Table of contents

 

11    Built Heritage Impact Assessment.. 11-1

11.1     Introduction. 11-1

11.2     Environmental Legislations, Standards and Guidelines. 11-1

11.3     Assessment Methodology. 11-3

11.4     Baseline Condition. 11-5

11.5     Evaluation of Potential Impact on Built Heritage Resources. 11-7

11.6     Mitigation Measures. 11-9

11.7     Evaluation of Residual Impact 11-12

11.8     Environmental Monitoring and Audit 11-12

11.9     Conclusion. 11-12

11.10   Bibliography. 11-13

 

 

 

11                     Built Heritage Impact Assessment

11.1               Introduction

11.1.1         According to the EIA Study Brief No. ESB-258/2013 of this Project, the cultural heritage impact assessment shall include a Built Heritage Impact Assessment (BHIA). A BHIA has thus been undertaken to provide information on the nature and extent of built heritage impacts arising from both construction and operation of the Project and related activities that take place concurrently. This assessment is to identify any negative impacts on built heritage resources and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts.

11.2               Environmental Legislations, Standards and Guidelines

11.2.1         Legislations, Standards and Guidelines relevant to the consideration of Cultural Heritage Impact of the Project include the following:

l   Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 499);

l   Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (Cap. 53);

l   Assessment of 1444 Historic Buildings;

l   Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment; and

l   Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG).

Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance

11.2.2         According to the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO), Schedule 1 – Interpretation, "site of cultural heritage" means an antiquity or monument, whether being a place, building, site or structure or a relic, as defined in the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (Cap. 53) and any place, building, site, or structure or a relic identified by the Antiquities and Monuments Office to be of archaeological, historical or paleontological significance.

11.2.3         Annex 10 and Annex 19 of the Technical Memorandum (TM) on Environmental Impact Assessment Process under the EIAO are relevant in assessing impact on sites of cultural heritage in EIA Studies. 

11.2.4         Annex 10 of the TM has set out the criteria for assessing impact on sites of cultural heritage, which include

(i)      The general presumption in favour of the protection and conservation of all sites of cultural heritage because they provide an essential, finite and irreplaceable link between the past and the future and are points of reference and identity for culture and tradition.

(ii)     Adverse impacts on sites of cultural heritage shall be kept to the absolute minimum.

11.2.5         Annex 19 of the TM stated the guidelines for assessment of impact on sites of cultural heritage.  In general, historical or architectural value of sites of cultural heritage will be considered in deciding the relative importance of these sites.  A baseline study shall be conducted and the best information shall be assembled for the assessment of the identified sites of cultural heritage.

11.2.6         Guidance Notes for the Assessment of Impact on Sites of Cultural Heritage in Environmental Impact Assessment Studies has set out the details and assisted the understanding of the requirements under Annex 10 and Annex 19 of the TM.

Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance

11.2.7         The Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (A&MO) is provided for the preservation of objects of historical, archaeological and paleontological interest and for matters ancillary thereto or connected therewith.  It provides statutory protection to proposed monuments, declared monuments and antiquities, it also establishes the statutory procedures for the declaration of monuments and proposed monuments.

Assessment of 1444 Historic Buildings

11.2.8         The Assessment of 1444 Historic Buildings was announced by the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) in March 2009. In the Assessment, proposed grading was given to identified historic buildings to reflect their value in historical interest, architectural merit, group value, social value and local interest, authenticity, and rarity.  Since 2009, the AAB has been working on confirming the grading of the historic buildings and also considering the heritage value and grading of the new items proposed by the public for assessment.  The updated list of graded/proposed graded historic buildings can be found at “http://www.aab.gov.hk/en/aab.php”.

11.2.9         The grading proposed to the identified historic buildings is based on a grading system with the definition of grading as follows:

Grade 1: Buildings of outstanding merit, which every effort should be made to preserve if possible.

Grade 2:   Buildings of special merit; efforts should be made to selectively preserve.

Grade 3:   Buildings of some merit; preservation in some form would be desirable and alternative means could be considered if preservation is not practicable.

11.2.10     It is an administrative guideline adopted by AAB and Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) for the preservation of historic buildings with no legal effect.

Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment

11.2.11     The Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment is included as Appendix I-1 of the EIA Study Brief No. ESB-258/2013 of this Project which set out the detailed requirements in assessing impact on built heritage.

Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines

11.2.12     Under the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, Chapter 10 – Conservation, it provides some standards and guidelines for the conservation of Declared Monuments, Historic Buildings, Sites of Archaeological Interest and Other Heritage Items from the planning perspective.

11.3               Assessment Methodology

Proposed Works

11.3.1.       The Project is to provide sewage collection, treatment and disposal facilities in Po Toi O, Sai Kung.  The Project mainly comprises the following works:

(i)    Provision of village sewerage to the unsewered areas of Po Toi O.  The works involve construction of about 800m of gravity sewers and 400m of rising mains;

(ii)   Construction of a local sewage treatment plant with Average Dry Weather Flow (ADWF) of about 139m3/day; and;

(iii)  Construction of a submarine outfall of about 385m in length.

Built Heritage Impact Assessment Study Area

11.3.2.       As the scale and impact of the proposed works is relatively localised, the Study Area for Built Heritage Impact Assessment (BHIA) is defined as 50m from the work boundary of the Project, supporting facilities and essential infrastructures.  The BHIA Study Area is shown in Figure 11.1.

Methodology

11.3.3.       The BHIA was carried out in accordance with the EIA Study Brief No. ESB-258/2013, and the legislations, standards and guidelines as set out in Section 11.2.

Desktop Research

11.3.4.       Desktop research was conducted to identify the built heritage resources and their baseline information within the BHIA Study Area.  The desktop research included list of declared and proposed monuments protected by the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (Cap. 53); graded and proposed graded historic buildings/ structures/ sites announced by the Antiquities Advisory Board; government historic sites identified by the AMO; lists and archives kept in the Reference Library of AMO; publications on local historical, architectural, cultural studies; other unpublished papers, records, archival and historical documents through public libraries, archives, and the tertiary institutions; cartographic and pictorial documents and discussion with local informants. A bibliography is provided in Section 11.10 of this Report.

Field Survey

11.3.5.       As the area of Po Toi O was not well documented. A built heritage survey was conducted to identify the built heritage resources within the BHIA Study Area.  The built heritage sites should include:

(i)            All declared monuments;

(ii)          All proposed monuments:

(iii)        All buildings/ structures/ sites graded or proposed to be graded by the AAB;

(iv)        Government historic sites identified by AMO;

(v)          Buildings/ structures/ sites of high architectural / historical significance and interest which are not included in items (i) to (iv) above; and

(vi)        Cultural landscapes include places associated with historic event, activity, or person or exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic values, such as sacred religious sites, battlefields, a setting for buildings or structures of architectural or archaeological importance, historic field patterns, clan graves, old tracks, fung shui woodlands and ponds, and etc.

11.3.6.       A field scan of all the built heritage resources with photographic recording was carried out.  Historical and architectural appraisal of the built heritage resources is included in Appendix 11.2 and key plan showing the identified built heritage resources is provided in Figure 11.2.

Impact Assessment

11.3.7.       Based on the findings from Desktop Research and Field Survey, assessment has been conducted to evaluate the impact during construction and operation stages.

11.3.8.       To minimise impacts on built heritage, the principles as stated in Annex 19 of the TM of the EIAO shall be followed:- 

(i)            Preservation in totality of the built heritage features should be taken as the first priority. 

(ii)          If, due to site constraints and other factors, only preservation in part is possible, this must be fully justified with alternative proposals or layout designs which confirm the impracticability of total preservation;

(iii)        Total destruction must be taken as the very last resort in all cases and shall only be recommended with a meticulous and careful analysis balancing the interest of preserving the historical, architectural and other cultural values as against that of the community as a whole.

11.3.9.       Based on the above, direct loss, destruction or disturbance of an element of cultural heritage should be avoided as far as possible while the following impacts may still be available:-

(i)            Impact on its settings which impinge on its character through inappropriate siting or design; and

(ii)          Indirect damage to the physical fabric of historic buildings or historic landscapes through mechanical vibration.

Reporting

11.3.10.   The built heritage baseline condition, assessment of the potential impacts of the Project on built heritage resources and appropriate mitigation measures required are presented in Sections 11.4, 11.5 and 11.6 respectively in accordance with the Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment.

11.4               Baseline Condition

Historical Background

11.4.1.       Po Toi O (布袋澳) is a small fishing village at the Southern part of Clear Water Bay Peninsula, Sai Kung, New Territories.  The village is situated at a bay shaped like a sack, thus named Po Toi (meaning a "sack").  Two historical maps showing Po Toi O are appended in Appendix 11.1, these are the oldest map available in the Hong Kong Public Libraries.  It showed that the shoreline of Po Toi O is more or less the same as today.

11.4.2.       At the South of Po Toi O, it is the historic Joss House Bay and Fat Tong Mun; and at the West, it is the Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club.

11.4.3.       There is a Tin Hau Temple at Joss House Bay, a Grade 1 historic building, it is also called Tai Miu (大廟) as it is the largest scale Tin Hau Temple in Hong Kong.  Nearby, there is also a Rock Inscription from the Song Dynasty which is a Declared Monument.

11.4.4.       Po Toi O was a fishing village, with the downturn of fishing industry in Hong Kong, there are only some fish breeding farms left in Po Toi O and most villagers are doing seafood restaurant and local tourism business.

11.4.5.       According to the villager, some villagers are working in the Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club since its establishment in 1982 because of the proximity to the site.

11.4.6.       Po Toi O Village is a multi-clan Recognised Indigenous Village with surnames Cheung, Chan, Chong and others.

Built Heritage Resources

11.4.7.       Based on the desktop research, there is no Declared Monuments or Proposed Monument in the Study Area described in Section 11.3.2.  One Grade 3 historic building, Hung Shing Temple is found in Po Toi O and it is the only graded historic building in the Study Area.  There is no Government Historic Sites identified by the AMO in the Study Area. 

11.4.8.       From the field survey, two Built Heritage and six Cultural Landscapes Features are identified in the Study Area and found to have some historical significance.

Table 11-1:    Summary of Identified Built Heritage Resources in the Built Heritage Impact Assessment Study Area

Type

Coding

Number

Declared Monument

(DM)

Nil

Proposed Monument

(Proposed DM)

Nil

Graded Historic Buildings

(GB)

1

Proposed Graded Historic Buildings

(PG)

Nil

Government Historic Sites

(GHS)

Nil

Built Heritages

(BH)

2

Cultural Landscape Features

(LF)

6

11.4.9.       Brief information about the identified built heritage are set out in Table 11-2 below and details with photos are provided in Appendix 11.2.

Table 11-2:    Brief Information of the Identified Built Heritage Resources

Graded Historic Buildings

GB01

Hung Shing Temple

A temple with over 350 years. Built with grey bricks with pitched roof and attached with a Communal Hall.

Built Heritages

BH01

Sir Ho Tung Recreation Centre

One storey concrete structure

BH02

House 10, Po Toi O Village

Village house in poor condition with temporary supports

Cultural Landscape Features

LF01

Grave of Ms Shek

A simple gravestone sitting under the shade of trees next to the carriageway

LF02

Shrine

A box like concrete structure with metal gate

LF03

Earth God Shrine

A shrine on a platform

LF04

Earth God Shrine

Modern structure in traditional Chinese Temple style

LF05

Earth God Shrine

Modern structure in traditional Chinese Temple style

LF06

Sea God Shrine

Three shrines in modern style are grouped together with an altar in the front.

11.5               Evaluation of Potential Impact on Built Heritage Resources

Construction Stage

11.5.1.       Based on the construction works involved in the Project, the impact on cultural heritage is mainly caused by the construction of gravity sewers and rising mains as the proposed local sewage treatment plant is located away from the identified built heritage resources. The submarine outfall is near to one of the identified built heritage resources.  Details of the impact assessments on built heritage have been evaluated and presented in Table 11-3 below.

Table 11-3:    Impact Assessment in Construction Stage

Site Code

Site Name

Figure No.

Approximate distance from the works boundary (m)

Impact assessment

Graded Historic Buildings

GB01

Hung Shing Temple

11.2

2.5

In general, the alignment will run at a distance away from the Temple to avoid adverse impact.  At the nearest point, the proposed works boundary is less than 3m from the Temple, there is potential to be affected by mechanical vibration.  Public access to the Temple should not be affected.

Built Heritage

BH01

Sir Ho Tung Recreation Centre

11.2

13.5

This structure is at a distance from the proposed works and should not be affected.

BH02

House 10, Po Toi O Village

11.2

0

The house is in poor condition and the front façade is currently supported by temporary steel frame.  The house shall not be directly affected by the proposed works but has the potential to be affected by mechanical vibration.

Cultural Landscape Features

LF01

Grave of Ms Shek

11.2

0.5

The proposed works will be carried out along the carriageway and the grave is sitting in the lawn with some other trees.  It should not be affected by the proposed works directly.  Public access to the grave may be affected.

LF02

Shrine

11.2

43

The shrine is at a distance from the proposed work, no impact to the shrine is expected.

LF03

Earth God Shrine

11.2

14.5

The shrine is up above the stair and at a distance from the proposed work, no impact to the shrine is expected.

LF04

Earth God Shrine

11.2

0

The shrine and its furnace are very close to the proposed sewerage alignment. The shrine appeared to be a modern concrete structure.  It should not be directly affected but there is potential to be affected by mechanical vibration from the construction works.  Public access to the shrine will also be affected.

LF05

Earth God Shrine

11.2

4.5

The shrine is at 4.5m from the works boundary and the shrine appeared to be a modern concrete structure, it should not be affected by vibration from the construction works.  Public access to the shrine will be affected.

LF06

Sea God Shrine

11.2

2.5

The sewerage alignment will run along the shore. No impact to the shrine is expected.

 

The submarine outfall will start at the shore outside the shrine and the construction should avoid direct damage to the altar.

Operation Stage

11.5.2.       The village sewerage and rising mains are provided underground and will not affect the identified built heritage resources in the operation stage.  The local sewage treatment plant is located outside Po Toi O Tsuen and next to Po Toi O Chuen Road, it is at a distance and will not affect the identified built heritage resources in its operation phase.  The submarine outfall will be under the sea in its operation, it will not generate adverse impact to the identified built heritage resources either.

Cumulative Impacts

11.5.3.       There may be two potential concurrent projects in the area, i.e.

l   Roundabout near the minibus terminal;

l   Fish culture zone (FCZ) dredging and relocation

11.5.4.       However, there are no project with solid programme on the commencement of construction work. Thus no cumulative impacts will be generated.

11.6               Mitigation Measures

Construction Stage

11.6.1.       With the above assessment of impacts on the identified built heritage resources, mitigation measures are recommended for the construction phase.  Where vibration monitoring is required, vibration generated from the construction works should not exceed 10mm/s.

Table 11-4:    Mitigation Measures in Construction Stage

Site Code

Site Name

Figure No.

Page No. in App 11.2

Approximate distance from works boundary

Mitigation Measures

Graded Historic Buildings

GB01

Hung Shing Temple

11.2

1-3

2.5

Condition survey should be carried out by professional qualified building surveyor or engineer to record the existing condition of the Temple and report for this Graded Historic Building has to be submitted to AMO for comment before the commencement of works.

 

Vibration and settlement monitoring is suggested to prevent the Temple from mechanical vibration.

 

As the Temple is close to the construction works, a protective covering on a movable fence should be provided to prevent direct impact from the machine or dirt from the construction works.

Built Heritages

BH01

Sir Ho Tung Recreation Centre

11.2

4-5

13.5

No impact is expected and no mitigation measure is required.

BH02

House 10, Po Toi O Village

11.2

6-7

0

Condition survey should be carried out by professional qualified building surveyor or engineer to record the existing condition of the house before the commencement of works. In case further structural support is required, it should be carried out accordingly.

 

Vibration and settlement monitoring is suggested to prevent the building from damages by mechanical vibration.

 

As the building is very close to the construction works, a protective screen should be provided during that localised works to prevent damages by construction tools or waste.

 

A buffer zone of at least 1m from the proposed works should be provided as far as possible to prevent any direct and indirect impact.

Cultural Landscape Features

LF01

Grave of Ms Shek

11.2

8-9

0.5

Public access to the grave should be maintained to allow descendants to visit the grave.

As the grave is close to the construction works, a protective screen should be provided during that localised works to prevent damages by construction tools or waste.

 

A buffer zone of at least 1m from the proposed works should be provided as far as possible to prevent any direct and indirect impact.

LF02

Shrine

11.2

10-11

43

No impact is expected and no mitigation measure is required.

LF03

Earth God Shrine

11.2

12

14.5

No impact is expected and no mitigation measure is required.

LF04

Earth God Shrine

11.2

13

0

Condition survey should be carried out by professional qualified building surveyor or engineer to record the existing condition of the shrine before the commencement of works.

 

Vibration and settlement monitoring is suggested to prevent the shrine from mechanical vibration.

 

Public access to the shrine should be maintained to allow villagers to worship.

 

As the shrine is close to the construction works, a protective screen should be provided during that localised works to prevent damages by construction tools or waste.

 

A buffer zone of at least 1m from the proposed works should be provided as far as possible to prevent any direct and indirect impact.

LF05

Earth God Shrine

11.2

14

4.5

Public access to the shrine should be maintained to allow villagers to worship.

LF06

Sea God Shrine

11.2

15-17

2.5

No impact is expected and no mitigation measure is required.

Operation Stage

11.6.2.       As no impact is identified in the operation stage from the proposed Project, no mitigation measure is required.

11.7               Evaluation of Residual Impact

11.7.1.       With the implementation of the mitigation measures proposed above, no residual built heritage impact is anticipated during construction and operation phases of the Project.

11.8               Environmental Monitoring and Audit

11.8.1.       As the proposed work is close to some of the identified built heritage resources, condition survey, vibration and settlement monitoring on GB01, BH02 and LF04 are recommended to prevent indirect damage by mechanical vibration and settlement in the construction phase.  A maximum vibration level of 7.5mm/s shall be adopted for the Grade 3 Hung Shing Temple and settlement check points in the Alert/Alarm/Action limit levels at 6mm/8mm/10mm shall be adopted.  Other mitigation measures such as the provision of protective covering or protective screen is recommended to GB01, BH02, LF01 and LF04 in order to prevent damages by construction tools or waste.  Maintenance of public access is suggested for LF01, LF04 and LF05.  Besides, buffer zone of at least 1m from the works boundary should be provided for BH02, LF01 and LF04 as far as possible.

11.9               Conclusion

11.9.1.       Po Toi O was a small fishing village and developed into a seafood and tourism destination.  One Grade 3 historic building, Hung Shing Temple, was identified in the Study Area described in Section 11.3.2.  It has over 350 years history and it is still commonly worshipped today.  Besides Hung Shing Temple, two built heritages and six landscape features were identified.  They are not exceptionally historic but could be culturally connected with the local villagers.

11.9.2.       For the proposed project to provide village sewerage to the unsewered areas of Po Toi O, the alignment of sewers and rising mains proposed is inevitably closed to the existing structures; however, efforts have been made to adjust the alignment so that no identified built heritage resources will fall within the works boundary.  From the built heritage impact assessment, it is found that there is no direct damage to the built heritage resources.  With the proposed mitigation measures including condition survey, vibration and settlement monitoring, provision of protective covering or protective screen, provision of buffer zone and maintenance of public access, the potential impacts to the identified built heritage resources should be minimised and considered acceptable. 

11.10           Bibliography

AMO reference file AM98-0941, Hung Shing Temple, Po Toi O.

Environmental Impact Assessment Report: Drainage Improvement in Sai Kung, EIA-101/2004

Environmental Impact Assessment Report: Proposed Extension of Public Golf Course at Kau Sai Chau Island, Sai Kung, EIA-112/2005

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