertilizers be used for encouraging
the growth of planted vegetation, prior approval from the relevant authorities
will be required;
·
Provision of a storage tank of
minimum size of 180 m3 which is considerably sufficient to act as a buffer of
approximately 3 days withholding time (usually the public holidays during Ching
Ming and Chung Yeung Festival not more than 3 consecutive days) to cater for
the abrupt increase in generated sewage during festival days, if the sewerage
pumping system malfunctioned; and
·
The 60,000 niches will be sold
in not less than 3 phases in 6 years, not more than 20,000 niches in each
phase. Before proceeding to each selling
phase, the traffic management measures will be reviewed and reported to the
relevant authorities, and revised as required by the relevant authorities.
Special Arrangement during the Festival Days (During
Operation Phase)
During the Ching Ming Festival and Chung
Yeung Festival (i.e. Festive periods), there will be special arrangement to
minimise the environmental impacts as well as the human disturbance to the
surrounding sensitive areas such as SSSI, country parks and Sha Lo Tung Stream:
·
The Nature Interpretation
Centre will also be closed during those days to avoid attracting people wander
within the Ecological Reserve;
·
On site staffs will also patrol
the Columbarium more frequent to ensure no incompatible activities to be
undertaken, ie littering, burning of effigies and
paper offerings;
·
The number of visitors will be
controlled by categorising the niches into two classes, namely Class A and
Class B. Class A (20,000 niches in
total) buyers may visit the columbarium at any time, but prior booking will be
required during the Festive periods.
Class B (40,000 niches in total) buyers will not be allowed to visit the
columbarium during the Festive periods;
·
SLTDC will restrict the maximum
number of visitors during Festive periods not more than 7,400 visitors per day;
·
During the Festive periods,
only the proponent’s shuttle buses and emergency vehicles will be allowed to
use Sha Lo Tung Road. It should be noted
that at present, the shuttle buses had to be hired from coach suppliers in view
of the high demand and SLTDC would try to use electric vehicles as far as
practicable;
·
Visitors to the columbarium
will not be allowed to walk up Sha Lo Tung Road unless directed by the Police
when need arises. Visitors will only be
allowed to leave the columbarium through the shuttle buses so as to avoid human
disturbance to Sha Lo Tung Valley;
·
Additional manpower will be
arranged for crowd control. It should be
noted that the above arrangement only apply to visitors to columbarium, all
visitors to the trails and Country Park will not be affected;
·
If the permanent sanitary (eg the closets and urinals) and/or the sewerage facilities
(eg the pumping system and the storage tank) are
malfunctioned during the festival days, the operator will also divert the
visitors to use the portable chemical toilets to be located at the entrance of
Sha Lo Tung Road. Emergent maintenance
for the malfunctioned facilities will be carried out as soon as practicable, ie night-time of the day.
13.3.6
Measures of Minimizing Impacts on Air Quality
Dust Control Measures for
Development Site
·
A vehicle washing facility
should be provided at the main exit of the construction site and water recaptured
or discharged offsite via sand traps to the drainage paths away from the SSSI;
·
Excavated spoils should be
covered or wetted, especially during the dry season;
·
Exposed surfaces should be
sprayed with water or covered entirely to avoid fugitive dust emissions;
·
Areas where dusty work takes
place should be sprayed with water immediately prior to, during and immediately
after dusty activities so as to maintain the entire surface wet;
·
Temporary stockpiles of dusty
materials, if any, should be covered entirely or sprayed with water;
·
During transportation by truck,
materials should not be loaded to a level higher than the side and tail boards,
and should be dampened or covered before leaving the site;
·
Dusty loads transported by the
trucks should be covered entirely to avoid any spillage onto public roads;
·
During air flushing for soil
nail drilling, dust screens should be provided at the three sides of the
drilling machine and the soil nailing area to avoid fugitive dust emissions;
and
·
Diesel-powered equipment should
be properly maintained to avoid black smoke emissions.
·
During operation, in-house
management measures such as signage to remind visitors of the prohibition on
burning effigies.
·
Depending on the technology
available during operation of the Development Site, electric shuttle bus will
be used for the visitors during normal day.
During festive period, SLTDC would try to use electric shuttle buses as
far as practicable to further minimize the air impact.
Dust Control Measures for Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement Works
·
Excavated spoils should be
covered or wetted, especially during the dry season;
·
Exposed surfaces should be kept
wet always or entirely covered to avoid fugitive dust emissions;
·
During transportation by truck,
materials should not be loaded to a level higher than the side and tail boards,
and should be dampened or covered before leaving the site;
·
Dusty loads transported by the
trucks should be covered entirely to avoid any spillage onto public roads;
·
During air flushing for soil
nail drilling, dust screens should be provided at the three sides of the
drilling machine and the soil nailing area to avoid fugitive dust emissions;
and
·
Diesel-powered equipment should
be properly maintained to avoid black smoke emissions.
13.3.7
Measures of Minimizing Impacts on Noise
Construction Phase
In view of the predicted noise exceedances during the construction of the Project, the
following mitigation measures will be implemented.
·
Good Site Practice;
·
Use of quiet PME; and
·
Adoption of movable noise
barriers (for Road Improvement Works Phase 1 only).
Operational Phase
·
Choose quieter equipment;
·
Include noise levels
specification when ordering new plant items;
·
Locate fixed plant items or
noise emission points away from the NSRs as far as
practicable;
·
Locate noisy machines in
completely enclosed plant rooms or buildings with suitable and practicable
noise remedies;
·
Develop and implement a
regularly scheduled plant maintenance programme so that plant items are
properly operated and serviced; and
·
While no adverse noise impact
is expected due to the road traffic noise from the Sha Lo Tung Road
Improvement, two 24-seats shuttle buses which depending on the technology
available could be electricity driven, will be provided for serving the
visitors during normal days to further minimise the traffic noise. During festive periods, shuttle buses will be
hired from coach suppliers and SLTDC would try to use electric vehicles as far
as practicable.
13.3.8
Measures of Minimizing Impacts on Water Quality
In order to minimise the impacts of wastewater/
runoff generated on site to the nearby Water Sensitive Receivers, mitigation
measures and good site practices will be adopted during the construction and
operation phases of the Project based on the ProPECC
PN 1/94 and ProPECC PN 5/93. The following described the key practices and
measures to be adopted:
Ecological Reserve
·
Conduct all the works during
dry season and using hand tools;
·
Locate the footing of the temporary
footbridge at bare land and avoid vegetated areas as much as practical;
·
Avoid or minimize vegetation
removal as much as possible;
·
Restricting the number of
workers within the Ecological Reserve during construction;
·
Regularly check the work site
boundaries to ensure that they are not breached and that damage does not occur
to surrounding habitats in particular the secondary woodland and Sha Lo Tung
streams; and,
·
No pesticide or herbicide be
used for pest and weed control.
Development Site
·
Restrict Earthworks to the Dry
Season. Earthworks within the
Development Site will only be undertaken during the dry season (November
through March) in order to avoid the risk of construction runoff reaching
ecological sensitive areas.
·
Adoption of Construction
Sequences. To limit the size of exposed
areas and volume of the surface runoff, the construction activities will be
carried out sequentially rather than in parallel. The site formation works in the northern part
of the Development Area will be carried out at a later phase to avoid early
exposure of the soil and hence to prevent muddy water from spilling over into
the Sha Lo Tung SSSI and Sha Lo Tung Stream.
·
Provision of Temporary Drainage
Channels and Silt Removal Facility.
Peripheral temporary drainage channels (special designed U-channel, like
a “J” shape will be used) should be constructed along the lower side of all of
the works areas within the Development Site prior to the commencement of the
construction works. All of the natural
surface run-off will be collected by the temporary drainage system with a
sufficient number of sandtraps and oil interceptors
and then discharged to the newly constructed stormwater
drainage system along Sha Lo Tung Road.
The effectiveness of the sand trap will be checked and maintained
regularly. The sand traps should be
cleaned out when the volume of settled sediments amounts to 10% of the total
volume of the trap.
·
Separate Temporary Drainage
System for Natural Runoff. The surface
runoff from the Site will be separated from the natural hinterland surface
runoff by deployment of two drainage systems.
·
Erection of Site Hoardings and
Chain-link Fence with Seal. Continuous
site hoarding and chain-link fence will be erected along the temporary drainage
system enclosing the entire Development Site.
The hoardings and chain-link fence should be firmly attached to the
channel (any gaps are to be filled and cemented) to avoid any accidental
spilling over the peripheral channel to the nearby streams.
·
Daily Inspection. Green Power will provide a Conservation
Specialist to stay on-site during the construction phase. The Green Power representative will inspect
the site daily to inspect of the sandtraps and
channels and check the implementation and effectiveness of the runoff control
measures. The person will have the
authority to stop the construction works should the implementation and
effectiveness of the runoff control measures not be satisfactory.
·
Appropriate sanitary
facilities, such as portable chemical toilets, will be employed at the areas
where the temporary connection is not feasible during construction. Portable chemical toilets should be deployed
at a location as far away from the SSSI as possible and at least 320m away from
Sha Lo Tung Stream. The toilets should
also be surrounded by temporary interceptor drains and appropriately
mounted.
·
During operation, the sewage
storage tank will be located at least 40 m away from Sha Lo Tung Stream. An adequately maintained duty pump with a
100% standby pumping capacity and alternative power supply will be provided to
address pumping requirements in emergency situations.
·
Regular inspection and
maintenance for the storage tanks, piping materials and joints of sewers will
be conducted during operation to ensure that leakage of sewage effluent from
the tank and pipeline does not occur.
·
If leakage or spillage of
sewerage does occur during operation, it should be contained and cleaned up
promptly.
Improvement to Sha Lo Tung Road (excluded sections within the Development
Site boundary)
·
Arrange the Earthworks to
maximise avoidance of the Wet Season.
All the earthworks particularly close to the WSRs
including Sha Lo Tung SSSI, stream and Fung Yuen Valley SSSI, will be
undertaken during the dry season (November to March) in order to avoid the risk
of construction runoff overflow to the downstream ecological sensitive
areas.
·
Construction sequence will be
well managed in order to limit the volume of surface runoff and treated
effluent generated on-site, in particular during the wet season. In order to limit the size of the exposed
area and volume of the surface runoff, the construction activities will be
carried out phase by phase rather than in parallel.
·
Provision of temporary drainage
channels during construction. At least
two temporary sandtraps connecting with temporary
surface drainage will be proposed at each phase of road improvement works
(except Phase 3) prior to discharging into the nearest watercourse to avoid any
excessive sediment or blockage of existing natural drainage system. All of the surface run-off generated along
the section close to Sha Lo Tung Valley (approximately half of the Phase 3)
will be collected by the temporary drainage system with a sufficient number of sandtraps (with sufficient capacity) and oil interceptors
and then discharged to the newly constructed stormwater
drainage system along the improved Sha Lo Tung Road.
·
During operation phase, the
runoff from the concrete paved areas including the improved Sha Lo Tung Road
and car park will be collected using back of kerb filter drains and trapped
roads gullies to Highways Department’s standard drawings H3110. The gullies on the access road and car park
within the Development Site will discharge to a piped drainage system linked by
backdrop catchpits and collected in a pumping station
located beneath the car park. The
collected run-off will then be pumped back over the crest of the access road
and back into the structured highway drainage system that ultimately connects
to the existing stormwater system in Ting Kok Road.
Construction Works within Water Gathering Ground (WGG)
For all works within the WGG, the
Contractor will be required to comply with the recommended practical measures
to ensure that no pollution or siltation occurs to the catchment. The recommended mitigation measures for the
water quality may later on form the “Conditions for Working within the WGG” to
be specified by the WSD. The Conditions
will apply, through the permit process; in totality to the Project.
13.3.9
Mitigation Measures Regarding Sewerage and Sewage Treatment
Assuming sewage will be discharged to the nearby
existing sewage system (i.e. Tai Po STW via public sewer at Tai Po Industrial
Estate), the following mitigation measures are proposed:
·
Installation of an
approximately 2 km long 225 mm diameter twin sewerage rising mains from the
Development Site running along Sha Lo Tung Road to the existing sewerage
network at Ting Kok Road;
·
Installation of a stand-by pump
(with a 100% standby pumping capacity) in case of mal-function of the working
pump;
·
Construction of a storage tank
(fitted with a level indicator and a high level alarm system, designed and
constructed to comply with the Buildings (Standards of Sanitary Fitments,
Plumbing, Drainage Works and Latrines) Regulations (Cap 123I) reg. 47A) of
minimum 180m3 capacity, to give approximately three days withholding time over
maximum visitor attendance over festival periods to cater for the situation if
the pumping facilities malfunctioned. Other requirements of WSD on the design
and details of construction will be complied with through the circulation of
drainage plans to the Building Authority;
·
As a statutory requirement, the
storage tank and all sewers within the WGGs will be
designed and constructed to comply with the Buildings (Standards of Sanitary
Fitments, Plumbing, Drainage Works and Latrines) Regulations (Cap 123I) reg.
47A to ensure that they are watertight.
Through the circulation of drainage plans to the Building Authority,
other requirements of WSD on the design and details of construction will be
complied. As such, the risk of leakage
of sewage from the sewerage system is considered to be very low, through the
use of the best quality piping materials (typical example: vitrified clay or
PVC or concrete pipe, which are common materials for sewer and are
anti-corrosive; materials selected will subject to result of detailed design of
proposed sewerage) and provision of hatch box access covers within chambers,
and
·
A deodorizing facility (e.g.
activated carbon) will be installed at the exhaust of the storage tank to
control odour. With the installation of
a proper deodorizing facility and very infrequent temporary onsite storage of
sewer, no potential odour nuisance to public is envisaged.
An assessment of the impacts of sewage generation
during festival days has also been considered.
With the following measures to manage the increase in sewage generation,
no adverse impacts to the sewerage system are expected:
·
Provision of adequate permanent
water closets and urinals in the complex;
·
Emptying of the sewage storage
tank before and immediately after the festivals; and
·
Provision of portable toilets
at the pick up/drop off point at the entrance of Sha Lo Tung road, next to Ting
Kok Road for contingency purpose. All of them will be surrounded by temporary intercept
drains for contingency purpose. Cleaning
up of these toilets will be conducted in mid-day such that the number of
persons using a portable toilet could be maximized and the leakage from the
toilets could be minimized. Should the
permanent sanitary facilities in the Development Site be closed due to
malfunction or emergency maintenance, additional portable toilets can be
arranged within a short period of time to cater the visitors.
13.3.10
Mitigation Measures Regarding Waste Management
The hierarchy of waste management implemented is as
follows:
·
Avoidance and reduction;
·
Reuse of materials;
·
Recovery and recycling; and
·
Treatment and disposal.
Potential waste impacts can be minimised through
the implementation of recommended good site management programme including the
following key mitigation measures:
Construction of Development Site and Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement
·
The in-situ excavated materials
should be optimised for reuse in backfilling during detailed design stage;
·
Should there be any requirement
for the temporary storage of excavated materials destined for reuse within the
Project, the stockpile of such materials will be placed within a designated
area measuring about 3m x 20m in the southern part of the Development Site;
·
Appropriate measures should be
employed to minimise windblown litter and dust during transportation by either
covering trucks or transporting wastes in enclosed containers;
·
The necessary waste disposal
permits should be obtained from the appropriate authorities, if they are
required, in accordance with the Waste Disposal Ordinance Cap 354, Waste
Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation Cap 354 and the Land
(Miscellaneous Provision) Ordinance Cap 28;
·
Chemical waste shall be handled
and stored in accordance with the Code of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling
and Storage of Chemical Wastes to minimise any danger to health of risk and
pollution to the environment. Under the Chemical Waste Regulations, all
producers of chemical waste should register with EPD;
·
The Construction Waste Disposal
Charging Scheme was launched on 1 December 2005 and the charging for disposal
of construction waste commenced on 20 January 2006. Through the Charging Scheme, construction
waste producers (i.e. contractors) are encouraged to reduce, sort and recycle
construction waste, in particular the wood materials, so that their disposal
costs can be minimised and valuable landfill space can be preserved;
·
A trip-ticket system (TTS) will
also be established in accordance with Development Bureau Technical Circular
No.6/2010 to monitor the disposal of construction waste at the Tuen Mun Area 38 Fill Bank or
other approved designated public fill facilities, and to control
fly-tipping. The trip-ticket system will
be included as one of the contractual requirements and implemented by the
contractor;
·
In order to fully implement the
TTS, it is recommended that warning signs should be put up at all vehicle
accesses to remind the drivers of dump truck of the proper designated disposal
outlet and the penalties of offence.
Close-circuited television (CCTV) is recommended to be installed at the
access points to monitor and prevent illegal dumping, especially during night
time. Site fences should be installed to
prevent illegal dumping at non-designated area within the Site; and
·
A Waste Management Plan (WMP)
as a part of Environmental Management Plan (EMP) should be prepared by the
Contractor prior to the commencement of construction as part of the contractual
requirement. The WMP should be prepared
in accordance with ETWB TCW No. 19/2005 which describes the arrangements for
avoidance, reuse, recovery, recycling, storage, collection, treatment and
disposal of different categories of waste to be generated from the construction
activities.
Operational Phase of the Development Site
·
Potential waste impacts can be
minimised through the implementation of waste management program.
13.3.11
Measures of Minimizing Impacts on Ecology
·
Only small scale works will be
undertaken within the Ecological Reserve during the construction phase of the
project. With the implementation of
recommended good construction practice, no adverse ecological impact is
anticipated for these small scale works.
·
Further to the implementation
of the Conservation Management Plan, the ecological value of the Ecological
reserve will expect to be enhanced.
·
Detailed engineering design to
minimise habitat and vegetation loss. The preliminary Master Layout Plan preserved
majority of the secondary woodland (in which only 0.03 ha would be
affected). Provision of an additional 20
m wide non-building buffer between the Sha Lo Tung SSSI and construction
activities in Development Site should be strictly implemented.
·
Prevention of Construction
Runoff from Polluting the Nearby Watercourse and Ecological Sensitive Areas by implementation of the recommended water quality mitigation
measures (Section 13.3.8).
·
Avoidance of Encroachment onto
Country Park and SSSI. Demarcate the boundary of Pat Sin Leng Country Park, Conservation Area, Sha Lo Tung SSSI and
the Development Site prior the commencement of construction activities. The works site should be enclosed by site
hoarding which will restrict all of the work activities within the Development
Site boundary.
·
Vegetation Transplantation. The affected individuals
of Bamboo Orchid and Willow-leaved Camellia (if any) will be transplanted to
suitable nearby habitats prior to the construction phase as far as
practicable.
·
Implementation of good site
practice during construction phase including erection of fences along the
boundary of the works area before the commencement of works, restricting the number
of workers and requesting workers do not enter the ecologically sensitive
areas, regularly checking the work site boundaries, reinstatement of
temporarily affected areas immediately through on-site tree/shrub planting and
no night time construction works.
·
Implementation of recommended
visitor control measures during the operation of Development Site.
·
Detailed Engineering Design
Avoiding Habitat and Vegetation Loss
-
The soil-nails will be installed carefully to
avoid existing trees and therefore of limited disturbance to the existing soil
and vegetation on the surface. The
impact is expected to be temporary and limited disturbance on the secondary
woodland. The finished slope surface can
be planted for landscaping purpose.
-
The works boundary along Sha Lo Tung Road
Improvement will be carefully designed avoid encroachment onto nearby secondary
woodland as well as other mature trees.
The construction work activities will be restricted to the proposed road
alignment, cut slope and soil nailing.
-
Avoid the loss of
plant species of conservation interest including Incense Tree, Lamb of Tartary,
Hong Kong Pavetta, Cycad Fern, Common Tutcheria and Rhodoleia by
adjusting/ fine-tuning the detailed engineering design of the improvement of
Sha Lo Tung Road whenever possible.
-
If the loss cannot be avoided due to the engineering constraint, the affected
individuals will be transplanted to a similar habitat in the vicinity or within
the Development Site or Ecological Reserve.
·
Prevent construction runoff
from polluting the nearby watercourse and ecological sensitive areas by implementation of the recommended water quality mitigation
measures (Section 13.3.8).
·
Implementation of good site
practice during construction phase including erection of fences along the
boundary of the works area before the commencement of works, regularly checking
the work site boundaries and reinstatement of temporarily affected areas
immediately through on-site tree/shrub planting.
Compensatory Planting for Development Site and Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement
·
The Project will provide
approximately 2 ha of compensatory tree and shrub planting for the loss of
secondary woodland (approximately 0.03 ha due to the Development Site and
approximately 0.2 ha due to the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement) and plantation
(approximately 0.43 ha due to the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement). The compensatory planting will be planted
on-site, within the Development Site and the Ecological Reserve. The cut slopes along the improved Sha Lo Tung
Road (with approximately 0.47 ha in total) will also be planted with native
shrubs and trees or hydroseeded subject to the
gradients.
13.3.12
Measures of Minimizing Landscape and Visual Impacts
Locating Development back from the Sha Lo Tung SSSI and Stream
·
In addition to the proposed 20m
buffer setback for development from the “SSSI” zone, building works along the
southern edge of this setback are limited to that for the proposed parking area
and the northern lower building of the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat. As this use occupies only a short section of
this linear buffer boundary and the remaining area is landscaped, the visual
impact of such uses close to the SSSI zone is significantly reduced.
Programme of Implementation of Landscape and Visual Mitigation Measures
·
Design phase mitigation
measures will be carried out before construction, and Construction phase
mitigation will be carried out during the construction phase of the project.
·
A Landscape Master Plan has
been prepared which shows the landscape that will be installed as part of the
development. The Landscape and Visual
Mitigation Plan also identifies specific mitigation measures for the Development
Site, the Ecological Reserve and the Sha Lo Tung Road improvement works.
Design Phase Mitigation Measures
·
Design of Structures. During the design phase of the development,
architectural features such as eaves, cladding, materials and finishes etc.
will be detailed. All of these elements will
greatly improve the appearance of the structures. Built structures will utilise appropriate
designs to complement the surrounding landscape, including a stepped form that
respects the site contours.
·
Colours. Colours for the structures can be used to
complement the surrounding area. Lighter
colours such as shades of light grey, off-white and light brown may be utilised
to reduce the visibility of the structures.
·
Green Roofs. While sensitive location of the required structures
and connecting access routes within the Development Site helps minimise the
construction impact, extensive provision of flat roofing for all structures
within the site offers potential ‘greening’ benefits such as collection of
rainwater and planting to minimise visual impact. Such treatment allows the development
concession uses to better blend into the rural character of the Valley.
Construction Phase Mitigation Measures
·
Car Park Tree Planting. Advanced trees are to be planted to provide
shade to the car park areas and to reduce the mass of the paved areas.
·
Retention of Existing
Trees. Existing trees without conflict
with the building structures will be retained to reduce landscape and visual
impacts on the site.
·
Compensatory Planting. Where vegetation must be removed, the felled
trees within the Development Site and along Sha Lo Tung Road will be
compensated with new planting tree numbers at a ratio of minimum 3:1. The exact number of compensatory trees will
subject to the results of Tree Felling Application.
·
Columbarium Courtyard
Planting. The internal courtyards and
areas surrounding the new development will be landscaped to integrate the
buildings into the landscape.
·
Open Grassland and Lawn
Areas. Areas of open grassland/lawns
will be created to provide areas for passive recreation and to complement the
surrounding grassland areas.
·
Buffer Planting. Trees and shrubs will be planted around much
of the site boundaries to screen the development and help integrate the
development into the surrounding landscape.
·
Stream Creation. Streams containing pools and riffles will be
created to create a natural and harmonious landscape within the
development. It must be noted that these
features will not be connected in any way to the natural stream bordering the
site.
·
Early Planting Works. New plantings are to be installed in
available and formed lands during the construction works to reduce landscape
impacts.
·
Transplantation of Plants. In addition, plant materials that are in conflict with the development, that are in
suitably good condition and of ecological value will also be transplanted.
·
Soil Stabilisation and
Embankment Planting. During the design
process a soil stabilisation and embankment planting strategy should ensure
that land affected by slope excavation can be replanted. Soil preparation and the selection and
provision of suitable growing medium are to be completed in accordance with the
relevant best practice guidelines.
·
Cut Stabilisation Areas of cut
to be Stabilized for Operational Requirements. Materials and finishes of stabilization to be
selected to complement the surrounding landscape. All landscape stabilisation measures must
conform to GEO 1/2000 – Technical Guidelines on Landscape Treatment and
Bio-engineering of Man-made Slopes and Retaining Walls.
·
Colour of Site Hoarding. In order to mitigate the visual impact of
these temporary hoardings, it is recommended that the hoardings be erected at a
uniform height, with a uniform colour that complements the existing landscape.
Cultivation of Areas Impacted
·
Areas impacted during the
construction phase that are not required during the operation phase, are to be
cultivated to a depth of 300mm in accordance with accepted Hong Kong practice
and guidelines. The cultivation shall
involve ripping of compacted soil by mechanical means. Great care must be taken to avoid any run-off
into the existing streams. Therefore this mitigation measure is not to be
adopted in areas sloping towards any existing watercourses.
Quality Control of Imported Materials
·
Appropriate quality control
measures are to be used to ensure that all imported materials including but not
limited to soils, mulches, plants etc. are to be free of pests and contaminants
that may adversely affect the surrounding environment. All landscape construction works are to be
supervised by suitably trained professionals.
13.3.13
Measures of Minimizing Impacts on Cultural Heritage
·
No mitigation measure is
required for the proposed Ecological Reserve and the five graves in the
Development Site due to agreed relocation.
·
If laying
of drainage pipes is considered necessary adjacent to the earth shrine (LF01),
it is recommended that the construction method be reviewed to avoid and
minimise potential construction vibration impact to LF01. If potential construction vibration is
considered unavoidable, a vibration monitoring should be conducted by the
construction contractor during the construction work adjacent to LF01.
·
During the construction stage,
the construction contractor should ensure visitors’ safe access to the
LF01. A temporary fence with access
entrance should also be erected to prevent any direct impact to LF01 during the
construction work.
·
An archaeological monitoring at
the southern section of the proposed Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement alignment is
recommended during construction stage to preserve potentially impacted
archaeological resources by record. The
need and the scope of the archaeological monitoring should be reviewed during
the detailed design of construction works at the concerned area and agreement
to be made with AMO.
13.4
Environmental
Monitoring and Audit
Monitoring
of noise, stream water quality, stream hydrology, ecology (species composition
and relative abundance of riparian vegetation, adult odonate
and fish communities) and cultural heritage are required during the
construction phase. Baseline monitoring
will also be required prior to construction commencement to establish the
baseline conditions for ecology, stream water quality and hydrology. Post project (or construction) or operation
monitoring for stream water quality and ecology will also be required.
The environmental impact assessment (covering air quality,
noise, water quality, sewerage and sewage, waste management, ecology, landscape
and visual, and cultural heritage) has concluded that
no unacceptable residual environmental impacts are envisaged due to the
construction and operation of the Project.
13.6.1
With Project Scenario
Sha Lo Tung Development Company (SLTDC) will dedicate
private housing lots (approximately 0.8 ha) and private agricultural lots
(approximately 26 ha) in the Sha Lo Tung Valley and agricultural lots in the adjacent
Country Park (approximately 2 ha) for conservation purposes. An Ecological Reserve (approximately 52.5 ha)
will be established on ecologically sensitive land in the Valley comprising
land dedicated by SLTDC and government land.
The Ecological Reserve is anticipated to enhance to the ecology of the
Sha Lo Tung Valley, achieved by preventing unauthorised incompatible
activities, managing and restoring habitats at the “optimal” succession state,
and by enhancing grassland and woodland habitat. Additionally, a Nature Interpretation Centre
providing nature education activities to promote awareness, appreciation and
understanding of the ecological value of the area, will be built adjacent to
the Ecological Reserve in the Development Site.
The conservation management and funding of the SLT
Ecological Reserve will be overseen by the Government statutory fund. The Development Site (of approximately 4.1
ha) is outside of the Country Park and Conservation Area. Besides the Nature Conservation Centre, the
Development Site accommodates the necessary development concession in the form
of a Multi-Cultural Education Retreat cum Columbarium (with a development
footprint of approximately 1.625 ha (includes the Nature Interpretation Centre,
public parking, footpaths landscaping areas and associated site formation) in a
non-ecologically sensitive area at the entrance to the Valley. These concession facilities provide revenue
to payback the initial set up cost and upfront capital injected by the SLTDC to
sustain long term operation of the Ecological Reserve. Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement also lies
outside of the Country Park and Conservation Area. The existing Sha Lo Tung Road (approximately
2.3 km) will be upgraded to Single Track standard with minimum required number
of passing bays to meet the requirements of the Transport Department and Fire
Services Department and provide safe public access to the Ecological Reserve,
Development Site and Country Park.
The Pilot Project for Public-Private Conservation
Scheme, Sha Lo Tung Valley, Tai Po is proposed to be
the pilot project under the scheme of Public-Private Partnership (PPP). This proposal establishes the framework for a
public-private partnership to conserve the Sha Lo Tung Valley. Under the current proposal, Sha Lo Tung
Valley will be ensured of long-term active conservation management in which the
ecologically sensitive areas currently located on private land owned by the
SLTDC will be protected.
The Development Site is located in areas of less
ecological concern (mainly shrubland grassland
mosaic) and avoids all of the ecological sensitive areas, including Country
Park, SSSIs and Sha Lo Tung streams as well as the wet abandoned agricultural
land. Further to the detailed assessment presented
in the above sections, ecological impacts due to the development (including
minor works in the Ecological Reserve and widening works of Sha Lo Tung Road),
no unacceptable ecological impacts are expected during the construction and
operational phases.
With the implementation of the Conservation
Management Plan, human disturbance of the Ecological Reserve will be largely
reduced/ controlled. Disturbance due to hillfire, visitors and vandalism would be controlled by
pro-active management, including patrolling and conservation education. Under the Sha Lo Tung pilot project, an
aggressive fire-suppression programme will be implemented to prevent the
occurrence of hill fires (recently recorded within Sha Lo Tung Valley). Rubbish and illegal traps would also be
constantly removed by site managers. As
a consequence, the proposed development is expected to bring about long term
ecological benefits to Sha Lo Tung Valley.
The PPP pilot scheme will not only avoid and minimise
ecological impacts but will enhance the conservation value of Sha Lo Tung
Valley through the following actions:
·
The project proponent has
entered into mutual agreements with village representatives to divert New
Territories Exempted House (NTEH) demand amounting to 160 NTEH sites outside
the Sha Lo Tung valley and dedicate all its land (including 236 building lots)
for conservation. This removes large
scale village expansion as a threat to the ecological integrity and
conservation value of the valley; and,
·
It protects the area by controlling
site access and enhances the ecological values by active management.
13.6.2
Without Project Scenario
The remnants of three village settlements,
·
Uncontrolled surface runoff or
waste water or sewage discharge may lead to deterioration of the water quality
of the Sha Lo Tung perennial streams and the Sha Lo Tung SSSI (which are
important odonate and fish habitats and of ecological
significance) and threaten the survival of the stream fauna in particular the
larval stage of the odonate community, other stream macroinvertebrates and freshwater fish;
·
Potential impacts to the
surrounding habitats and ecologically sensitive areas including Country Park, SSSIs, Conservation Area and natural streams, and
associated wildlife due to uncontrolled increased human activity, noise
disturbance, uncontrolled lighting or hill fire within Sha Lo Tung Valley;
·
Uncontrolled or illegal
dumping/ waste disposal may deteriorate the surrounding habitats and
ecologically sensitive areas including Country Park, SSSIs,
Conservation Area and natural streams, and impact on the associated wildlife;
·
Stream water extraction for
domestic uses may affect the downstream aquatic community;
·
Potential impacts due to
infrastructure and utility installation and maintenance within the Sha Lo Tung
Valley; and
·
Uncontrolled fishing,
vegetation collection and removal may affect the aquatic and floral communities
within the Sha Lo Tung Valley.
Being served by an access road and as one of the
major entrances to the Pat Sin Leng Country Park, Sha
Lo Tung Area is a nodal point of a number of popular walking trails. However, being excluded from the Country Park
itself, four wheel drive enthusiasts and war-gamers have also made the
abandoned villages and farmland their haven.
Illegal immigrants have also been found removing vegetation or even
robbing hikers and the then remaining inhabitants (who were then operating
small shops serving weekend visitors).
Despite widespread appreciation amongst the public,
conservationists and the scientific community that the specialised and diverse
dragonfly fauna associated with the stream course and riparian habitats here
are in urgent need of active conservation, and despite of the statutory
protection afforded by the Outline Zoning Plan (OZP), these and other habitats
in the Valley are and continue to be abused by incompatible recreation
activities. Neglect of the site in terms
of a total lack of conservation management is also taking a steady toll, with
natural succession slowly but relentlessly altering the open habitats so prized
by the dragonfly fauna. Eventually these
habitats will become so densely vegetated that Hong Kong will lose one of its
most unique ecological settings.
Reconciling the needs of nature conservation on the
one hand with human use expectations on the other can not realistically be
achieved without this Project, leaving the Valley currently unmanaged and
effectively unprotected. It should also
be noted that the habitat quality within Sha Lo Tung Valley is degrading due to
threats such as use of four wheel drive vehicles, hill fires, war games and
vegetation removal.