3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

3.1 The Case for Nature Conservation

The New Nature Conservation Policy (NNCP) of the Government aims at regulating, protecting and managing natural resources that are important for the conservation of biological diversity of Hong Kong in a sustainable manner, taking into account social and economic considerations, for the benefit and enjoyment of the present and future generations of the community. One of the objectives of the NNCP is to enhance conservation of ecologically important sites under private ownership. This objective can be achieved through the present proposal by dedicating the land with valuable habitats in the PPP site by the project proponent solely for nature conservation purpose and a long term viable and sustainable conservation management plan prepared and implemented by Green Power and associated ecological experts with proven track record in nature conservation and education, the details of which are outlined in this chapter and in the CMP (Annex A1).

The Policy also discusses how the natural environment provides vital resources for recreation, tourism and educational activities. There is clear recognition that providing opportunities for Hong Kong people to participate in these conservation-led activities is increasingly important as urbanization continues.

3.2 The Project

The Project includes three inter-related components: Ecological Reserve, Development Site and Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement (Figure 3.1). The Proponent, the Sha Lo Tung Development Company (SLTDC) and the Conservation Agent, Green Power (GP), propose to set up an Ecological Reserve (approximately 52.5 ha, accounting for more than 92% of the entire Valley) in Sha Lo Tung (SLT) Valley (of total area approximately 56.6 ha). The SLTDC intends to dedicate their private housing lots (approximately 0.8 ha) and private agricultural lots (approximately 26 ha) in the Valley and agricultural lots in the adjacent Country Park (approximately 2 ha) for conservation purposes and establish an Ecological Reserve on both ecologically sensitive land (dedicated by SLTDC) and government land. The Ecological Reserve will maintain, protect, restore and enhance the ecological resources of the SLT Valley. This will be 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 Interpretation Centre, the Development Site accommodates the necessary development concession in the form of a Multi-Cultural Education Retreat cum Columbarium (with a building footprint of approximately 1.27 ha or 31.0% of the total area of the Development Site (includes the Nature Interpretation Centre and public parking area) in a lower ecological value area at the entrance to the Valley. These concession facilities provide revenue to payback the upfront capital injected by the SLTDC to sustain the initial set up and long term operation funding 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 a Single Track standard with the 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.

3.3 Ecological Reserve

The Ecological Reserve, of approximately 52.5 ha and totally avoided the existing Country Park, provides an opportunity to enhance Sha Lo Tung Valley’s environment for the benefit of the community and boost its ecological value. Biodiversity conservation is the core focus of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme where value-added activities such as conservation education, will be integrated into the management strategy of Sha Lo Tung Valley, when appropriate. It can be achieved by adopting a Conservation Management Plan (CMP), as shown in Annex A1, which prescribes management to safeguard the ecological value of the area in perpetuity for the people of Hong Kong. A summary of the CMP is presented in the following sections.

3.3.1 Conservation Management Plan

The CMP will serve as a guideline for action covering the first 5-year period and will evolve as time passes and experience is gained. The key objectives (but not include cultural heritage element) are:

· Objective 1: Conserve and Enhance Dragonfly Habitat and Biodiversity

· Objective 2: Enhance Upland Habitats by Removal of Exotic Vegetation

· Objective 3: Enhance Quality and Area of Woodland Habitat

· Objective 4: Restore Abandoned Farmlands to Butterfly Garden and Marsh Habitats

· Objective 5: Sustainably Manage Visitors

· Objective 6: Conserve Target Species/Taxa

· Objective 7: Enhance Conservation Education Opportunities

The plan will be implemented by the Conservation Agent (Green Power) with the funding to be granted by the Government statutory fund.

The Conservation Management Plan zoning map shown in Figure 3.2 outlines areas where various conservation measures will be implemented. Biodiversity conservation is the core focus of the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) programme under which Sha Lo Tung Valley is to be managed. Value-added activities include conservation education and any other activities not directly related to biodiversity conservation.

The CMP has identified the following actions to be undertaken:

· Conserve Dragonfly Biodiversity by Enhancing Habitats: Dragonfly species are the conservation targets of the PPP project. Their use of the Valley is concentrated along the streams that are wooded and have perennial flow. Dragonfly habitats, including marshes, streams and riparian vegetation, are to be protected, conserved and enhanced. This will also benefit other aquatic and terrestrial target species. Management tasks such as a baseline survey will be used along with other information to plan and agree details of the enhancement strategy. Continuous monitoring will also be implemented during operation of the conservation zone.

· Enhance Upland Habitats by Removal of Exotic Vegetation: Invasion of exotic plant species is considered to be a threat to the biodiversity in the Valley. The primary threat is Mikania micrantha, but others are present as well. The exotic plant species will be manually removed from the Ecological Reserve prior to the flowering season. Mikania removal will be carried out throughout the Ecological Reserve, in particular the upland habitats.

· Enhance Quality and Area of Woodland Habitat: Woodlands including secondary woodland and fung shui woodland that occur outside the riparian SSSI zones form the Woodland Conservation Zone. These woodlands have been degraded by a long history of exploitation and hillfire. This zone will be kept as existing and enhanced where appropriate through interplanting and manual removal of exotic species of vegetation from the woodland. Use of trails for passive recreation and conservation education would also be allowed. The upland grassland and shrubland areas are included in the Woodland Enhancement Zone where woodland cover could be enhanced by planting of native tree species and by transplantation of trees from the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement works, if any. The newly planted trees will be maintained for 24 months after planting and any dead trees found during the maintenance period will be replaced by healthy plants of the same species and same size.

· Restore Abandoned Farmlands to Butterfly Garden, Marsh Habitats: Abandoned wet agricultural lands are located in lowlands alongside streams, and they will be restored to wetlands by restoration of the irrigation system. Abandoned dry agricultural lands will be rehabilitated and converted to themed butterfly floral gardens and plant nursery.

· Sustainably Manage Visitors: Visitors to the Valley include hikers, wildlife watchers, nature lovers and others. The PPP project will maintain existing trails and control access such that all of these users can enjoy outdoor experiences without degrading the natural resources of the Valley. It can be achieved by designing the main access (for hikers) and provision of signage to divert the visitors away from the ecological sensitive areas. Operation of off-road vehicles will no longer be permitted in the Valley through fencing and patrol by staffs.

· Conserve Target Species/Taxa: The target species and habitats include dragonfly, freshwater fish, freshwater terrapins, butterflies and Chinese pangolin. Detailed conservation strategies for target species are summarized in Table 3.1.

· Enhance Conservation Education Opportunities: The PPP project will construct a quality Nature Interpretation Centre in the Development Site adjacent to the parking area serving the Ecological Reserve. This facility will provide interactive educational exhibitions related to the unique ecological value of Sha Lo Tung and provide facilities for school workshops. The Centre will provide guided tours to educate the public. through a group to be known as Conservation Ambassadors (ie 30 people, organised by Green Power), who will serve as reserve guards to control, advise and educate visitors of the regulations in the Ecological Reserve, especially at weekends. By doing so, human activities and disturbance will be largely controlled. The Ecological Reserve and Nature Interpretation Centre will be closed during the festival day period for the Columbarium to avoid attracting people extending their stay in the Valley after worship.

Table 3.1 Conservation Strategies and Action Plan

Objectives	Actions
Enhance Dragonfly Habitat (Core actions)	· Compile baseline maps of stream and marsh features such as pool and riffle areas. Maps should be compiled for both the wet (ie April to October) and the dry seasons (ie November to March) and update annually. · Compile baseline stream-corridor maps for Cheung Uk, Lei Uk Streams, Northeast Marsh and Stream. Update the maps annually to track changes in riparian vegetation. · Research on habitat requirements of the target dragonfly species. · Remove accumulated refuse from streams and marshes.
Removal of Exotic Species (Core actions)	· Remove exotic plant species manually from the Valley. · Annual monitoring includes exotic plant survey. Monitoring reports includes maps showing locations of removal operations each year.
Enhance Quality and Area of Woodland Habitat (Core actions)	· Enhancement planting - plant or transplant trees · Compile detailed baseline maps of secondary and fung shui woodland · Manual removal of exotic species of vegetation from woodland
Restore Abandoned Farmlands (Core actions)	· Design and convert a themed butterfly/floral garden in dry abandoned agricultural lands · Restore abandoned wet agricultural land by restoration of the irrigation system. · Remove any debris, basic soil recontouring and hydrological modification if necessary.
Sustainably Manage Visitors (Core actions)	· Provide guided tour to educate the public · Install signage to advise that off-road vehicles are prohibited at all locations in the Valley. Signage will also be provided to advise visitors of the regulations in the Valley, ie prohibiting war-games and other off-trail activities.
Conserve Target Species (Core actions)
Stream Fauna (Dragonflies and Freshwater Fishes)	· Manual removal of rubbish and man-made barriers in Cheung Uk and Lei Uk streams. · Integrated catchment management of water supply · Monitoring studies
Three-Banded Box Terrapin	· Development of a species recovery plan for the turtle
Butterflies	· Planting larval foodplants of uncommon/rare species
Chinese Pangolin	· Improve its habitat by enhancement of secondary and fung shui woodlands through native tree planting · Reduce levels of human disturbance and exploitation through visitor control and education
Enhance Conservation Education Opportunities	· Construct a Nature Interpretation Centre (at the entrance of SLT Valley) that provides interactive educational exhibitions related to the ecological value of Sha Lo Tung and provide facilities for school workshops.

3.3.2 Management Strategies, Design and Enhancement Works within the Ecological Reserve

Due to the sensitivity of SLT Valley, the proposed action plan and enhancement works should be further advised by the Government statutory fund and/or relevant government departments and will be implemented progressively. Each component of the action plan and enhancement works will be carefully designed and preferably will be tried before full implementation. Ecological review of the effectiveness of the components will also be undertaken annually in order to avoid any negative ecological effects.

All of the action plan elements will be implemented using hand-held tools where practicable. Should any machinery be required within the SLT Valley, prior approval from relevant government departments will be required. It should also be noted that scientific information and field experience would be accumulated during the early stage of the Project and it would enable more effective planning and implementation of any conservation interventions. The management strategies, proposed features and key enhancement activities inside the Ecological Reserve, as outlined in Table 3.2, will include:

· Weed and rubbish removal, enhancement planting, and wet farmland restoration. A low intervention management approach would be applied to habitats with higher biodiversity including stream and secondary/fung shui woodland. Moderately intensive active management would be implemented to abandoned agricultural land and grassland shrubland habitats where dry abandoned field would be converted to butterfly garden and plant nursery, while wet abandoned field would be restored to marshland and wet farmland. Woodland enhancement planting would also be implemented on the fringe of grassland shrubland habitat to enhance the forest coverage and woodland dependent wildlife.

· Installation of drop bar at the road entrance (Figure 3.2) to Sha Lo Tung Valley (to be located outside Sha Lo Tung SSSI and CA zone and the exact location will require approval from the relevant authorities) to control vehicular access to the Ecological Reserve, but no restriction for the access of walkers/ Country Park visitors. The existing major trails to Cloudy Hill, Ping Shan Tsai and Hok Tau inside the Ecological Reserve will be maintained as public access for Country Park visitors (Figure 3.2). Impact to country park visitors utilising Sha Lo Tung Valley is not anticipated, while proper maintenance of the trails will be beneficial to the country park visitors.

· Trail maintenance (natural stones and not concrete will be used), provision of signage and enhancement of the existing damaged footpaths alongside the natural streams will be maintained and enhanced manually.

Annual habitat management and ecological monitoring reports will be prepared and submitted to the Government statutory fund for review during the operation of the Ecological Reserve so that proper adaptive management could be carried out in the reserve to achieve the conservation objectives. To facilitate adaptive management, quarterly reports will also be prepared to document the interim findings and anomalies, if any, occurring within the reserve so that proper remedial actions/responses can be taken in time.

Table 3.2 Management Strategies for Habitats and Features and Associated Works

Habitats	Existing Structure	Management Strategy	Proposed Features	Proposed Enhancement Works
Streams, riparian, wetland	Paths	Low-intervention management until scientific knowledge and experience are accumulated	Dragonfly Habitat Conservation Area	· Trail maintenance works (ie maintain and enhance the existing damaged footpaths alongside the natural streams manually (natural stones but not concrete will be used)) · Research on habitat requirements of the target dragonfly species · Remove accumulated refuse from streams and marshes
Abandoned agricultural land	Abandoned school building	Active use and management	Flower and butterfly garden and plant nursery Wet farmland	· Butterfly food plants planting · Wet farmland restoration · Set up of plant nursery
Grassland and shrubland	Trails	Restoration management moderate intensity management	Enhancement planting at woodland fringe to woodland, use trails for conservation education	· Tree nursery · Trail maintenance works (ie maintain and enhance the existing damaged footpaths)
Secondary woodland and/ or fung shui woodland	Trails	Low-intervention management	Passive recreation, education	· Enhancement Planting · Weed removal · Trail maintenance works (ie maintain and enhance the existing damaged footpaths)
Village Areas	Abandoned village house		None other than fencing of broken village houses at Lei Uk due to public safety concern, but provide entrance gate to access the ancestral hall	· Retain all abandoned village homes and remove exotic/ invasive vegetation.

3.3.3 Other Works within Ecological Reserve

There are three villages within the Sha Lo Tung Ecological Reserve: Cheung Uk, Lei Uk and Lo Wai zoned for “Village Type Development”. Most abandoned village houses are under the ownership of the Project Proponent (Figure 2.3). Cheung Uk and Lei Uk were constructed about 300 years ago. While Sha Lo Tung Cheung Uk was confirmed to remain Grade II on 18 December 2009, Sha Lo Tung Lei Uk has been proposed as Grade III in accordance with the List of the Historic Buildings in Building Assessment (as of 17 May 2010) (http://www.amo.gov.hk/form/AAB-SM-chi.pdf). According to the CMP, the “V” zones will be preserved under “Village Preservation Zones” and retained for their cultural importance. Under the PPP (which is nature conservation-based) the abandoned village houses will not be managed in any way (including vegetation clearance), steps taken to protect the public from collapsed, dilapidated and unstable structures (Annex A2 Condition Survey Report).

According to a general inspection of the structural conditions of the village houses at Cheung Uk, Lei Uk and Lo Wai, those village houses at Cheung Uk and Lo Wai were found to be generally in fair to good condition. Further to a detailed investigation of the existing structural condition of village houses in Lei Uk Village, most of the masonry walls were collapsed and the remaining walls now in reasonable condition may further deteriorate due to lack of maintenance and cause a potential public safety risk. In view of this public safety concern, it is necessary to prevent unauthorized access to such houses. To achieve this fencing will be provided along the western edge of Lei Uk adjacent to the footpath (Figure 3.3). Getting materials to and from the village will not only involve utilising existing pathways but also the need to construct a small temporary footbridge across a narrow section of the Sha Lo Tung Stream SSSI (for location refers to Figure 3.4). This temporary footbridge will be demolished after the safety measures have been completed.

The proposed work would include the following elements:

· provision of fence (Figure 3.3) along the western side of collapsed/ dilapidated structures (ie broken wall) of the village houses at Lei Uk for public safety reason. Minimal soil excavation for the posts and fence installation will be anticipated. All of the works will be undertaken by hand tools;

· construction of a typical temporary footbridge of maximum 2.2m long and 1.5m wide across the stream within the Sha Lo Tung Stream SSSI (Figure 3.5) The footbridge will be made mainly of wooden materials and spanned over the streambed to minimise the impacts to the stream. Prefabricated timber sections will be transported near the site and hand carried to the proposed site for assembling on site. Construction of the bridge footings will involve minor excavation (dimensions of 500mm (height) x 500mm (length)). The temporary footbridge will be removed manually after the erection of fencing around Lei Uk. All of the works would be implemented using hand tools during dry seasons (November to March) only.

· minor improvement of the existing footpath to Lei Uk. The width of the existing footpath is 1-2m, which is considered sufficient for the access of workers and material and hand tools transportation, but minor improvement such as vegetation removal in certain section of the footpath may be required (to be determined on site). To facilitate the transportation of the construction materials, temporary access in the form of metal scaffolding may be formed on the areas near both sides of the existing stream where there is level difference. The extent of the temporary metal scaffolding will be confirmed on site. No vehicles except buggies for transportation of materials would be allowed within the valley.

The C&D materials from the construction of the proposed footbridge mainly come from the excavated soil for the bridge footings. It is estimated that about 1.125 cubic metres of C&D materials will be generated from the footing construction and 0.375 cubic metres of this materials will be reused as backfilling.

3.3.4 Operation and Maintenance of the Ecological Reserve

The maintenance and operation of the Ecological Reserve will follow the guidelines of the Conservation Management Plan. All functions of the components will be monitored and controlled by the Government statutory fund. Only minor works will be required during emergencies or routine maintenance. The ecological status of SLT Valley will be evaluated regularly, and additional action plans will be implemented if necessary.

3.3.5 Conservation and Ecological Benefits

The Pilot Project for Public-Private Conservation Scheme, Sha Lo Tung Valley, Tai Po is proposed to be one of the pilot projects 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 assured of long-term active conservation management in the ecologically sensitive areas currently located on private land owned by the Sha Lo Tung Development Company Ltd. (SLTDC). It should be noted that the habitat quality within Sha Lo Tung Valley is degrading due to the threats such as use of four wheel drive vehicles, hill fires, war-games and vegetation removal.

It should be noted that almost all valuable habitat within the Sha Lo Tung OZP is owned by one landowner, the SLTDC. The SLTDC intends to dedicate all ecologically sensitive land it owns in the Valley solely for conservation purposes and inject a lump sum of capital to a Government statutory fund to provide funding for long term conservation and management of the Valley. In return, SLTDC will be granted the right to develop the Multi-cultural Education Retreat and Columbarium in the less ecologically sensitive part of the project site through this Pilot Project for Public-Private Conservation Scheme.

Protection of Biodiversity

Key ecological areas, including the SSSI zones, are subject to physical damage from incompatible use (ie vehicle) and fire. There is no full time security for the site

· This Project provides a solution by having full time environmentalists/ staff present on site (Nature Interpretation Centre) to aid in preventing these damaging activities from occurring and protecting the ecological resources of the site.

Management of Biodiversity

The SSSI zone with its general 30m buffer strip around the streams is specifically to protect the habitat for dragonflies. However, there is no management in place, hence in time succession has and continues to occur, and eventually the habitat may not be suitable for many dragonflies. Management is required to maintain riparian vegetation in a suitable state and at least the adjacent abandoned agricultural land/ marshes, and provide enhancements to improve conditions. Should the stream bed and banks be disturbed, reinstatement may also be required. These habitats cannot currently be managed by government or a third party as much of the land is under private ownership. In summary, the status quo may result in the loss of this habitat.

· This Project provides a workable solution to this impasse by providing a comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (see Section 3.3.1)

Funding Arrangement

Whilst the statutory zonings on OZP imply protection, without funding for management and control activities, this zoning really only exists on paper. By allowing a compatible development in a low value and discrete area of the site, ie the Green Belt zone outside the main areas of conservation interest, the necessary seed capital for conservation management and operational funding can be secured.

· This proposal provides a workable solution to funding conservation in perpetuity without cost to Government.

Education

The Project provides a high level of educational interest through provision and operation of the Nature Interpretation Centre, through proposals to offer guided tours and school workshops, provision of information signs and volunteer work. These types of activities are particularly important in raising public awareness of the environmental value of this site, and for raising awareness of nature in general. Environmental education leads people through the stages of ignorance→ awareness→ appreciation→ understanding→ concern→ action. Providing information to school children and students is particularly important as this is when environmental attitudes are formed. Instilling a sense of pride in the environment and teaching an ethical approach to the natural world can potentially change the attitudes of the next generation towards their surroundings and choice of lifestyle.

· This Project will supply or supplement valuable environmental education to Hong Kong’s school children and tourists that can potentially change future attitudes for the better.

Ecological Benefit

The Development Site is located in area of less ecological concern (mainly shrubland grassland mosaic) and avoids all of the ecologically sensitive areas, including Country Park, SSSIs and Sha Lo Tung streams. Further to the detailed assessment presented in the following sections, no unacceptable ecological impacts during the construction and operational phases of the proposed development at Development Site and Sha Lo Tung Road are predicted.

With the implementation of the Conservation Management Plan, human disturbance 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 (details refer to Section 5 of Annex A1) will be implemented to prevent the occurrence of hill fires (regularly recorded within Sha Lo Tung Valley). Rubbish and illegal traps would also be regularly constantly removed by site managers. As a consequence, the PPP can be expected to generate ecological gain.

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 mutual agreement 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.

3.4 Development Proposal

3.4.1 Development Site

The Development Site comprises a total area of approximately 4.1 ha (but the building footprint comprises only approximately 1.27 ha). It is located in the present ‘Greenbelt’ zone just south of the Ecological Reserve (see Figure 2.2). In all past ecological studies undertaken by the SLTDC, this area was recorded as being of low ecological value, although its northern boundary edge is contiguous with the Conservation Area. While not a formally designated burial ground, the knoll has been used for over 70 years by local villagers for this purpose; six graves were identified within the Development Site and the project proponent has agreement with grave owners that all the graves will be relocated and compensated to enable the proposed concession development to be implemented successfully. The Development Site is also located outside of the Country Park and Conservation Area (Figure 3.6).

3.4.2 Development Concession

The Conservation Policy encourages the Proponent to propose a development concession on less ecologically sensitive land that will provide funds for the conservation facilities and operations. In the case of the Sha Lo Tung PPP, the development concession is in the form of a Multi-cultural Education Retreat (MCER) (a religious institutional use) and a Columbarium with 60,000 niches.

An indicative master plan for the Development Site has been prepared by the Proponent and the Concept Design Report is presented in Annex B. This plan is subject to later approval by the Town Planning Board under the Town Planning Ordinance. The plan takes into account a number of design considerations as demonstrated in the following figure:

In particular and due to the sensitivity of the Sha Lo Tung Valley and the need to minimise potential construction impacts on the stream and existing trees, the master plan for the Development Site adopts the following design considerations:

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 (ie cut slope, formed platform, pavilion and gathering area which may comprise up to approximately 0.46 ha), is approximately 1.27 ha (comprised only about 31.0% of the total site 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 ecological impacts due to construction runoff and vegetation removal on the SSSI zone are minimised. The separation of the Columbarium into four inter-connected niche structures allows each to be aligned on the eastern side of the knoll at a lower level and hence avoid extensive construction works and visual disturbance when viewed from Sha Lo Tung Road and beyond. Likewise the ancillary quarters of the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat are broken down into four linked small buildings hinged into the same side of the knoll reduce its visibility from public trails within the Valley (refer to Figures 3.7 – 3.9). 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.

With the adoption of the above considerations, the Master Plan as presented in Figure 3.7 can avoid or minimise potential water quality and ecological impacts to the stream and SSSI, as well as impacts to woodland and trees. To manage the Ecological Reserve more effectively, the Nature Interpretation Centre is located at the entrance to the Ecological Reserve and the public parking area proposed at the end of Sha Lo Tung Road. The Nature Interpretation Centre is designed as a separate facility to that of the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat and Columbarium.

3.4.3 Development Site Components

The main buildings in the Development Site are the Nature Interpretation Centre, Multi-Cultural Education Retreat and Columbarium structures which together occupy approximately 1.27 ha (including car park and major paths connecting all buildings, but not including site formation and landscape areas (ie cut slope, formed platform, pavilion and gathering area which may comprise up to approximately 0.46 ha)). The building footprint only occupies approximately 1.27 ha or 31.0% of the Development Site.

The Development Site is an integral part of the conservation proposal, as without the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat cum Columbarium, the conservation initiative envisaged under the PPP and encouraged by the Conservation Policy would never be achieved.

The Site comprises two groups of uses, namely the Nature Interpretation Centre and public parking areas which are integral parts of the Conservation Area and the Multi-Cultural Educational Retreat cum Columbarium which comprise the development concession that generate the funds for the Conservation Area. The total floor area within the Development Site is approximately 13,300 m² resulting in an overall plot ratio of around 0.32. The indicative building schedule is presented in Table 3.3.

Table 3.3 Indicative Development Schedule

No.	Items
1	Development Site Area	41,486 m^2
2	Development Site GFA	13,300 m^2
	Conservation Management Facility
3	Nature Interpretation Centre	1,700 m^2
	Development Concession
4	Multi-Cultural Education Retreat (including staff quarters)	4,800 m^2
5	Columbarium	6,800 m^2
6	Plot Ratio (approx.): Total	0.32
7	Plot Ratio (approx.): Development Concession Only (4&5 above)	0.28
8	Maximum Building Height	+212mPD
9	Number of Storeys	Maximum 4 Storeys
	Internal Transport Facilities
10	Private car parking spaces	40
11	Taxi lay-bys	2
12	Shuttle bus lay-bys	4
14	Estimated Number of Workers during operation	50
15	Nature Interpretation Centre	16
16	Multi-Cultural Education Retreat (including masters, trainees and supporting staff)	34 (not more than 30 stay overnight), the quarters would accommodate the Master of the MCER, pupils and resident staff in the site and would not be used for resort purposes
	Columbarium
	Estimated Number of Visitors
17	Nature Interpretation Centre
	Normal days	About 100 per day (in 2 sessions), no visitors or staff of the Nature Interpretation Centre would stay overnight
	Festival days (Nature Interpretation Centre will be closed during Festival days)	0
18	Multi-Cultural Education Retreat
	Columbarium
	Normal days	About 50 per day
	Festival days	Max 2,500 at any one time, 7,400 per day

The preliminary Master Plan and the sections of the Nature Interpretation Centre, and Multi-Cultural Education Retreat cum Columbarium are presented in Figures 3.7 - 3.10. The proposed development comprises the following:

- The Nature Interpretation Centre with barrier-free pedestrian access linkage to Ecological Reserve;

- public parking area and private parking area at the end of Sha Lo Tung Road;

- Multi-Cultural Education Retreat including Confucius Halls & Multi-purpose Hall, ancillary Quarters and dining room/ hall (would be used by internal staff only and there would not be any restaurant for visitors), and extensive open landscaping areas; and

- Columbarium accommodating a maximum of 60,000 niches with extensive open gardens, pathways and landscaping.

Perspectives of the Nature Interpretation Centre, Multi-Cultural Education Retreat and Columbarium are presented below:

Perspective 1 - Nature Interpretation Centre & Multi-Cultural Education Retreat

Perspective 2 – Staff Quarter in the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat

Perspective 3 - Columbarium

A detailed description of each of the uses within the Development Site is as follows:

Nature Interpretation Centre

The Nature Interpretation Centre accommodates the administrative and operational functions of the conservation management and educational facilities relating to the adjoining Conservation Area. It comprises four inter-linked levels stepped down in line with the existing topography (refer to Figure 3.7). As this facility is not part of the development concession because it is essential to the conservation intent, it is located closest to the public parking area and entrance to the Ecological Reserve. The building, which will have a GFA of around 1,700m², will have a distinctive architectural design reflective of its public educational nature and which will respect its surroundings. A detailed description of uses in the Nature Interpretation Centre will be provided in the s12A Application under the Town Planning Ordinance.

Parking Area

The proposed parking area at the end of the Sha Lo Tung Road is the new termination point for the improved road, located south of (i.e. further away from compared with the existing carpark) the “SSSI” zone. As a public facility, it is designed for the parking and turnaround of cars, motorcycles, coaches, shuttle buses and service and emergency vehicles and to allow pedestrian connection between the Nature Interpretation Centre and Ecological Reserve. This new parking area is part of the required road improvement to upgrade the public road to the Valley to minimum acceptable standards and to accommodate traffic expected to the concession uses and Country Park (refer to Figure 3.7). The public parking area is contiguous with private parking provision that satisfies HKPSG requirements for the concession uses. Both parking areas will be designed, funded and formed by the Proponent. It is presumed that the management and maintenance of the parking area would be rested with the Multi-cultural Education Retreat or the conservation partner in the project.

Multi-Cultural Education Retreat

The primary objective of the Multi-cultural Education Retreat (MCER) is to provide a rural venue for promoting spiritual education and guidance operated by a registered non profit making organisation. Thereafter the MCER will be a non-profit making operation. The Retreat, which complements and is contiguous with the Columbarium use, and its structures are aligned north /south to follow the natural landform. The concession comprises two low rise structures - the main building of the MCER accommodates the main halls of worship (where previously an informal burial ground by local villagers existed), as well as facilities for lectures, seminars, library and administration, while the ancillary quarters consists of four linked buildings of 3 storeys. The ancillary quarters will provide accommodation (about 16 rooms) for masters and trainees of the retreat only. The total GFA of the whole MCER (including ancillary quarters) is around 4,800m². Again these structures are designed to be of low-impact not only in terms of construction impact but also visually. The roof structures do not exceed +205mPD (the height of the existing knoll) and are stepped down in line with the natural terrain. The design is respectful of the rural setting by minimising building bulk and height and provision of extensive new planting around the structures (see Figure 3.7). It also environmentally sensitive development in being respectful of the existing topography, having natural ventilation and being positioned southwest of existing higher value woodland adjacent to the 20m wide buffer area and country park. The MCER is accessed directly from the parking area and to the Columbarium site.

The Columbarium

The primary intention of the Columbarium is to serve the remembrance needs of inter-denominational demand in the Hong Kong community. The Columbarium, which will be operated by the SLTDC, will set a new environmentally sustainable and respectful architectural standard for ancestor remembrance in keeping with the rural setting. The Columbarium, with a total GFA of around 6,800 m², is the only source of revenue return on the upfront capital provided by the Proponent into the Government statutory fund to provide funding for the long term conservation of the Ecological Reserve.

The Columbarium will accommodate up to 60,000 niches in four pairs of inter-linked three-storey high structures with flat landscaped roofs. The structures are arranged in pairs around a quiet, landscaped garden enclosure in which water features will provide an appropriate meditative ambience and auditory context for the remembrance rituals. No effigies will be permitted to be burnt at the Columbarium with patrons instead encouraged to make fruit offerings – which is a traditional Buddhist practice. The structures are located on the lowest eastern side of the knoll so as not to be visible from the road and are linked at both ground and upper levels by paths connecting to upper and lower walkways leading to and from the new parking area at the upper end of Sha Lo Tung Road. The Columbarium environment is at a respectful distance from the MCER and separated by a shaded remembrance plaza and a landscaped open-air area to form a meeting axis and place for resting.

3.4.4 Preliminary Construction Activities of the Development Site

The major construction work for the Development Site will include the following key activities:

- Site clearance and grave relocation;

- Site formation & drainage works

- Slope stabilization works;

- Superstructure and building construction; and

- Landscaping works.

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:

· Minimise the building footprint within the Development Site, occupying only 1.27 ha of building footprint (excluded site formation and landscaping areas (ie cut slope, formed platform, pavilion and gathering area which may comprise up to approximately 0.46 ha)) out of the 4.1 ha Development Site (comprised only about 31.0% of the total site area).

· Provide a minimum of 20 m additional buffer area off the existing SSSI zone in order to further safeguard the Sha Lo Tung Stream which has been preserved by the existing generally 30 m buffer areas (designated under the SSSI zone). The construction works are hence generally of 50 m from any stream course 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 encroachment to Conservation Area and Pat Sin Leng Country Park; and

· 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.

3.4.5 Conceptual Site Formation and Construction Works for Key Infrastructure

The site formation plan is presented in Figures 3.11 and 3.12. The site office will be located in the southern part of the Development Site at a substantial distance of at least 350m from Sha Lo Tung SSSI and streams. Most formation works will involve cutting existing slopes to provide sufficient space for constructing superstructures within the Development Site. In order to avoid adverse environmental impacts to the surrounding landscape and ecology during the site formation works, the proposed construction methods will minimize the permanent and temporary cutting required.

The permanent drainage for surface runoff will be constructed along the road and water storage tank of capacity about 30 m³ will be constructed under the proposed carpark when the carpark is formed (Figure 3.7). The required size of the main storage tank has been significantly reduced by the decision to isolate, collect and discharge the access road and car park stormwater run-off within the site by pumping back to the existing system (details refer to Annex C). The storage tank will be a steel structure of minimum 30m³ capacity. It is intended to be at least 2 m deep to allow efficient access for inspection and maintenance and will incorporate a 300 mm free board in the final design. The tank will also have an orifice outlet control with inlet and outlet sluice valves for isolation and maintenance activities. The tank will also be designed to house a pump to accommodate the unlikely event that the contents of the tank are required to be pumped off-site

The sewer will be constructed along the improved Sha Lo Tung Road and will be connected to the existing public sewer at Ting Kok Road. In addition, a sewage storage tank of sufficient capacity to cater for the abrupt increase in generated sewage during festival days will also be constructed under the proposed carpark. Details of the sewage arrangement are discussed in Section 3.8.2.

It is anticipated that approximately 16,100 m³ of excavated materials will be generated and approximately 7,600 m³ filling materials will be required for the site formation works. The breakdown of estimated amount of cut / fill material of each stage of works are listed in Table 3.4. 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.

Table 3.4 The breakdown of estimated amounts of cut / fill material of each stage of works

	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Total Volume (cu. m)
Fill material (cu.m)	5,800	1,100	700	7,600
Excavated material (cu.m)	3,600	11,300	1,200	16,100

The site formation plan with the extent of cutting and filling works is shown in Figures 3.11 & 3.12. To minimize disposal of excavated material off the site area, the excavated material is designed for re-use as filling material within the site as far as possible. The excavated material should be used to form the platforms for the columbarium buildings and the associated facilities. The remaining excavated material can then be considered for re-use as top soil for the butterfly garden and tree planting proposed in the Ecological Reserve.

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 (Figure 3.11). The designated stockpile area will occupy a passing bay constructed within the first stage of construction and is located 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 to one of the Government’s public fill reception facilities, eg Tuen Mun Area 38 Fill Bank. 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.

The chemicals stored for use during building construction will include paints, varnishes and the like for application to steel, timber and plywood formwork, concrete additives, solvents and thinners, adhesive, bituminous compounds and tars. Since they will be stored in small quantities and will be properly stored, collected and treated for compliance with Waste Disposal Ordinance or Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation requirements. 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 (Figure 3.11). 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. As such, the risk of the chemical spillage to the water sensitive receivers, especially the WGG, is expected to be low. The storage area will be located at the southern side and the lower part of the Development Site to provide at least 320m buffer distance from the SSSI and Sha Lo Tung Stream.

Endeavours will be made to adopt local trimming in association with the provision of soil nailing to form the platform required for the construction of permanent structures. In-situ excavated materials will be reused as far as practical, for backfilling. In order to reduce the visual impact, the slope will be engineered as naturally as practicable. Soft landscaping solutions will be adopted for surface protection on the slopes where geotechnical conditions allow. Hard surface protection cover such as shotcrete will only be considered as the last resort. Surface protection and surface drainage are proposed to form part of the slope stabilization works. The surface protection cover aims at reducing infiltration and erosion caused by heavy rainstorms. The slope drainage system shall collect runoff from both the slope and its corresponding catchment areas and lead to convenient points of discharge beyond the limits of the slope.

For the proposed low-rise structures and buildings, different floors are proposed to rest on ground at different levels at stepped pattern. In light of the relative light weight of each floor, the foundation is expected to be raft foundation or pad footings. Superstructure construction will last for approximately 12 months and for the first 6 months this will be implemented in parallel with the Stage 3 site formation works (refer to Section 3.6.3). Works including E&M, architectural, drainage, utilities and landscaping will be conducted after the completion of site formation.

3.4.6 Proposed Temporary Drainage within Development Site during Construction Works

There are two key objectives of the temporary drainage system:

1. to ensure construction runoff entirely contained within the construction site; and

2. to ensure no construction runoff discharge to Sha Lo Tung SSSI Stream and avoid impacts to water quality and the associated aquatic fauna, in particular larval stages of the dragonfly community.

In order to achieve the objectives listed above, two separate drainage systems, including (1) Peripheral Temporary Drainage Channels and (2) Separate Temporary Drainage System for Natural Runoff, plus additional Site Hoarding and Chain-link Fence with Seal, will be provided (Figure 3.11). In according with Section 8.2.4 of Geotechnical Manual for Slopes, the design of the temporary drainage system shall be 1 in 10 years return period, after taking into account of the importance of site, a conservative approach of 1 in 20 years return period was adopted.

Peripheral Temporary Drainage Channels

During construction, to prevent the silty surface run-off discharging to the nearby environmental sensitive areas, all the surface run-off will be collected by the temporary drainage system and then discharged to the newly constructed stormwater drainage system along Sha Lo Tung Road.

A sand trap of adequate capacity and retention time is proposed to connect between the temporary drainage system within the site and the newly constructed stormwater drains beneath Sha Lo Tung Road (which will be completed in advance). All surface runoff within the site will be diverted to this sand trap before discharging from the site. During the construction stage, the clearing of sand within the sand trap will be carried out at the onset of wet season and at least once after heavy rainfall during the wet season.

Due to the lower level at the surface runoff collection point within the Development Site, the construction runoff collected by ditch/ channel within the Site will be discharged to temporary storage tanks in which a submersible pump will operate to continuously pump the surface runoff to the proposed sand trap. Dual power supply or ring main supply will be used in case of electricity breakdown. On the other hand, there is an additional spare submersible pump to ensure continuous pumping out of surface runoff when the working pump fails to work. The capacity of the spare submersible pump will be 110% of that of the working pump for contingency purpose.

Site Hoarding and Chain Link Fence with Seal

In the event of a rainstorm exceeding 1 in 20 year return period, excessive surface runoff will still be contained within the Development Site by the erection of site hoarding and chain-link fence with seal. Site hoarding and chain-link fence will be erected along the temporary drainage system enclosing the whole Development Site (refer to Figure 3.11). The foundations of the hoardings and fence should be erected firmly attached to the channel (any gaps are to be filled and cemented) in order to avoid any accidental spilling over the peripheral channel to the nearby streams. All of the excessive runoff due to heavy rainfall or overflow of storage tanks/ sand trap could be retained within the Site thereby avoiding accidental discharges into the Sha Lo Tung SSSI Stream. The erection of the hoardings should avoid any additional impacts to the existing trees.

To minimize the potential construction impact to the nearby habitats (in particular secondary woodland and wet abandoned agricultural land at the northeast of the Development Site), chain-link fence, instead of hoarding will be proposed along areas of steep slope (please refer to Figure 3.11). As the excavation work for the chain-link fence and required working area is much less than that for the hoarding, the construction impact to the nearby habitats as well as the potential impacts to the existing slopes should be greatly reduced. To further minimize the potential construction impact, the following precautionary measures or site practices will be adopted.

· Erection of chain-link fence/ hoarding shall be commenced in dry season;

· Excavation for the foundation of the chain-link fence/ hoarding will only be carried out behind the chain-link fence/ hoarding to avoid possible construction debris flowing outside the Development Site and into the existing secondary woodland and wet abandoned agricultural land at lower level;

· Prior to the excavation of the foundation of the chain-link fence/ hoarding, sand bags shall be placed in front of the chain-link fence / hoarding alignment to prevent any construction debris or construction runoff flowing into the existing secondary woodland and wet abandoned agricultural land at lower level (outside the Development Site);

· The excavated materials generated from the foundation works of the chain-link fence/ hoarding will be filled into empty sand bags immediately so as to avoid uncontrolled storage of spoil. All other sorted C&D wastes will be disposed off-site;

· Any gaps at the base of the chain-link fence/ hoarding shall be filled by sand bags or other sealing materials.

Separate Temporary Drainage System for Natural Runoff

To cater for the surface water running from the large catchment area of natural terrain at the southern and south-eastern sides to the low profile of the site, a separate temporary drainage system including catchpits and drainage pipes is proposed to direct the hinterland surface runoff without flowing across the site and resulting in any contamination due to site activities to the north side of the site.

To follow the natural topography, a temporary diversion scheme is proposed which are shown on Figure 3.11. This route would be aligned around the actual works area. If considered necessary, a strip of reinforced concrete encasement along the pipe is to be provided as to prevent any damage due to the superimposed loads. Before the permanent drainage system is in operation, this temporary pipeline will direct the hinterland surface runoff without flowing across the site. This route has been aligned in such a manner to avoid the existing trees being affected at the concerned area.

3.4.7 Tentative Construction Methods, Programme and Plant Inventory

Earthworks will only be undertaken during the dry season (November to March). Table 3.5 summarises the construction methods and plant inventory for the site formation and superstructure works at the Development Site.

Table 3.5 Construction Methods and Plant Inventory for the Site Formation and Superstructure Works (Tentative)

Development Site	Types of Works	Construction Method	Workers Required	Plant Inventory
Site Formation	Earthworks (soil excavation and filling works)	Bulk excavation will be conducted using excavator whilst hand-held tools will be used for minor trimming works. Filling works will involve placing suitable filling material on slope and proper compaction by vibrator.	8 nos.	Excavation works: 3 nos. excavators; 4 no. trucks Filling works: 1 no. Pneumatic roller
	Retaining walls	Reinforced concrete l-shaped cantilever retaining walls will be constructed at the slope toe of several areas. In addition, retaining walls will be construction at the back of each columbarium building in association with the platforms behind the buildings. There will be steel fixing, erection of formworks and concreting.	6 nos.	1 no. concrete mixer truck; 1 no. delivery truck; 1 no. concrete pumps; 1 nos. generators; 2 nos. vibratory pokers.
	Foundation works	Foundation works will follow after temporary site formation works. Shallow foundation, e.g. pad footing, will be the main type of foundation structures for the development and it shall mainly involve steel fixing and concreting.	10 nos.	1 no. concrete pump; 1 no. generator; 2 nos. vibratory poke; 1 no. bar bender and cutter
	Drainage	Trench excavation for drainage works and laying underground pipeline will be conducted using hand-held tools. Surface channels will be cast by fresh concrete.	6 nos.	1 no. excavator; 1 no. concrete mixer; 1 no. concrete pump; 1 no. vibrating poke
	Slope Improvement Works	Drilling for soil nails will be conducted using rotary drill with air as the flushing medium by portable drilling tools, followed by installation of steel bar and grouting. The approximate size of drill holes is 0.15m diameter. Portable drilling rigs will be placed on secure temporary platforms and scaffolding.	10 nos.	2 nos. drilling rigs; 2 no. air compressors (900cfm/ 14 bars); 1 no. grout pump with mixer; 1 no. generator
Superstructure Works	-	Reinforced concrete (steel fixing, erection of formwork and concreting)	16 nos.	2 nos. Mobile/Crawler cranes; 2 nos. air compressors; 1 no. concrete mixer truck; 1 no. delivery truck; 2 nos. concrete pumps; 2 nos. generators; 4 nos. vibratory pokers; 1 no. bar bender and cutter; 1 no. water pump; 1 no. submersible pump
		Steelwork (steel erection, connections, welding)	8 nos.	1 no. Mobile/Crawler Crane; 1 no. air compressor; 1 no. generator; 1 no. delivery truck

To ensure that construction traffic will operate smoothly within the Development Site and to obtain an optimal programme of the works, the Development Site will be divided into 3 sub-areas with an overall 3 stages of works (Figure 3.13). The 3 sub-areas are described as follows and the 3 stages are discussed in Section 3.6:

Sub-area 1

Sub-area 1 is located at southern side of the site in which columbarium structures are situated at various platform elevations ranging from +196.5 mPD to +206 mPD. The area of cut is more or less the same as filling.

Sub-area 2

Sub-area 2 has structures of the Multi-cultural Education Retreat, which sits on platforms at +182.0 mPD to +196.5 mPD and is located next to the 20m buffer building line boundary of the site.

Sub-area 3

Sub-area 3 including Nature Interpretation Centre and carpark is located at the western corner/ entrance & exit of the Development Site. The level difference of construction platforms of these structures is about 13 m (i.e. +185.33 mPD to +198.25 mPD).

Details of the construction programmes and construction sequence are discussed in Section 3.5. The construction period will require a total period of 42 months for the whole construction works, in which 19 months will be required for the road improvement works. Construction works will mainly arise from small powered mechanical equipment (PME) operating at the site and no piling works will be required. Earthworks will only be undertaken during the dry season (November to March).

It will be beneficial to start site preparation works before the dry season (ie in July) so that the major earthworks (soil excavation and filling) can be managed to be executed in the following dry season so that ecological impacts from the construction works can be minimised.

Daily Cleaning and Weekly Tidying of the Site including the Public Cleaning Areas will be performed. The extent of the Public Cleaning Areas required for cleaning are deemed to be within 2.5 metres on the periphery outside the barriers or hoardings.

“Daily Cleaning” includes cleaning and tidying up after work of tools, equipment, unused materials, storage areas and common areas such as passageways, daily removal of waste materials from works areas, removal of any rubbish and debris dumped into the Site by the public.

“Weekly Tidying” includes the cleansing and tidying up of the common areas and accesses, cleansing and/or re-conditioning of hoardings, barriers, guarding, lighting, signage and/or traffic cones, cleansing of external covers for plant and equipment, removal of waste and debris etc. so as to ensure that the plant and equipment, hoardings, as well as such Site as a whole, to be clean and tidy in the perspective of the general public.

3.4.8 Operation of the Development Site

During the operation of the columbarium, burning of effigies and paper offerings in the Development Site will be prohibited. Such prohibition covers all locations in the Site including the Columbarium, Multi-cultural Education Retreat and open space. 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. The total number of occupants residing on site is not expected to be more than 30. The occasional visitors to the Nature Interpretation Centre, Multi-Cultural Education Retreat cum Columbarium are expected not to be more than 200.

SLTDC will provide a shuttle bus to serve visitors to visit the columbarium which will help to reduce the traffic flow along the improved Sha Lo Tung Road. There would be two 24-seat vehicles providing shuttle service during normal day, which depending on the technology available, could be electricity driven. Extra shuttle buses will be provided subject to needs.

Regarding the operational traffic, the proposed development is expected to induce a maximum peak hour two-way traffic of 36 pcu/hour and 61 pcu/hour on a typical weekday and a Sunday, respectively (details refer to the Traffic Impact Assessment in Annex D).

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. Details of the drainage arrangement are presented in Annex C.

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.

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. There will be two classes of niches, namely Class A and Class B:

· For Class A (20,000 niches in total), the buyers may visit the columbarium at any time, but prior booking will be required during the Festive periods (Festive periods means Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals and its immediate week-ends). Passes will be issued by the proponent beforehand. Only people holding the passes will be allowed to take shuttle buses (provided by the proponent) to travel up to the columbarium. When people arrive at the columbarium, the passes have to be returned to the columbarium management office. The proponent will provide people to check passes.

· For Class B (40,000 niches in total), the buyers will not be allowed to visit the columbarium during the Festive periods. Their niches will be locked up/covered during those periods. The proponent will provide people to check for Class A passes and remind visitors at the junctions of Sha Lo Tung Road/Ting Kok Road/Fung Yuen Road.

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.

3.4.9 Risks of Landslides

The proposed Development Site is surrounded by environmentally sensitive areas such as Sha Lo Tung SSSI, Fung Yuen Valley SSSI and Pak Sing Leng Country Park. It is on high ground so there are no watercourses running through the site.

Risks of Landslides during Construction Phase

In the event of slope failure during the construction phase, site runoff which contains sand, silt or other suspended material / failure debris is the main potential environmental impact to adjacent stream habitat arising from the Development Site. The safety factors required for the design of temporary works (i.e. temporary trimming undertaken during construction which are not part of the permanent works) will be the same as those for permanent new works (as Table 1 of WBTC No. 13/99 and Geotechnical Manual for Slopes), but with regard to the conditions which are likely to exist during the life of the temporary works. Apart from observing the criteria of current geotechnical standard in design of temporary works, measures to increase the robustness of slopeworks or reduce the risk of landslides during construction within the development site will be implemented as follows:

Restrict earthwork activities within the development site such as excavation and filling to the dry season months of November to March inclusive.

Phase the works in a manner that reduces the area of exposed earthworks to a practical minimum at any time, for example the road improvement works will precede and be completed before the Development Site earthworks commence. Exposed slopes will be covered, paved or hydro-seeded as soon as possible after completion to guard against surface erosion during heavy rainfalls.

Provide, in advance of the main earthworks, a temporary drainage system comprising concrete channels and site hoardings with sand bags along the low side of the road widening works and around the perimeter of the Development Site works area to trap runoff and convey it for treatment (refer to Section 6 for details).

Provide silt and oil removal facilities in the form of oil interceptors and sand traps and convey site runoff to existing drainage outside the Development Site. Since the Development Site is below the crest of Sha Lo Tung Road, pumping of site runoff from the sumps (after passing the sand traps) will be necessary.

Reduce the volume of site runoff requiring treatment and pumping by intercepting overland natural surface run-offs from upslope hinterland areas and separately conveying these surface run-offs to existing water courses.

Carry out regular on-site inspections and spot checks by a competent geotechnical person having the authority to stop works if the above control measures are not being implemented effectively.

Set up an emergency team comprised of project manager, site engineer, contractor’s site agent who can call up gangers to carry out emergency repair works (i.e disposal of failure debris/material) in the event of slope failure within short period of time and make sure the team members can be reached at emergency.

Where carrying out construction involving earthworks during the dry season, containing runoff within the site, treating it before discharge and diverting up slope runoff away from the site are to be put in place on site, risk of landslip within the site can be largely reduced and thus pose minimal impact to the adjacent ecological sensitive streams.

Risks of Landslides during Operation Phase

It is expected that where existing slopes within the Development Site are found to be below current safety standards, they are recommended for upgrading works that should have involved careful assessment of the geological and groundwater condition, likely modes of failure and detailed design in accordance with relevant Practice Note for Authorized Persons (PNAP) and Geotechnical Manual for Slopes with adopting a minimum factor of safety of 1.4 for these engineered slopes. With these actions, the landslide risk during operation phase should remain at required levels which are in compliance with the threshold safety standard.

Proper maintenance prevents the deterioration of slopes within the site. In addition to regular maintenance during operation, routine inspections by a chartered engineer and enhanced maintenance using prescriptive measures (GEO Report No. 56) as appropriate shall be carried out to achieve quick improvement to the stability of existing non-engineered slopes within the development site. The frequency of these routine inspections shall make reference to Geoguide 5: Guide to Slope Maintenance.

During occupation of the development buildings the risk of landslide should be very low and can be effectively reduced through good design and construction of slopeworks as well as proper maintenance.

3.5 Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement

3.5.1 Alignment of the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement

The existing Sha Lo Tung Road (approximately 2.3 km) is the only vehicular access to Sha Lo Tung Valley. It is currently a substandard road. Under the PPP it will be upgraded to the minimum requirement of a safe Single Track Access Road and with separate drainage and sewerage systems connecting the Development Site to Tai Po existing systems. Beside the general public safety requirement, road upgrading works are required to provide safe and adequate access:

· for public and private vehicles whose passengers visiting the surrounding Country Park;

· for visitors and in particular coaches and school bus visits and service vehicles to the Nature Interpretation Centre and Ecological Reserve

· for fire and other emergency vehicles;

· for shuttle bus services (on festival days) and other private vehicles servicing the Multi-cultural Education Retreat and Columbarium;

To meet the traffic demand during construction and facilitate the transportation of construction plants or raw materials to/from the Development Site, it is proposed to complete the road improvement works with drainage and sewerage systems prior to commencement of site formation works. The alignment of the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement (including proposed cut slope and potential soiling area) and the investigation boundary (for the purposes of detailed engineering investigation, the associated habitats and vegetation will not be affected) are presented in Figures 3.14 and 3.15.

The design and engineering details of the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement have been developed following the principle presented in Section 2.4. The improvement scheme is generally described Table 3.6 starting from Ting Kok Road at Chainage 0+100.

Table 3.6 Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement Scheme

Chainage	Design and Engineering details
Chainage 0+100 to 0+300 (Figure 3.16)	There are occupied lots on both sides of the road, for example, the Fung Yuen Playground, the Society for Horticulture of Hong Kong and private open storage. Other features affecting the improvement scheme are a shrine and some mature trees along the roadside behind the Society of Horticultural Hong Kong. The road in this region is relatively flat. The section of the road near Ting Kok Road is widened too cater for two-way traffic with for provision of a pedestrian crossing with traffic islands at the center of road. No geotechnical works will be required in this section of road.
Chainage 0+300 to 0+900 (Figure 3.17)	The road begins to climb at a gradient of 10% to 16%. Except at Chainage 0+300 to 0+350, there is no private or public lot near the edge of the road. The western side is woodland of conservation importance and the eastern side is generally plantation with a few rare plant species. The road will be widened towards the eastern side through cutting the uphill slopes to avoid disturbing the woodland on the western side. The cut slope will be stabilised by soil nailing so that the slope surface can be planted to maintain a green landscape after the improvement works are completed.
Chainage 0+900 to 1+150 (Figure 3.18)	In this section the gradient of the road is mostly 8% to 16%, but exceeds 16% on a small segment. This small segment will be re-graded to lower the road gradient to less than 16%. Again, the western side of the road is woodland. The eastern side is a man-made slope, which is part of the WSD Ha Hang Fresh Water Service Reservoir. Watermains run under and alongside the access road. Taking consideration of the technical feasibility of diversion of existing buried water-carrying services and the possible interruptions to these utilities due to the proposed road improvement works, the latest as-constructed drawings provided by WSD and the ecological impact on woodland along the west of the existing Sha Lo Tung Road have been critically reviewed. According to the as-constructed record plan, chainage from 1+040 to 1+118, at least one underground water pipe of 600mm diameter runs along the immediate crest of the roadside slope, which has originally been proposed to be trimmed for the widening the existing Sha Lo Tung Road. In order to avoid any disruption to the integrity of the existing 600mm water pipe, the proposed work will eliminate slope cutting, soil nailing and the diversion of the existing water main within the area allocated to WSD but confine the road improvement works to the opposite site of Sha Lo Tung Road. The alignment of the road adjacent to Ha Hang Fresh Water Service Reservoir (Covered) is proposed to shift to the west side. Further down the road with chainage from 0+985 to 1+040 where the distance between the existing Sha Lo Tung Road and the gravity wall of Ha Hang Fresh Water Service Reservoir is more than 10m, the proposed road improvement works will involve the construction of RC retaining wall founded on minipiles at western side of the existing Sha Lo Tung Road and minor trimming in association with soil nailing within the area of WSD Service Reservoir. The minor trimming works will only be considered provided that the horizontal net clearance of at least 5m is provided between the proposed soil nail and the gravity wall. This is to strike a balance between ecological/environmental protection, necessity of road widening and avoidance of any impact within WSD service reservoir.
Chainage 1+150 to 1+230 (Figure 3.18)	The gradient of the road is mostly 8% to 16% in this section, which meets TPDM requirements. The west side of the road is woodland on the downslope. The eastern side is occupied by the WSD Ha Hang Fresh Salt Service Reservoir. The Reservoir is about 10m away from the eastern edge of Sha Lo Tung Road. During site observations no watermains were identified running under or adjacent to the access road. Confirmation with WSD shall be made during detail design of the improvement works. The proposed road improvement in this section is to widen the road toward the east so as to preserve the woodland on the west side. The road will occupy part of the WSD area so discussions with WSD will be needed during the detailed design stage. Geotechnical work would involve cutting back the slope on the east side. The existing topography suggests that soil nailing may not be required. New planting will be provided on the new slope face to restore the green environment.
Chainage 1+230 to 1+540 (Figure 3.19)	The vertical gradient of the road ranges mainly from 9% to 16%, but exceeds 16% in small portions of the road. These small portions will be re-profiled to reduce the gradient to 16% maximum. There are no land lot or restrictions of land use along either side of this road section. The west side of the road is a steep downhill slope covered by grasses and shrubs. The east side is grassland extending uphill. The road would be widened towards the east side because the west side is steep downhill slope. Slope cutting will be required and will be stabilized by soil nailing. The new slope face will be planted to blend in with the surrounding landscape.
Chainage 1+540 to 2+100 (Figures 3.19 & 3.20)	The west or downhill side of the road is approximately 20 m upslope from the boundary of the Fung Yuen Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest (Fung Yuen Valley SSSI). It is mostly covered with grass at areas near the access road. There is no land usage restriction on eastern uphill grassland of the road. Stormwater channels cross beneath the access road at several locations. To ensure protection of the SSSI, the road will be widened by cutting the uphill slope. The new slope will be stabilized by soil nailing as in other parts of the improvement works. The existing facilities for natural stormwater will be modified to suit the improved access road. For example, the existing earth retaining structure serving the stormwater channel at Chainage 1+660 will be strengthened and at Chainage 1+750, a small vehicular decking may be adopted to cross over the existing channel.
Chainage 2+100 to 2+437 (Figure 3.21)	Here the access road enters Sha Lo Tung Valley. To the west is Pat Sin Leng Country Park. The small ridge to the east would be the location for the proposed Development Site. Sha Lo Tung Road would be widened towards the proposed Development Site so there would be no works within Pat Sin Leng Country Park.

There will be no direct impact to Pat Sin Leng Country Park or to the SSSIs as the road improvement works will avoid these areas. The road improvement works will lead to the loss of some woodland and plantation habitats and the details will be discussed in Section 9. However, most of the woodland with conservation interest is located on the western or downhill section of the road, thus the improvement of Sha Lo Tung Road will generally be implemented on the eastern uphill side unless there are restrictions such as woodlands of conservation interest and private lots adjacent to the road. The road will be widened mainly by cutting the eastern hill slope.

Construction wastewater is a concern that would be addressed in three ways. First is to limit the use of water in construction. For example, generation of wastewater can be avoided by using air-flushing instead of water-flushing to install soil-nails. Second is pre-treatment of waste water before discharge. An example is the use of sediment and grease traps to remove contaminants prior to discharge. Third is to avoid discharge of treated water to ecologically sensitive areas, such as Pat Sin Leng Country Park, Sha Lo Tung Valley SSSI, and Fung Yuen Valley SSSI. These three approaches would minimise impacts to surrounding habitats.

3.5.2 Proposed Temporary Drainage during Construction Works

As there is no engineered drainage system on the existing road, it is necessary to construct drainage channels along the road. In accordance with Section 8.2.4 of Geotechnical Manual for Slopes, the design of temporary drainage system was based on 1 in 20 years return period. The drainage channels will discharge the surface runoff to the existing nearby dry valleys (considered as natural drainage paths after rainfall). Several drainage culverts are present beneath the existing road. The road improvement works will require lengthening of these culverts. The hydraulic capacity will be reviewed and the culverts will be upgraded as necessary to ensure adequate design to prevent flooding on the improved road.

To prevent the discharge of silty surface run-off to the existing watercourse, an effective temporary drainage scheme will be introduced for the road improvement work. Prior to the construction, temporary hoarding shall be erected and sandbags be placed at the toe of the hoarding within the works site to prevent any silty water flowing out of the works site. As shown in Figures 3.22 and 3.23, temporary sandtraps connecting with temporary surface drainage, will be proposed at each phase of road improvement works prior to discharging into the nearest natural drainage path to avoid any excessive sediment or blockage of existing natural drainage system.

To avoid silty surface runoff discharging to the environmental sensitive area with high ecological concerns, ie Pat Sin Leng Country Park, Sha Lo Tung SSSI and Fung Yuen Valley SSSI, all the collected surface runoff during Phase 3 Road Improvement Works would be discharged to the nearest natural drainage path along Sha Lo Tung Road.

3.5.3 Tentative Construction Methods, Programme and Plant Inventory

Construction works will be undertaken only during normal working hours (ie 0700 to 1900 during Monday to Saturday (except general holidays) and no construction work will normally be carried out outside of these hours). Should evening and night works between 1900 and 0700 hrs or on public holidays (including Sundays) be required, the Contractor will submit a CNP application which will be assessed by the Noise Control Authority. Given this assumption, Figure 3.24 outlines the preliminary works programme.

It will take approximately 19 months to complete the road improvement works. For Phases 2 and 3 of the road improvement works, the slope works along these areas will be carried out in the dry season (November to March) with an aim to avoid the potential impact to the nearby protected areas like SSSI, sensitive stream courses and Pat Sin Leng Country Park. However, part of the slope work in Phase 1 will be required to be carried out during wet season.

Construction equipment must be small and compact, and easily transported along the site without using heavy lifting plants. This consideration will reduce the land area required for construction, thereby limiting disturbance to the surrounding environment, especially the Country Park and SSSIs. The equipment for soil nailing along the road and for installing minipiles for retaining walls adjacent to WSD Ha Hang Fresh Water Service Reservoir would also be small, compact and mobile. Such equipment is well suited for small working spaces. Table 3.7 summarises the construction methods and plant inventory for the site formation works at the Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement.

Table 3.7 Construction Methods and Plant Inventory for the Road Improvement Works (Tentative)

Development Site	Types of Works	Construction Method	Workers Required	Plant Inventory
Road Improvement Works (Phases 1 to 3)	Soil Nailing for man-made slopes	Drilling for soil nails will be conducted using rotary drill with air as the flushing medium by portable drilling tools and followed by installation of steel bar and grouting. The approximate size of the drill holes is 0.15m diameter. Portable drilling rigs will be placed on secure temporary platforms and scaffolding.	20 nos.	6 nos. drilling rigs; 2 nos. air compressors (900cfm); 2 nos. grout pump with mixer; 2 nos. generators
	Concrete retaining wall founded on minipiles (Phase 2 only)	Minipile will involve drilling within soil and rock using small piling rig and followed by steel bars installation and grouting. The approximate diameter of the drill holes is less than 0.3m diameter. Drilling rigs will be placed on secure temporary platforms and scaffolding. Concrete retaining structure will involve erection of formwork, steel fixing and concreting.	10 nos.	Minipile construction: 2 nos. drilling rigs; 1 no. air compressor; 1 no. generator; 1 no. grout pump with mixer RC wall construction: 1 no. concrete mixer; 1 no. concrete pump; 1 no. vibratory poke
	Earthworks	Minor excavation/trimming of soil slopes will be conducted using hand-held tools. Where necessary, small excavator will be deployed to facilitate the construction works.	4 nos.	Excavation works: 2 nos. excavators; 1 no. dump truck with grab Filling works: 1 no. vibro-compactor
	Road Works	New pavement will be constructed using hand-held tools. Hand-held breaker will be employed to demolish the existing carriageway. The construction of new pavement will involve the erection of formwork, steel fixing and concreting. Trench excavation for drainage works and other underground utilities will also be conducted using hand-held tools.	20 nos.	2 nos. breaker, 2 nos. backhoe; 2 nos. concrete mixers

The main solid waste produced is the excavated material resulting from slope cutting. The first principle in dealing with this is to minimise its generation. As described above, use of soil-nails would avoid unnecessary cutting, hence, limit unnecessary waste generation. It is anticipated that 11,000 m³ of excavated materials will be generated and 1,000 m³ filling materials will be required for the road improvement works.

Any excavated materials to be reused within the Project as fill for site formation will be stored in metal skips to ensure that no impact on the water gathering ground will arise. All unavoidable surplus excavated materials will be removed from the works area and delivered by a truck/dumper on a regular basis to one of the government’s public fill reception facilities.

Daily Cleaning and Weekly Tidying of the Site including the Public Cleaning Areas will be performed. The extent of the Public Cleaning Areas required for cleaning are deemed to be within 2.5 metres on the periphery outside the barriers or hoardings.

· “Daily Cleaning” includes cleaning and tidying up after work of tools, equipment, unused materials, storage areas and common areas such as passageways, daily removal of waste materials from works areas, removal of any rubbish and debris dumped into the Site by the public.

· “Weekly Tidying” includes the cleaning and tidying up of the common areas and accesses, cleaning and/or re-conditioning of hoardings, barriers, guarding, lighting, signage and/or traffic cones, cleaning of external covers for plant and equipment, removal of waste and debris etc. so as to ensure that the plant and equipment, hoardings, as well as such Site as a whole, to be clean and tidy.

3.5.4 Operation of the Improved Sha Lo Tung Road

Upon completion, the improved Sha Lo Tung Road would provide a Single Track Access Road of 4.5 m minimum width, in accordance with Transport Planning and Design Manual standards (TPDM, Vol. 2). Moreover, with the provision of sufficient lay-bys at 60 m intervals in accordance with TPDM standards, the proposed road improvement at Sha Lo Tung Road could accommodate 2-way traffic flows of 100 vehicles per hour.

Based on the traffic generation estimated in the TIA Report, the total estimated 2-way traffic flow at Sha Lo Tung Road for the worst case scenario (ie Sunday period) would be expected to be not more than 120 pcu/hr during the peak period (Annex D).

In addition, stormwater drainage system and twin sewerage rising mains will be present along the road.

3.6 Indicative Works Programme and Construction Sequence of the Project

The works programme of the Project is shown in Figure 3.24 and the work sequence of the Project will be undertaken as follows:

· Ecological Reserve

· Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement

· Development Site

3.6.1 Ecological Reserve

The enhancement work will be undertaken immediately the Project is agreed amongst the three partners (The SLTDC, Green Power and the Government) and the land exchange is successfully concluded, to provide the greatest conservation and ecological benefit. The Conservation Management Plan and the priority of the enhancement work shall be approved by the Government statutory fund prior to the commencement of the enhancement work. The enhancement work may last for several years subject to the regular evaluation of the effectiveness of the associated work.

The minor improvement of footpath, construction and installation of the temporary footbridge and fencing around broken village houses and structures at Lei Uk will be completed within 3 months (during dry season).

3.6.2 Road Improvement Works

Before any construction works are undertaken within the Development Site, Sha Lo Tung Road should be improved in advance.

In order to avoid the prolonged disturbance to the surrounding areas, in particular to the Water Supplies Department (WSD) Ha Hang Salt and Freshwater Service Reservoirs as well as the protected areas in the vicinity of Sha Lo Tung Road including Fung Yuen Valley SSSI, Pat Sin Leng Country Park and Sha Lo Tung SSSI, the road improvement works between Ting Kok Road and Sha Lo Tung Valley will be divided into three phases which are presented in Figure 3.22. Each phase of the road works (approximately 800m long) will be constructed generally in sequence with each will overlap at certain periods of time and take approximately 8 to 9 months.

Phase 1 Slope Improvement Works (Soil Nailing + Local Cutting)

· Phase 1 will take approximately 8 months to complete. Preparation works e.g. hoarding erection, site clearance, plants mobilization, and temporary traffic arrangement will be conducted for the first 4 months. The cutting and soil nailing works will be undertaken at the onset of the dry season (i.e. November to December);

· One-third of this section of works (near Ting Kok Road) is rather flat and no major geotechnical works will be involved; and

· The rest of this section will be widened towards the eastern side through cutting the uphill slopes to avoid disturbing the woodland on the western side. The cut slope will be stabilized by soil nailing so that the slope surface can be planted to maintain a green landscape after the improvement works are finished.

Phase 2 Slope Improvement Works (Soil Nailing + Local Cutting + Concrete Retaining Wall supported by Minipiles)

· Phase 2 will last for about 8 months and 2 months will overlap with Phase 1. This section of works will involve installation of minipiles, soil trimming and construction of retaining wall and this will be undertaken within the dry season (November to March) to avoid any contaminated surface water flowing to existing watercourse nearby.

· A portion of this section is part of WSD Ha Hang Fresh Water Service Reservoir. Watermains runs under and alongside the access road;

· In order to avoid disturbance to the existing main, the road will be widened toward the western or the downhill side of the access road. Retaining walls of around 3m height will be constructed along the west edge of the access road. These walls will be supported by minipiles so that the road improvement will not affect the stability of the downhill slope. The construction plant for minipiles is small and compact and is suitable for the limited working area; and

· Beyond the WSD Reservoir area along the road, the road would be widened towards the east side because the west side is steep downhill slope. Geotechnical works for this portion will involve soil nailing and cutting.

Phase 3 Slope Improvement Works (Soil Nailing + Local Cutting)

· The final phase of road improvement works and will start from the tenth month after commencement of works and will take approximately 9 months (starting from 11 months after commencement of works) to complete. Soil trimming and soil nailing are planned to be complete within 4 months and by the end of the dry season. The road works will then follow;

· The west of downhill side of the road is approximately 20 m from the boundary of the Fung Yuen Valley SSSI. Stormwater channels will be formed and cross beneath the access road at several locations;

· To avoid any disturbance to the SSSI, the road will be widened by cutting the uphill slope on the east side and stabilized by soil nailing as in other parts of the improvement works; and,

· The remaining portion of the access road runs between Sha Lo Tung Development site and Pat Sin Leng Country Park. This portion will be widened toward the Development Site so that there would be no works within the Country Park.

The road improvement work will take approximately 19 months to complete.

3.6.3 Development Site Construction Works

The logistic of the site are of prime importance for achieving the overall programme within the timeframe for completion. Three stages of the site formation works are proposed (see Figure 3.13) and are described as follows:

Stage 1 (approximately 6 months)

· Site clearance

· Road improvement works along western boundary

· Temporary drainage works

· Construction of transporting route and disposal facilities

· Site formation works at columbariums (Sub-area 1)

· Slope stabilization works

Stage 2 (approximately 5 months)

· Temporary drainage works

· Construction of transporting route and disposal facilities

· Site formation works at Multi-cultural Educational Retreat (Sub-area 2)

· Slope stabilization works if any

Stage 3 (approximately 6 months)

· Temporary drainage works

· Construction of transporting route and disposal facilities

· Site formation works at Nature Interpretation Centre (Sub-area 3)

· Slope stabilization works if any

The duration of each of the three stages will overlap at certain periods of time, so that the earthworks (soil excavation and filling works) will only be undertaken during the dry season (November to March). The construction works for Stages 1 to 3 will take approximately 12 months to complete.

At the beginning of the site formation works, a temporary drainage system will be introduced to prevent silty water flowing out of the works site (Figure 3.13). Sub-area 1 construction (i.e. columbarium at eastern side of the site) will take place during Stage 1 of the site formation works. A transportation route will be established in-between columbarium for transporting excavated / filling materials as well as portable construction plants. Stage 2 solely involves site formation at Sub-area 2 (i.e. Multi-cultural Education Retreat). Transportation route / disposal facilities will be constructed to connect the construction area in Stage 1. Sub-areas 3 which are quite close to the Sha Lo Tung SSSI and Stream will be carried out at a later stage (Stage 3) in order to minimise the duration of soil exposure taking place close to the SSSI and the stream. It is expected that the site formation works will be completed by the onset of the wet season which is considered to be a strong commitment to reduce the risk of water quality and ecological impacts to the adjacent SSSI and natural stream.

Superstructure construction, E&M, architectural features, drainage, utilities and landscaping will be carried out after completion of the site formation works.

3.7 Concurrent Projects

The Fung Yuen Residential Development and associated road works are currently ongoing. The project works fall within the Study Area but are expected to be completed when the current Project construction works commences and therefore no concurrent projects are anticipated.

It should also be noted that the construction of the Development Site and Sha Lo Tung Road Improvement would not be undertaken concurrently, as the existing Sha Lo Tung Road has to be improved before the construction activities of the Development can commence.

3.8 Special Arrangement during the Festival Days (during Operation Phase)

3.8.1 Visitor Arrangement

During the Ching Ming Festival and Chung Yeung Festival, 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.

Designs of the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat and Columbarium (by provision of fencing and landscape planting) will manage visitors’ activities within the site. Although Pat Sin Leng Country Park is open for public enjoyment all the time, the proposed designs will encourage visitors not to wander into the Ecological Reserve, particularly during festival days. 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:

· For Class A (20,000 niches in total), the buyers may visit the columbarium at any time, but prior booking will be required during the Festive periods (Festive periods means Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals and its immediate week-ends). Passes will be issued by the proponent beforehand. Only people holding the passes will be allowed to take shuttle buses (provided by the proponent) to travel up to the columbarium. When people arrive at the columbarium, the passes have to be returned to the columbarium management office. The proponent will provide people to check passes.

· For Class B (40,000 niches in total), the buyers will not be allowed to visit the columbarium during the Festive periods. Their niches will be locked up/covered during those periods. The proponent will provide people to check for Class A passes and remind visitors at the junctions of Sha Lo Tung Road/Ting Kok Road/Fung Yuen Road.

Further to the above arrangement, it is expected that the maximum accumulation number of visitors, within a 2 hour period, is about 2,500 and maximum 7,400 visitors per day will be allowed to enter the columbarium (the estimation of the visitor number refers to Section 7) during Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals. SLTDC will restrict the maximum number of visitors during Festive periods not more than 7,400 visitors per day (ie through administrative arrangement). To provide resources required for the traffic management and crowd control, including but not limited to, a maximum of 50 trained personnel (inclusive of first-aid service) will be participated, and the maximum capacity of twenty 24-seater shuttle buses (as vehicles exceeding 5.5 tons would still be restricted to use the future Sha Lo Tung road, according to Transport Department) will only be allowed to operate along Sha Lo Tung during the Festive periods. During the festival days, the proposed development is expected to induce a maximum 2-way traffic flow of 100 vehicles per hour which is the traffic flow design of the proposed road improvement at Sha Lo Tung Road.

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.

3.8.2 Sewerage Facilities Arrangement

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. No wastewater will be discharged into watercourses. It is foreseen that sewage generated would be abruptly increased during these festival days. At least 10 female W.C., 4 male W.C. and 7 male urinals are assumed to be provided in the Multi-Cultural Education Retreat and Columbarium for public use during the operation phase. The estimated maximum sewage generated during festival days is 60.8 m³/day (details refer to Section 7). This flow rate is based on a very conservative estimation which assumes that the visitors will non-stop use the sanitary facilities during the open hours (from 0900 to 1700). Nevertheless, the proposed storage tank of minimum size of 180 m³ is considerably sufficient (with 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 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.