5 Noise Impact Assessment

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 This chapter presents the potential noise impacts on noise sensitive receivers during the construction and operation of the Project. All existing and planned noise sensitive receivers in the Study Area have been identified from base maps, the latest Outline Zoning Plan (OZPs), the latest Recommended Outline Development Plan (RODP), and the approved planning application, as appropriate, and were verified on site. Noise impacts due to construction of the Project and traffic induced by its operation have been assessed. As the Project would encompass sports events in the Main Stadium and the Public Sport Ground, musical events in the Main Stadium, and human activities from crowd dispersion after a major event at the Main Stadium, these activities and the induced road traffic before and after major events in the Main Stadium are potential noise sources and their potential noise impacts have been assessed. Furthermore, potential impacts arising from fixed noise sources such as building services systems and ventilation systems have also been assessed in this Chapter.

5.2 Environmental Legislation, Policies, Standards and Criteria

Construction Phase

5.2.1 Construction noise is governed by the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO), the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO), and their subsidiary requirements. A number of Technical Memoranda (TM) have been issued under the NCO and the EIAO to stipulate control approaches and criteria. Potential noise impacts on sensitive receivers could be assessed in accordance with the criteria and methodology given in the TM which are:

· TM on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM) (Annex 5, 13)

· TM on Noise from Construction Work other than Percussive Piling (GW-TM)

5.2.2 Noise impact arising from general construction activities other than percussive piling during the non-restricted hours (i.e. 07:00-19:00 hours of any day not being a Sunday or general holiday) are assessed against the noise criteria as stipulated in the EIAO-TM and reproduced in Table 5‑1.

Table 5‑1 Construction Noise Standards during Non-Restricted Hours

Uses	Noise Standards ^[1], dB(A), Leq (30 mins)
All domestic premises including temporary housing accommodation	75
Hotels and hostels	75
Educational institutions including kindergartens, nurseries and all others where unaided voice communication is required	70 65 (During examinations)

Notes:

[1] The above standards apply to uses which rely on opened windows for ventilation.

5.2.3 According to the preliminary construction programme, it is very likely that the proposed construction works would be carried out during non-restricted hours only.

Operation Phase

Road Traffic Noise

5.2.4 Table 1A of Annex 5 in the EIAO-TM defines the noise criteria for road traffic noise in term of L₁₀ (1-hour) at various noise sensitive receivers (NSRs):

· 70 dB(A) for all domestic premises including temporary housing accommodation, hotels and hostels, offices;

· 65 dB(A) for educational institutions including kindergartens, nurseries and all others where unaided voice communication is required, and places of public worship and courts of law;

· 55 dB(A) for hospital, clinics, convalescences and homes for the aged, diagnostic rooms, wards.

Notes:

[1] The above standards apply to uses that rely on opened windows for ventilation.

[2] The above standards should be viewed as the maximum permissible noise levels assessed at 1m from the external façade.

5.2.5 For the purpose of traffic noise assessment, the roads with induced traffic due to the operation of the Project are identified and included in the assessment. According to paragraph 5.(i)(a) in Appendix C of the Study Brief of the Project, the traffic noise impact shall be considered significant if the traffic noise level with the Project is greater than that without the project at the design year by 1.0 dB(A) or more.

Operational Noise from Fixed Sources

5.2.6 Fixed noise sources, such as the public address system, building services systems, and the operation of the Main Stadium, Public Sports Ground and Indoor Sports Centre for sports events are controlled under the NCO and Technical Memorandum for the Assessment of Noise from Places Other than Domestic Premises, Public Places or Construction Sites (IND-TM). More stringent criteria for assessing noise impacts from fixed plant are recommended in the EIAO-TM for planning purposes. A noise criterion of 5 dB below the appropriate acceptable noise levels (ANLs) shown in the IND-TM or the prevailing background noise levels, whichever is the lower has been adopted for the assessment of fixed noise source impact in relation to the Multi-purpose Sports Complex (MPSC) operation.

5.2.7 The Project site will be located in the developed urban areas during its operational phase. Noise measurements have been conducted for the prevailing background noise levels at representative locations. The locations and justifications for selecting these locations shall be discussed in Sections 5.3 & 5.4. It will be shown that the measured noise levels were higher than ANL – 5 dB (refer to Appendix 5.1A for details). Therefore ANL – 5 dB has been adopted as the criteria for the noise impact assessment for fixed sources. The ANLs for different area sensitivity ratings (ASRs) and the adopted criteria are summarized in Table 5‑2 below.

Table 5‑2 Acceptable Noise Levels and Adopted Criteria for Fixed Noise Sources

Time Period	ANL / Criteria (ANL – 5), dB(A) Leq (30 mins)
	ASR A	ASR B	ASR C
Day (07:00 to 19:00 hours)	60 / 55	65 / 60	70 / 65
Evening (19:00 to 23:00 hours)
Night (23:00 to 07:00 hours)	50 / 45	55 / 50	60 / 55

5.2.8 The ASR depends on the type of area and the degree of impact that Influencing Factors (IFs) have on the NSRs and is determined according to Table 5‑3 below. Industrial areas, major roads or the area within the boundary of Hong Kong International Airport shall be considered to be an IF.

Table 5‑3 Area Sensitivity Ratings

Type of Area containing NSR	Degree to which NSR is affected by IF
	Not Affected	Indirectly Affected	Directly Affected
(i) Rural area, including country parks or village type developments	A	B	B
(ii) Low density residential area consisting of low-rise or isolated high-rise developments	A	B	C
(iii) Urban area	B	C	C
(iv) Area other than those above	B	B	C

Noise from Music, Singing and Instrument Performing Activities

5.2.9 The approved Schedule 3 EIA report “Comprehensive Feasibility Study for the Revised Scheme of South East Kowloon Development” (AEIAR-044/2001) was conducted based on no event/activity held in the MPSC after 11 pm. The subsequent approved Schedule 3 EIA report for the Kai Tak Development (AEIAR-130/2009) specified that the acceptability of the operation of the Stadium Complex after 11 pm should be demonstrated by a noise impact assessment during its detailed design stage.

5.2.10 The NCO, EIAO-TM, and local noise guidelines do not specify any quantitative assessment criteria applicable to noise from music, singing and instrument performing activities during night-time. Noise standards from recognized national/international organizations have been reviewed and no appropriate quantitative assessment criteria have been identified for such noise at night time, i.e. 23:00 to 07:00 hours.

5.2.11 The Noise Control Guidelines issued by the Environmental Protection Department for Music, Singing and Instrument Performing Activities are referred to in this Project. As the main purpose of the Main Stadium is for sports events, the number of musical activities is anticipated to be low, i.e. no more than 20 events in a year. For musical events which will be held infrequently in the Main Stadium, noise levels from the activities (including rehearsals and main events) should not be more than 10 dB above the prevailing background noise level, as measured at one metre from the exterior building façade of any nearby NSR, between 07:00 and 23:00 hours, according to the above guidelines. For night time activities, i.e. 23:00 to 07:00 hours, noise from such activities should not be audible within any nearby noise sensitive receivers according to the same guidelines. A Places of Public Entertainment License is required for any musical activity held in the Main Stadium.

5.2.12 As there is no quantitative criterion for “not audible” events, the best way to carry out a noise assessment for a planned project such as this MPSC is to assess the noise from a similar activity. However, there is no similar venue in Hong Kong with a capacity similar to this MPSC for a night-time noise activity. Hence, it is recommended that should the future operator of this MPSC plan to hold any musical events at the Main Stadium during the night-time period (i.e. 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.), the operator is obliged to ensure that the noise impacts arising from the night-time musical events will comply with the noise requirements under the NCO.

Noise from Human Activities

5.2.13 The Project site will have direct access to the future Shatin-Central Link (SCL) Kai Tak Station and To Kwa Wan Station. According to the approved traffic impact assessment report as part of the feasibility study of MPSC (Agreement No. 9AT 034 dated November 2009), over 80% of spectators (before and after events) at MPSC are expected to use the mass transit system for transportation. The podium deck is the major crowd dispersion route for the spectators leaving the Project site. It connects those functional blocks of the sports complex as well as the parks near the Indoor Sports Centre and the Main Stadium, and is a public place.

5.2.14 In this Project, noise from human activities in public places would arise mainly from crowd dispersal after events. In Hong Kong, noise from public places (including those from human activities) is controlled under s.4 & s.5 of the NCO. Any person causes any noise which is a source of annoyance to any person commits an offence. s.4 & s.5 of the NCO are mainly enforced by the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF). In general, crowd dispersion itself is not a source of annoyance especially during daytime/evening. Similar to other crowd dispersion controls after major events in Hong Kong, it is anticipated that the HKPF shall take crowd management control measures along dispersal routes for the MPSC. In case of any misbehaviour or abnormal act in the crowd, the HKPF would take necessary and appropriate action. According to the HKPF, individual persons making specific noise e.g. shouting persistently, playing instruments, and using loudspeakers, and refusing to stop after repeated warnings might constitute an offence under s.4 of the ordinance.

5.3 Description of the Environment

5.3.1 The Project site is situated to the northwest of the runway of the former Kai Tak Airport. It is bounded by the proposed Sung Wong Toi Park and waterfront area near Ma Tau Kok to the southwest and the Central Kowloon Route (CKR) to the southeast. Both the areas on the northeast and northwest of the site are zoned for residential use.

5.3.2 Currently, the Project site and its adjacent lands are either works areas for various projects under the Kai Tak Development (KTD) or leased out as temporary car parks. Road D2 (Shing Kai Road) is a new district distributor in the KTD under construction. It dissects the Project site into two pieces and serves as the access road to the Project site during its operation phase.

5.3.3 The existing land uses on the western side of the MPSC are commercial, industrial and residential uses. This area is exposed to the heavy traffic on the existing Sung Wong Toi Road and Olympic Avenue. Upon the commencement of MPSC, Road D2 will introduce extra traffic to these roads. Moreover, the area currently accommodates more than 200 vehicle repair workshops. Along with the traffic noise, these garages are also contributing noise to the area.

5.3.4 There are planned residential areas on the northern side of the Project site, and the future Kai Tak Station is located further northeast. The ground level of the station and its vicinity is a planned Station Square. According to the “Recommended Outline Development Plan” dated November 2013 as provided in Appendix 2B, land on the residential zones fronting the Project site is designated as “shops and services” and “eating place” uses only. Land provision of such uses spread along both sides of the Station Square. The planning intention is to create a vibrant street environment. Therefore, even though the area will not be subject to significant traffic noise, there would be noise from such neighbourhood and commercial activities.

5.4 Noise Sensitive Receivers

5.4.1 In order to evaluate the noise impacts from the Project, representative noise sensitive receivers (NSRs), which rely on opened windows for ventilation, within 300m from the boundary of the Project site have been identified. Only the first layer of NSRs has been identified for assessment because this layer would provide acoustic shielding for those receivers behind.

5.4.2 The Main Stadium, Public Sports Ground and the Indoor Sport Centre are not classified as noise sensitive receivers by nature of their uses. On the other hand, as the office and hotel components of the Project will be provided with central ventilation, the traffic noise standards in the EIAO-TM do not apply to these receivers either.

5.4.3 The Study Area of 300m from the boundary of the Project site and the locations of the representative NSRs are shown in Figure 5-2. Table 5‑4 lists the representative NSRs for construction noise assessment. Referring to the Project construction programme, the construction works shall start in 2017 and are anticipated to complete by 2020/2021. For the planned NSR without any tentative schedule for completion under the latest RODP (e.g. sub-planning area 2B, 1K, 1L), it has been assumed that it would have population intake before the completion of the Project as a conservative approach and hence they have also been considered for construction phase impact assessment. After considering the time required for building design and construction work, the population intake time for those planned NSR without any tentative schedule is assumed after year 2018.

Table 5‑4 Representative Noise Sensitive Receivers for Construction Noise Assessment

NSR	Location	Land Use	Status	Max Building Height, mAG	Distance to Project Boundary, m
CN1	1 Hing Yan Streets	Residential	Existing	18	247
CN2	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	Residential	Existing	18	181
CN3	HK society for Blind Hostel	Residential	Existing	9	142
CN4	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	Residential	Existing	18	244
CN5	Sky Tower	Residential	Existing	141	224
CN6	KTD Site 1H3	Residential	Planned	105	281
^[1]CN7	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) site	Residential	Planned	95	83
^[2]CN8	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	Mixed Use	Planned	95	162
^[3]CN9	KTD Site 2B6	Residential	Planned	100	55
^[3]CN10	KTD Site 2B4	Residential	Planned	100	55
^[3]CN11	KTD Site 2B1	Mixed Use	Planned	125	54
^[3]CN12	KTD Site 1K3	Residential	Planned	125	26
^[3]CN13	KTD Site 1L3	Residential	Planned	45	74

[1] Abandoned EMSD workshop to be redeveloped into Housing Development without confirmed commencement date

[2] Abandoned Warehouse on CDA zoned land

[3] Planned land uses without confirmed commencement date.

5.4.4 Table 5‑5 lists the representative NSRs for operational noise assessment including the potential impact from the sports events and music, singing and instrument performing activities. Their locations are shown in Figure 5-2.

Table 5‑5 Representative Noise Sensitive Receivers for Operational Noise Assessment

NSR	Location	Land Use	Status	Max Building Height, mAG	ASR ^[1]
N1	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	Residential	Existing	18	B
N2	Sky Tower	Residential	Existing	141	C
PN1	KTD Site 5A4	Mixed Use	Planned	60	B
PN2	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) Site	Residential	Planned	116	B
PN3	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	Mixed Use ^[2]	Planned	96	C
PN4	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	Mixed Use ^[2]	Planned	96	C
PN5	KTD Site 2B4	Residential	Planned	100	B
PN6	KTD Site 2B3	Residential	Planned	100	B
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	Mixed Use	Planned	125	B
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	Residential	Planned	125	B
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	Residential	Planned	45	B

Note:

[1] The corresponding ASRs of the NSRs are determined based on the best available information. The ASRs determined in this report should not bind the Authority when enforcing the NCO based on the contemporary conditions.

[2] The sites are classified as Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) and the future use is uncertain at the current stage. The current uses of the sites are abandoned warehouse, industrial building, and factory. As the Project is not a new road project nor a road improvement project, off-site at-source mitigation measures are considered not feasible. Future noise sensitive uses on these sites should take into account those noise sources in the area including the Project. The assessment on these planned NSRs aims to indicate the possible noise constraints on the CDA sites for planning of any noise sensitive use within the sites.

5.4.5 The KTD area including the Project site and surrounding NSRs is considered an urban area. There are three groups of NSRs. For NSRs facing Sung Wong Toi Road and Olympic Avenue, the major background noise source is the heavy traffic on these roads. According to the latest Traffic Census, the annual average daily traffic of the section of Sung Wong Toi Road between Tam Kung Road and Kai Tak Tunnel exceeded 30,000 and hence road traffic is considered an IF directly affecting the NSRs N2, and PN3-PN4. The second group of NSRs includes the planned NSRs at the housing site (PN2) along Sung Wong Toi Road. As the NSR is located over 300m away from the above IF, the NSR is not considered to be affected by the IF and thus the ASR is classified as “B”. The third group of NSRs includes the planned residential and CDA development sites located along the future station square and Road D3. Since those NSRs are not affected by the IF, the ASR is again classified as “B”. A noise survey of the prevailing background noise levels has been conducted at the locations marked in Figure 5-2.

5.4.6 For those NSRs which are located at the residential areas next to MPSC or besides the proposed Station Square, a vibrant street environment is expected. In order to estimate the background noise levels at these locations, noise measurement was conducted at an existing site with a similar street environment. The selected location was Bridges Street at Sheung Wan, and is shown in Figure 5-3. The site consisted of high-rise residential buildings on top of shops at ground floor and was influenced by very low road traffic. As the development at Bridges Street was similar to the future development at Station Square (designated as “shops and services” and “eating place” uses at ground with high-rise residential at top), it is considered that the noise background at Bridges Street was representative of the noise environment at the future Station Square.

5.4.7 The background noise measurements were conducted at 5.5m above ground in order to simulate the future background noise level at the first level residential floor. The measurement points were at least 2m away from any structure to eliminate possible façade reflection. The measured prevailing background noise levels, together with the proposed noise criteria for fixed noise and music noise, are summarized in Table 5‑6. Since the measured 15-minute average background noise levels were higher than the measured 30-minute averages, it was considered more conservative to adopt the lowest minimum 30-minute average background noise level as the 15-minute average music noise criterion in this Project. Details of the measurement results can be found in Appendix 5.1A.

Table 5‑6 Assessment Criteria for Representative Noise Sensitive Receivers

NSR	Prevailing Background Noise Adopted, dB(A), Leq (30 mins)		Assessment Criteria, before/after 23:00,
	Day & Evening time (07:00 to 23:00 hours)	Night time (23:00 to 07:00 hours)	Fixed Noise dB(A), Leq (30 mins)	Music Noise dB(A), Leq (15 mins)
N1, PN1-PN2	65	63	60 / 50	75/not audible
N2, PN3-PN4	67	64	65 / 55	77/not audible
PN5-PN9	63	59	60 / 50	73/not audible

5.4.8 NSRs located along the roads with induced traffic due to the operation of the Project are selected for evaluating the potential traffic noise impact due to the operation of the Project and are listed in Table 5‑7. Locations of the selected NSRs, the study boundary and the road sections with induced traffic due to the Project are shown in Figure 5-4. The major traffic routes are Road D2 (Shing Kai Road), Sung Wong Toi Road, To Kwa Wan Road, and Olympic Avenue. It is considered that these routes are sufficient to evaluate the induced traffic noise impact since traffic diversion would occur at each and every road junction, causing the contribution of the induced traffic to diminish as roads/routes are further away from the MPSC and to an insignificant level at the study boundary. Road sections for the traffic noise study are shown in Figure 5-5. Photos of all existing NSRs can be found in Appendix 5.1B.

Table 5‑7 Noise Sensitive Receivers for Induced Traffic Noise Assessment

NSR	Location	Land Use	Status	Ground mPD (m)	Height of First NSR above Ground Level (m)	No. of Storeys
TN1	Sir Robert Block Health Centre	Clinic	Existing	6.1	1.2	3
TN2	Lee Kau Yan Memorial School	Educational	Existing	6.0	1.2	7
TN3	South Mansion	Residential	Existing	6.3	6.2	5
TN4	Jenford Building	Residential	Existing	6.4	6.2	3
TN5	Holy Trinity Church	Place of Public Worship	Existing	6.0	1.2	3
TN6	Parc 22	Residential	Existing	5.5	4.2	11
TN7	Sky Tower	Residential	Existing	4.8	22.9	52
TN8	HK society for Blind Hostel	Residential	Existing	4.0	1.2	3^[4]
TN9	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	Residential	Existing	4.0	4.2	4
TN10	Grand Waterfront	Residential	Existing	4.5	12.2	58
TN11	Kam Tong Building	Residential	Existing	5.3	5.2	11
TN12	Kowloon City Road No. 183	Residential	Existing	4.5	5.2	4
TN13	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	Residential	Existing	4.3	4.2	7
TN14	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	Residential	Existing	4.7	4.2	7
TN15	Po Sing Mansion	Residential	Existing	5.3	4.2	12
TN16	The Latitude	Residential	Existing	6.3	31.2	49
TN17	Trade and Industry Tower with Community Hall	Government ^[1]	Existing	5.0	11.2	18
TPN3	KTD Site 1F2	CDA-Commercial (Committed)^[2]	Planned	5.0	1.2	65
TPN4	KTD Site 1M1	CDA-Commercial (Committed)^[2]	Planned	5.0	1.2	11
TPN5	KTD Site 2A1	CDA-Commercial with sensitive uses (Committed)^[2]	Planned	6.0	1.2	31
TPN6	KTD Site 2A2	CDA-Commercial with sensitive uses (Committed)^[2]	Planned	6.0	1.2	28
TPN7	KTD Site 2A2	CDA-Commercial with sensitive uses (Committed)^[2]	Planned	6.0	1.2	28
TPN8	KTD Site 2A3	Commercial with sensitive uses (Committed)^[2]	Planned	6.0	1.2	28
TPN9	KTD Site 2A4	Commercial with sensitive uses (Committed)^[2]	Planned	6.0	1.2	25
TPN10	KTD Site 2A5	Commercial with sensitive uses (Committed)^[2]	Planned	6.0	1.2	25
TPN11	KTD Site 2A7	Commercial (Committed)^[2]	Planned	5.5	1.2	25
TPN12	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	Mixed Use (Not Committed)^[3]	Planned	5.0	6.2	31
TPN12A	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	Mixed Use (Not Committed)^[3]	Planned	5.0	6.2	31
TPN13	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	Mixed Use (Not Committed)^[3]	Planned	5.0	6.2	31
TPN14	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) Site	Residential	Planned	4.0	18.2	36
TPN15	KTD Site 5A4	Residential (Not Committed)	Planned	4.0	1.2	35
TPN16	KTD Site 5A4	Residential (Not Committed)	Planned	3.8	1.2	35
TPN17	KTD Site 3B1	Commercial with sensitive uses (Committed)^[2]	Planned	4.9	1.2	25
TPN18	KTD Site 3A6	Commercial with sensitive uses (Committed)^[2]	Planned	4.7	1.2	31
TPN19	KTD Site 1N1	Commercial (Committed)^[2]	Planned	4.6	1.2	38
TPN20	KTD Site 1N1	Commercial (Committed)^[2]	Planned	4.6	1.2	38
TPN21	KTD Site 1K2	Residential (Committed)	Planned	5.0	1.2	41
TPN22	KTD Site 1L3	Residential (Committed)	Planned	5.0	1.2	38
TPN23	KTD Site 1L3	Residential (Committed)	Planned	5.0	1.2	38
TPN24	KTD Site 1L2	Residential (Committed)	Planned	5.0	1.2	38
TPN25	KTD Site 1I3	Residential (Committed)	Planned	5.0	1.2	38
TPN26	KTD Site 1B4	Educational	Planned	5.0	6.2	6

Notes:

[1] Trade and Industry Tower with Community Hall is equipped with central ventilation and do not rely on opened windows for natural ventilation, quantitative assessment of the noise impact is therefore not necessary.

[2] Planned commercial buildings of Kai Tak Development Area will operate with central
ventilation and do not rely on opened windows for natural ventilation, quantitative assessment of the noise impact is therefore not necessary.

[3] The sites are classified as Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) and the future use is uncertain at the current stage. The current uses of the sites are abandoned warehouse, industrial building, and factory. As the Project is not a new road project nor a road improvement project, off-site at source mitigation measures is considered not appropriate. The assessment on these planned NSRs aims to indicate the possible noise constraints on the CDA sites for planning of any noise sensitive use with the sites.

[4] The building of The Hong Kong Society for the Blind will redevelop in-situ. Its future height is considered in the traffic noise assessment.

5.5 Assessment Methodology

Construction Noise

5.5.1 The construction works are planned to start in early 2017 for completion by the end of 2020/2021. The works are very likely to be carried out during non-restricted hours. The assessment methodology of construction noise impact is based on the Technical Memorandum on Noise from Construction Work other than Percussive Piling (TM-GW) which is issued under the NCO. Calculation are based on the following standard formula:

SPL = SWL – DC + FC

where

SPL – Sound Pressure Levels at receiver, in dB(A)

SWL – Sound Power Levels of Powered Mechanical Equipment (PME), in dB(A)

DC – Distance Correction, in dB(A) by DC = 20×log₁₀(D) + 8, D is the slant distance

between the NSR and noise source location in metres

FC – Façade Correction of 3 dB

5.5.2 The sound power levels in Table 3 of TM-GW have been used for the assessment. For mitigated scenario, reference was made to sound power levels of other commonly used PME and the Quality PME in the EPD website but the future contractor(s) are free to use similar types of PME with same or lower SWLs. Where no relevant sound power level (SWL) was found in the TM-GW, reference was made to the specifications of the plant available in the market and previous similar studies or from measurements taken at other sites in Hong Kong. A 10 dB reduction can be applied to the NSRs as screening correction for situation without direct line of sight to the sites.

5.5.3 Plant inventory and construction programme for the Project as presented in Appendices 5.2A and 5.2B respectively for various construction activities were developed by the Project Engineering Consultant. Appropriate on-time percentages of all items of PME were assumed and are shown in Appendix 5.2A. The Project Engineering Consultant has confirmed that the proposed plant inventories and the associated % on-time are practical and adequate for completing the works within the scheduled timeframe.

5.5.4 According to the TM-GW, all PME items required for a particular construction activity would be located at the notional source position where such activity is to be performed. The assessment was based on the cumulative SWL of PME used for each location. To predict the noise level, PME was divided into groups required for each discrete construction task. The objective was to identify those items of PME within the same group that would be in use concurrently in the worst scenario. The sound pressure level at each NSR due to each construction task was calculated based on the number of plant and the distance between the plant locations and the receiver. The noise level at each NSR was then predicted by adding up the SPLs of all concurrent construction tasks.

5.5.5 Cumulative construction noise impact has been assessed taking into account the concurrent projects in the vicinity of the Project area as shown in Table 5‑8. For those concurrent projects classified as Designated Projects, reference was made to the corresponding EIA reports or the latest Environmental Review Reports for the applications of Variations of Environmental Permits (VEPs) for the construction works activities. Based on the latest available information from Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), Planning Department (PlanD), Highways Department (HyD), and MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), the construction periods for the concurrent projects are listed in the table below.

Table 5‑8 Concurrent Projects Considered during the Construction Phase

Name of Project	Project Proponent	Construction Periods
Shatin to Central Link (SCL) - Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section	MTRCL	2011 – 2019
Kai Tak Development (KTD)	CEDD	2008 – 2019
Central Kowloon Route (CKR)	HyD	2017 – 2022

Operational Road Traffic Noise

5.5.6 Traffic noise was predicted using the methodology provided in the UK Department of Transport “Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN)” 1988. The assessment was based on the projected peak hour flows for the worst year within 15 years after operation of the Project in Year 2021. Based on the traffic forecast provided by the Project Traffic Consultant, the PM peak hour flows in Year 2036 are the maximum projected peak hour traffic flow within 15 years from the commencement of the Project. Road traffic noise levels are presented in terms of noise levels exceeded for 10% of the one-hour period during the peak traffic flow, i.e. L_10,1hr dB(A).

5.5.7 In determining whether the traffic noise impact due to the Project is considered significant, traffic noise impact arising from the traffic routes during the operation of the Project has been assessed for the design year. The traffic noise impact is considered significant if the traffic noise levels with the Project are higher than the corresponding levels without the Project in the design year of Year 2036 by 1.0 dB(A) or more. The peak hour of the traffic induced by the Project will be the hours before holding of musical events in the Main Stadium in the evening. Such peak hour will coincide with the PM peak hour (18:00 to 19:00 hours) of the general road traffic. The projected Year 2036 PM peak hour traffic flows and percentage of heavy vehicles for with and without Project scenarios were therefore adopted for the assessment and are attached in Appendix 5.3A.

5.5.8 Roads surface types in the traffic noise assessment are shown in Figure 5-9. Information about the road types with low noise road surfacing of the existing roads, CKR, and planned roads in KTD was obtained from HyD and CEDD.

Operational Noise from Fixed Sources

Spectator Noise Level Determination

5.5.9 In order to determine the unit sound power level of the spectators, i.e. the sound power level per person, noise surveys were conducted at different positions of the spectator stands of the Hong Kong Stadium during a few sports events. The distribution of spectators in each event was recorded by photographic means in order to determine the distribution of the sound sources for subsequent noise simulation.

5.5.10 An iterative process was used to determine the unit sound power level. Initially, an approximate unit sound power was used to simulate the sound level at a reference position. The unit sound power level was adjusted iteratively in order to match the measured noise level at the reference location. The detailed measurement records and justification are provided in Appendix 5.4B.

Calculation Principles of the Noise Model

5.5.11 As the noise emissions from the Main Stadium are highly complex, involving multiple sound reflections and absorption from the spectator stands and transmission through the structure and the roof of the stadium, a special acoustic modelling technique for the stadium is required. For the purpose of this noise assessment, a proprietary ray-tracing software was used. It is a 3D model that takes into account the specific building design and acoustic properties of the building components. Figure 1 to Figure 4 of Appendix 5.4A show the 3D model built using 3D SketchUp and the acoustic models built using the ray-tracing program. In the noise model, internal partitions were omitted for simplicity and only the outermost and innermost layers were modelled.

5.5.12 The acoustic model uses a ray tracing method for sound reflections. Each source is assumed to emit tens of thousands of sound rays at different directions.

5.5.13 The rays are reflected off the model surfaces to varying directions due to scattering, and with each reflection, the energy of each sound ray is reduced due to sound absorption at the point of reflection. A secondary source is assumed at each reflection point for the calculation of sound pressure levels at receivers.

5.5.14 When a ray hits a surface which allows sound transmission, the penetrated ray carries reduced energy which is dependent on the transmission loss assigned to the surface.

5.5.15 Air absorption is also included. Energy carried in the rays would gradually dissipate in the air, according to the specified temperature and humidity. In high frequency bands like 4000Hz and 8000Hz, air attenuation would be more significant^[1].

5.5.16 All calculations would stop when a pre-determined time has passed, after most energy from the sound pulse has been dissipated through various means. The total energy arrived at a receiver is summed to give the sound pressure level at the receiver.

5.5.17 Since reflections due to façade have already been taken into account by ray tracing, no façade correction is necessary in the calculations.

5.5.18 The sound transmission losses adopted in the model for the base structure, fixed roof and retractable roof are provided in Annex I of Appendix 5.4A.

5.5.19 In order to verify the validity of the simulation results of the ray-tracing program, a calibration against noise measurement results obtained in a local sports event was carried out. Details of the calibration are documented in Appendix 5.4D. The calibration indicated that the results of the ray-tracing program were close to or higher than the measured results. Hence, the simulation results should be conservative.

Sports events at Main Stadium

5.5.20 Noise produced by the spectators and the public address system were the two types of noise sources that were assessed. The spectators were modelled as 272 point sources located on the spectator stands, as shown in Figure 7 of Appendix 5.4A. They represented a full-house event of 50,000 persons in total. The sound power level per person was determined to be 85.4 dB(A), Leq (30min) through the on-site measurement of sports events held in the Hong Kong Stadium. Details are elaborated in Appendix 5.4B. The sound power frequency spectrum^[2] for “Loud” voice was adopted in the modelling. A directivity profile of the voice of human beings^[3] was used for the sources representing spectators.

5.5.21 In order to reduce the noise impact from the public address (PA) system, a distributed system of loudspeakers was adopted. It was assumed that the PA system in the Main Stadium should consist of 60 loudspeakers distributed over and directed towards the spectator stands. The directivity of the sound power of the loudspeaker is shown in Appendix 5.4E. The average sound power level for each of them shall be 104.2 dB(A) in order to produce a sound level of 70-75 dB(A) at the spectator stands. The arrangement of loudspeakers is shown in Figure 8 of Appendix 5.4A.

5.5.22 The acoustic model was used to calculate the sound levels at the façades of the closest identified representative NSRs in the Project. The locations and heights of the receivers are shown in Figure 9 of Appendix 5.4A.

Sports events at Public Sports Ground

5.5.23 The same calculation principles in assessing the noise impact due to activities held in the Main Stadium were adopted to assess the noise impact due to sport activities held in the Public Sports Ground. A few 3D images and the corresponding acoustic models of the Public Sports Ground are shown in Figure 1 to Figure 4 of Appendix 5.4C.

5.5.24 The model took into account the sound absorption of the running tracks and football field of the Public Sports Ground. It also took into account a patch of lawn (or other noise absorptive surface) on the eastern edge for further reducing sound reflection.

5.5.25 The structure and the cover of the Public Sports Ground were modelled with different sound transmission losses. The adopted specifications in the model are provided in Annex I of Appendix 5.4C.

5.5.26 For a full house event at the Public Sports Ground, the 7,000 spectators were modelled as 59 point sources located on the spectator stand, as shown in Figure 5 of Appendix 5.4C. The sound power frequency spectrum and directivity profile of spectators were the same as those for the Main Stadium. The same sound power level per person for a sports event in the Main Stadium, i.e. 85.4 dB(A), Leq (30min) was adopted for the audience in the Public Sports Ground.

5.5.27 For the purpose of this assessment, it has been assumed that the public address system shall comprise of 10 loudspeakers pointing towards the spectator stands. The directivity of the sound power of each loudspeaker is shown in Appendix 5.4E. The sound power level for each of them was taken to be 104.2 dB(A) in order to produce a sound level of 70-75 dB(A) (designed sound pressure level at spectator stand for announcement) at the audience positions. The positioning of the loudspeakers is shown in Figure 6 of Appendix 5.4C.

5.5.28 The acoustic model simulated the noise levels at the facades of the identified representative NSRs in the close vicinity of MPSC. The locations and heights of the receivers are shown in Figure 7 of Appendix 5.4C.

5.5.29 The parameters of the public address system for the Main Stadium and the Public Sports Ground are summarized in Table 5‑9. A renowned local sound system expert has been consulted for the reasonableness of the system.

Table 5‑9 Parameters of PA Systems in the Main Stadium and the Public Sports Ground Assessment

Parameters	Main Stadium	Public Sports Ground
No. of Loudspeakers	60	10
Positions and Orientations	Refer to Figure 8 of Appendix 5.4A	Refer to Figure 6 of Appendix 5.4C
Sound Power Level per Loudspeaker	104.2 dB(A)
Frequency Spectrum	Refer to Table 6 of Appendix 5.4A
Directivity of Loudspeaker	Refer to Appendix 5.4E
Sound Level at Spectator Stand	70 – 75 dB(A)

Noise from Sources of Building Services System

5.5.30 As advised by the Project’s building services engineer, a District Cooling System (DCS) shall be used for the whole MPSC. The only noise sources from the DCS would be the air handling units with the discharge fans for the air intake and exhaust. Based on a preliminary selection of air handling units by the engineer, the SWL of a discharge fan adopted in the assessment was 92 dB(A). According to a preliminary design of cooling load for the Project, 180 air handling units would be sufficient.

5.5.31 The worst-affected NSRs, which are closest to the MPSC, are chosen for calculating the noise levels due to the building services system operation. The planned locations of the air intakes/exhaust outlets are shown in Figure 5-7. The SWLs (details in Appendix 5.5) of the intakes/exhaust outlets due to the building services system operation are summarised in Table 5-10.

Table 5‑10 Average SWL for the Air Handling Unit for Different Buildings

Location	Number of Fans for Air Handling Units	Total SWL, dB(A)
Main Stadium Eastern façade	60	109.8
Main Stadium Western façade	60	109.8
Public Sports Ground	5	99.0
Indoor Sport Centre	19	104.8
Commercial Area a	18	104.6
Commercial Area b	18	104.6
Total	180

Noise from Music, Singing and Instrument Performing Activities at Main Stadium

5.5.32 In order to determine the power levels of the noise sources in similar musical performances, sound pressure levels at 1 second intervals in 1/3 Octave Bands were measured inside the Queen Elizabeth Stadium during a rock & roll/pop music event on 23 October 2015. The highest recorded 15 minutes unweighted sound pressure levels (Leq 15min) at the auditorium were shown in Figure 14 of Appendix 5.4A. Depending on the age and physical conditions of a person, the audible range for human can be from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. As the ear is less sensitive to low frequency sound, A-weighting should be applied to instrument-measured sound levels to account for the relative loudness perceived by human ears. Figure 15 of Appendix 5.4A shows the A-weighted sound pressure levels (L_Aeq 15min) in the audible frequency range. As the nearest NSR to the boundary of Main Stadium would be over 200m away, the sound pressure levels at the receivers should be further reduced.

5.5.33 Musical events may be held in 2 different settings. In Concert Setting 1, a 3-sided stage is located at the Northern end of the stadium field. In Concert Setting 2, a 4-sided stage is set up at the centre of the field. Noise assessments for both settings have been carried out.

5.5.34 Noise from the loudspeakers and noise from the audience were assessed. The audience was modelled as 272 point sources distributed on the seating area of the 2 different concert settings, as shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11 of Appendix 5.4A. The directivity of the sound power of each loudspeaker is shown in Appendix 5.4E. It has been assumed that there will be 50,000 persons in each setting. The sound power frequency spectrum and directivity profile applied to sports event assessment were adopted. Since the sound from audience and loudspeakers cannot be differentiated during a musical event, the sound power of audience cannot be determined through the noise measurement of a typical musical event. As a conservative approach, the sound power level per person in a sports event was adopted for the audience of musical events. Hence, the sound power level in terms of Leq (15min) per person was determined to be 86.8 dB(A). Details are provided in Appendix 5.4B.

5.5.35 For the purpose of this assessment, the loudspeakers were positioned and set so that most of the seating area in the 2 concert settings would receive a volume of 96.5 dB(A) or above from the loudspeakers and this sound pressure level at the seating area is already higher than the highest 15 min. noise level of 96.1 dB(A) recorded inside the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. These sound levels were considered to be sufficient for typical music concerts based on onsite measurement of music events in Hong Kong. Reference was made to the sound frequency spectrum in Table 8 of the noise assessment for the Copper Box of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park at London^[4] for the noise spectrum setting at each loudspeaker. This spectrum was found to be more conservative than the measured sound spectrum since the sound intensities at the low frequency bands were higher in the former. Details can be referred to Appendix 5.4A. The proposed locations of loudspeakers for musical events are shown in Figure 12 and Figure 13 of Appendix 5.4A respectively.

5.5.36 The parameters of musical concert loudspeakers for the 2 concert settings in the Main Stadium are summarized in Table 5‑11. A renowned local sound system expert has been consulted for the reasonableness of the parameters.

Table 5‑11 Parameters of Loudspeakers of Music Events in the Main Stadium

Parameters	Concert Setting 1	Concert Setting 2
No. of Loudspeakers	7	12
Positions and Orientations	Refer to Figure 12 of Appendix 5.4A	Refer to Figure 13 of Appendix 5.4A
Sound Power Level per Loudspeaker	Loudspeaker 1-5: 134.1 dB(A) Loudspeaker 6-7: 131.1 dB(A)	130.6 dB(A)
Frequency Spectra	Refer to Table 6 of Appendix 5.4A
Directivity of Loudspeaker	Refer to Appendix 5.4E

5.6 Acoustic Design for the Project

Acoustic Design Adopted for the Main Stadium

5.6.1 In order to reduce the noise impact arising from the Main Stadium, a basic acoustic design has been adopted for the purpose of this noise assessment. While the design will be subject to the final design of the future operator, it is the responsibility of the future operator under the Environmental Permit to provide the same or better soundproofing performance. In a nutshell, the design is to make the structure of the stadium soundproofing and complete in order to minimize sound leakage from the stadium.

5.6.2 The structure shall comprise multiple layers of concrete walls, corridors and functional rooms surrounding the stadium field. This massive structure is expected to provide significant soundproofing. The entrances of the stadium shall have special acoustic design (e.g. double acoustic doors) such that the soundproofing performance of the structure will not be compromised. Details of entrances of the main stadium are provided in Table 7 and Figure 16 of Appendix 5.4A.

5.6.3 The Main Stadium shall incorporate a retractable roof which shall comprise of four panels of equal sizes along the North-South direction. The top two panels shall be movable and the side panels shall be fixed. The maximum opening of the roof will be approximately half of the total area of the panels. When holding a sports event or music event, the roof will be opened by moving the top panels to overlay on the side panels under normal circumstances. The retractable roof, which forms part of the design of the Main Stadium, will be closed when needed. There shall be no gap between the fixed part of the roof and the structure so as to prevent noise leakage. A closed-up view of the retractable roof indicating the size of opening is shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 of Appendix 5.4A.

5.6.4 To increase the soundproofing performance of the roof, acoustic panels shall be attached underneath the fixed roof of the main stadium. The adopted sound absorption specification of the panels is listed in Table 4 of Appendix 5.4A.

Acoustic Design Adopted for the Public Sports Ground

5.6.5 The design of the Public Sports Ground includes a cover over the spectator stand to mitigate the noise from the spectators. Figure 3 and Figure 4 in Appendix 5.4C show the proposed extent of the cover.

5.6.6 To increase the soundproofing performance of the cover, sound absorption panels shall be attached underneath the entire cover. The adopted sound absorption specification of the panels is listed in Table 1 of Appendix 5.4C.

5.7 Identification of Environmental Impacts

Construction Phase

5.7.1 The major construction activity of the Project would involve piling works and pipe cap construction, foundation works, superstructure, builder works, and external works. There will be several concurrent construction projects within the construction programme of the Project including Sha Tin Central Link (SCL), Kai Tak Development (KTD), and Central Kowloon Route (CKR). Construction noise from these concurrent projects will be key noise sources to the identified NSRs under the Project.

Operation Phase

5.7.2 The Project comprises a 50,000 seat Main Stadium, a 7,000 seat Public Sports Ground, a 5,500 seat Indoor Sports Centre, and other ancillary/supporting facilities. In identifying the potential noise impact during its operation phase, the mode of operation of the MPSC has been considered.

5.7.3 According to the proposed mode of operation, no organized events would be held concurrently in the Main Stadium and the Public Sports Ground. Nonetheless, the public may be free to use the venues when there is no organized event. If an organized event is being held at the Main Stadium, community activities such as jogging, training, amateur ball games, and activities supporting the organized event (excluding rehearsal for a music event) in the Main Stadium such as warm up, hospitality, etc. may be held at the Public Sports Ground, and vice versa. When the activities are not organized, the number of people is expected to be small, and no amplifier nor loudspeakers are used. Therefore, noise from the community activities would be insignificant. No quantitative assessment is required. Even if the Main Stadium and the Indoor Sports Centre operate at the same time period, there would be at least 1 hour time lag between the opening/finishing times at these two facilities. As a result, the worst case scenario would be the noise from the 50,000-seat Main Stadium only.

5.7.4 Traffic induced by the Main Stadium would aggravate the traffic noise impact on the NSRs along the traffic routes during the operation of the Project including the existing Prince Edward Road East, To Kwa Wan Road, Sung Wong Toi Road, various local distributors, and the new Road D2. Existing and planned NSRs along these roads would be impacted by induced road traffic noise.

5.7.5 Sport activities held in the Main Stadium and Public Sports Ground would produce noise from spectators and the public address system. As the Main Stadium and the Public Sports Ground would not operate simultaneously, noise from these two facilities was assessed separately.

5.7.6 No cooling tower nor compressor unit would be used for normal operation of the Project since the District Cooling System (DCS) would be used for the whole MPSC. Exhaust fans and fresh air intake fans of the air handling units are the identified outdoor noisy plants in the Project.

5.7.7 Entertainment activities, such as musical concerts, would make use of loudspeakers with powerful bass. The spectators participated in such activities would also create noise. The Main Stadium would incorporate specific acoustic design so as to mitigate the noise impact from musical concerts held inside. The effectiveness of mitigation measures is evaluated in the following sections.

5.7.8 Noise is also produced by the crowd during its dispersion. Activities held in the Project should normally end during daytime or evening time (i.e. before 11:00 p.m.), with the possible exception for musical concerts held in the Main Stadium. Public Sports Ground and Indoor Sports Centre are common in Hong Kong. Considering the time period of their operation (normally from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.), crowd dispersion from these two facilities would not cause annoyance to nearby NSRs and should not be a concern.

5.7.9 The finishing times of operation between the Main Stadium and the Indoor Sports Centre shall be separated by more than 1 hour through the management control of the future operator. According to a crowd dispersal study, this duration will be long enough to disperse all the spectators from a full-house event held in the Main Stadium. Therefore, there should be no overlapping dispersion, and the worst scenario in terms of crowd dispersal noise would be that due to the dispersal of 50,000 persons from the Main Stadium.

5.8 Prediction and Evaluation of Environmental Impacts

Construction Noise

5.8.1 The construction of the Project would involve site preparation, piling, pile cap construction, basement construction, superstructure, builder work, external work, and landscape works. For the unmitigated scenario, the quantities and sound power levels (SWLs) of the Powered Mechanical Equipment (PME), notional distances between sources and NSRs, detailed calculations and summary of the construction noise of the Project are provided in Appendices 5.2C – 5.2F. The types, quantities, and percentages on-time of the plants have been reviewed by the Project Engineering Consultant and were confirmed to be feasible and practical for the purpose of this EIA. The locations of the construction sites of the Project and those of the concurrent projects can be found in Figure 5-1a and Figure 5-1b respectively.

5.8.2 The unmitigated construction noise impacts on the selected NSRs are shown in Table 5-12. The unmitigated construction noise levels at most NSRs would exceed the noise criterion by 1 dB to 8 dB. Mitigation measures would be required to reduce the construction noise.

Table 5‑12 Unmitigated Construction Noise Impact, dB(A)

NSR	Nature of Use	Predicted Maximum Noise Level from the Project, dB(A), Leq (30min)	Noise Criteria, Leq (30min), dB(A)	Exceedance, Leq (30min), dB
CN1	Residential	78	75	3
CN2	Residential	79	75	4
CN3	Residential	81	75	6
CN4	Residential	77	75	2
CN5	Residential	76	75	-
CN6	Residential	75	75	-
CN7	Residential	82	75	7
CN8	Mixed Use	77	75	-
CN9	Residential	81	75	6
CN10	Residential	82	75	7
CN11	Mixed Use	82	75	7
CN12	Residential	83	75	8
CN13	Residential	81	75	6

Operational Road Traffic Noise

5.8.3 Traffic noise levels have been predicted for the identified NSRs and are summarized in Table 5-13. Detailed calculation results with and without the Project are provided in Appendix 5.3B. The following paragraphs will discuss the potential noise impacts at different NSRs in this study.

Table 5‑13 Unmitigated Road Traffic Noise Impact, dB(A)

NSR	Noise Criteria dB(A), L10	Without MPSC Development dB(A), L10	With MPSC Development dB(A), L10	Difference dB(A), L10	Significant Contribution (≥1.0 dB(A))
TN1	55	84-84	84-84	0.0-0.0	N
TN2	65	81-81	81-81	0.0-0.0	N
TN3	70	83-83	83-83	0.0-0.0	N
TN4	70	84-86	84-86	0.0-0.0	N
TN5	65	83-83	83-83	0.2-0.2	N
TN6	70	78-82	79-82	0.3-0.4	N
TN7	70	72-77	73-77	0.4-0.4	N
TN8	70	71-79	71-80	0.6-0.8	N
TN9	70	79-80	79-81	0.3-0.4	N
TN10	70	71-79	71-79	0.1-0.2	N
TN11	70	72-77	72-77	0.1-0.1	N
TN12	70	76-78	76-78	0.2-0.2	N
TN13	70	74-78	74-79	0.8-0.8	N
TN14	70	76-78	76-78	0.6-0.6	N
TN15	70	78-81	79-81	0.1-0.2	N
TN16	70	76-82	76-82	0.0-0.0	N
TN17	70	70-77	70-77	0.0-0.1	N
TPN3	70	73-75	74-75	0.1-0.1	N
TPN4	70	77-79	77-79	0.0-0.0	N
TPN5	70	79-81	79-81	0.0-0.1	N
TPN6	70	79-81	79-81	0.0-0.1	N
TPN7	70	68-70	68-70	0.1-0.1	N
TPN8	70	79-81	79-81	0.0-0.1	N
TPN9	70	80-82	80-82	0.0-0.1	N
TPN10	70	80-81	80-81	0.1-0.1	N
TPN11	70	75-77	75-77	0.2-0.2	N
TPN12	70	70-78	71-79	0.9-1.0	Y
TPN12A	70	70-78	71-78	0.8-0.9	N
TPN13	70	70-78	71-79	1.0-1.0	Y
TPN14	70	61-72	59-73	-1.9-1.0	Y
TPN15	70	71-78	71-78	0.2-0.3	N
TPN16	70	72-77	72-77	0.1-0.3	N
TPN17	70	78-79	78-79	0.0-0.1	N
TPN18	70	76-83	76-83	0.0-0.0	N
TPN19	70	77-80	77-81	0.1-0.2	N
TPN20	70	67-69	67-70	0.9-1.0	Y
TPN21	70	63-68	62-68	-1.2-0.0	N
TPN22	70	61-67	61-68	0.1-0.6	N
TPN23	70	68-69	68-70	0.6-0.8	N
TPN24 (G-9/F)	70	64-66	65-67	1.1-1.6	Y
TPN24 (10-37/F)	70	68-70	69-71	0.6-0.8	N
TPN25	70	56-67	58-67	0.6-1.5	Y
TPN26	65	70-71	71-71	0.5-0.5	N

5.8.4 Existing NSRs (TN1 to TN17): The predicted noise levels at all existing NSRs (except 1/F of TN17) exceed the noise criterion of 70 dB(A) by 1 to 16 dB. However, the noise contribution to the overall noise level due to the traffic induced by the Project would be less than 1.0 dB. Therefore, the traffic noise impact on these existing sensitive receivers due to the operation of the Project is not considered significant.

5.8.5 Planned NSRs (TPN3 to TPN6, TPN8 to TPN11, TPN12A, TPN15 to TPN19, TPN23 to TPN24 (10-37/F), TPN26): The predicted noise levels at those planned NSRs exceed the noise criterion of 70 dB(A). However, the noise contribution due to the traffic induced by the Project would be less than 1.0 dB and thus the potential impact is considered insignificant.

5.8.6 Planned NSRs (TPN7, TPN22): The predicted noise levels at the two planned NSRs comply with the noise criterion of 70 dB(A) and the noise contribution due to the traffic induced by the Project would be less than 1.0 dB. No adverse traffic noise impact on these NSR is anticipated.

5.8.7 Planned NSRs (TPN20, TPN21, TPN24 (G-9/F) TPN25): Although the noise contribution due to the operation of Project is considered significant (+1.0 dB to +1.6 dB) at these NSRs, the predicted noise levels (with Project) at these NSRs comply with the 70 dB(A) noise criterion. Hence, no adverse traffic noise impact on these NSRs is envisaged with the Project and no mitigation measure would be required.

5.8.8 Planned NSRs (TPN14): The assessment results indicated that the overall increase in traffic noise levels due to the Project would be 1.0 dB(A) or more at the R(A) zoned site facing Sung Wong Toi Road. The predicted unmitigated traffic noise levels at this planned NSR would exceed the noise criterion of 70 dB(A) by 1 to 3 dB(A) for residential dwellings. This exceedance level would not create unacceptable constraints on the proposed development. Nevertheless, the Housing Department would carry out an environmental assessment study (EAS) for the proposed development at the detailed design stage. The EAS would include the required mitigation measures so that all residential flats at the site would not be exposed to road traffic noise levels above the 70 dB(A) criterion.

5.8.9 Planned NSRs (TPN12 and TPN13): The selected assessment points represent the potential noise sensitive receivers in the CDA zoned sites where the existing uses are warehouse, industrial building and factory. The planned uses for the CDA zone are not committed at this stage. The predicted traffic noise levels at the planned NSRs would exceed the noise criterion of 70 dB(A) for domestic premises at the boundary of the CDA sites directly facing Sung Wong Toi Road. The noise contribution due to the operation of the Project is considered significant since the traffic noise levels would increase by 1.0 dB or more. Notwithstanding this, for a CDA development, a planning application is required for Town Planning Broad approval. The future developers of the CDA sites would need to carry out an Environmental Assessment (EA) to support the planning application. The EA would include the required mitigation measures so that all noise sensitive receivers (NSRs) at the sites would not be exposed to road traffic noise levels above the respective criterion.

Operational Noise from Sports Events

5.8.10 Sports events will be held in the Main Stadium and Public Sports Ground. Noise from these events would consist of noise from the spectators and noise produced by the public address systems.

5.8.11 The retractable roof of the Main Stadium shall be movable along the North-South direction. As mentioned in Section 5.5, acoustic features will be adopted in the design of the Main Stadium. The unmitigated case presented in this section has assumed that the retractable roof will be fully opened and this is the preferred option for sports events to be held during the daytime and evening time period.

5.8.12 The predicted noise levels at the NSRs under such circumstances have been calculated. The maximum noise levels at these NSRs are summarized in Table 5-14 and are detailed in Appendix 5.4A.

Table 5‑14 Noise Levels from Sports Events at Main Stadium (Retractable Roof Fully Opened)

NSR	Location	*ASR	Predicted Noise Level / Assessment Criteria, dB(A), Leq (30min)
			Daytime / Evening	Night-time (11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.)
N1	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	B	23 / 60	No Night Time Sport Event in Main Stadium
N2	Sky Tower	C	48 / 65
PN1	KTD Site 5A4	B	43 / 60
PN2	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) Site	B	55 / 60
PN3	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	C	48 / 65
PN4	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	C	45 / 65
PN5	KTD Site 2B4	B	48 / 60
PN6	KTD Site 2B3	B	48 / 60
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	B	49 / 60
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	B	53 / 60
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	B	29 / 60

* Area Sensitivity Ratings refer to Table 5-2

5.8.13 With the proposed size of the opening of the retractable roof, the predicted noise levels at the identified NSRs comply with the daytime and evening time noise criteria. As all sports events held in the Main Stadium should finish before 23:00 hours, no night time noise impact is anticipated. Moreover, as mentioned in Section 5.7.3, no organized events would be held concurrently in the Main Stadium and the Public Sports Ground. Hence no cumulative impact from the two facilities is anticipated.

5.8.14 Assessment results indicated that the operation noise levels at receivers from sports events during daytime/evening time period would not be adverse even the retractable roof is in an open position.

5.8.15 Potential noise levels at representative sensitive receivers were predicted for the Public Sports Ground based on a full-house (7,000 spectators) sports event. The predicted noise levels at the NSRs are summarized in Table 5-15 and detailed in Appendix 5.4C. The results indicated that the noise levels at the NSRs would comply with the relevant noise criteria. Hence no adverse noise impact is anticipated. As no night time (after 11:00 p.m.) sports event is anticipated in the Public Sports Ground, no noise impact in the night time from the Public Sports Ground is anticipated.

Table 5‑15 Noise Levels from Sports Events at Public Sports Ground

NSR	Location	*ASR	Predicted Noise Level / Assessment Criteria, dB(A), Leq (30min)
			Daytime / Evening	Night-time (11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.)
N1	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	B	50 / 60	No Night Time Sport Event in Public Sports Ground
N2	Sky Tower	C	55 / 65
PN1	KTD Site 5A4	B	53 / 60
PN2	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) Site	B	60 / 60
PN3	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	C	58 / 65
PN4	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	C	56 / 65
PN5	KTD Site 2B4	B	59 / 60
PN6	KTD Site 2B3	B	60 / 60
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	B	57 / 60
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	B	59 / 60
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	B	51 / 60

* Area Sensitivity Ratings refer to Table 5-2

Noise from Fixed Plants

5.8.16 Assuming that the intake/exhaust fans of air handling units would be located at the worst location (closest to the nearby NSRs) for each development in the MPSC, the predicted unmitigated noise level at the worst affected NSRs are shown in Table 5‑16.

Table 5‑16 Unmitigated Fixed Plants Noise Level, dB(A)

NSR	Location	Unmitigated SPL, dB(A), Leq (30min)	Noise Criteria (Day/Night), dB(A), Leq (30min)
PN2B	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) site	62	60/50
PN5	KTD Site 2B5	58	60/50
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	58	60/50
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	60	60/50
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	58	60/50

5.8.17 Without mitigation measures, noise impact arising from the fixed plants would exceed the night-time noise criteria at all the NSRs. Mitigation measures are required to render the noise impact from the fixed plant acceptable.

Cumulative Noise Impact from Sports Events and Fixed Plant

5.8.18 As all sports events held in the Main Stadium or in the Public Sports Ground should finish before 23:00 hours, no night time noise impact is anticipated. Moreover, as mentioned in Section 5.7.3, no events would be held concurrently in the Main Stadium and the Public Sports Ground. The cumulative noise impacts from sports events and fixed plant are considered for the two scenarios, namely the sports event at the Main Stadium and the fixed plant, and the sports event at the public sports ground and the fixed plant during the daytime/evening period. The unmitigated cumulative noise levels for the two scenarios are shown in Table 5-17 and Table 5-18.

Table 5‑17 Cumulative Noise Levels from Sports Events at Main Stadium and Fixed Plant

NSR	Location	Predicted Noise Level / Assessment Criteria, dB(A), Leq (30min)
		Daytime / Evening	Night-time (11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.)
N1	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	62/60	No Night Time Sport Event in Main Stadium
N2	Sky Tower	62/65
PN1	KTD Site 5A4	62/60
PN2	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) Site	63/60
PN3	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	62/65
PN4	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	62/65
PN5	KTD Site 2B4	58/60
PN6	KTD Site 2B3	59/60
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	59/60
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	60/60
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	58/60

5.8.19 Apart from NSR N1 and planned NSR PN1 and PN2 where there would be exceedance of the noise criteria by 2-3 dB, noise levels at all the identified NSRs would comply with the relevant criteria. The main contribution to the noise exceedance would be noise from fixed plant. Noise mitigation measures for the fixed plant are considered necessary to render the impact acceptable.

Table 5‑18 Cumulative Noise Levels from Sports Events at Public Sports Ground and the Fixed Plant

NSR	Location	Predicted Noise Level / Assessment Criteria, dB(A), Leq (30min)
		Daytime / Evening	Night-time (11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.)
N1	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	62/60	No Night Time Sport Event in Public Sports Ground
N2	Sky Tower	63/65
PN1	KTD Site 5A4	62/60
PN2	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) Site	64/60
PN3	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	63/65
PN4	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	63/65
PN5	KTD Site 2B4	62/60
PN6	KTD Site 2B3	62/60
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	61/60
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	62/60
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	59/60

5.8.20 The cumulative noise impact would exceed the noise criteria by 1 to 4 dB for NSRs PN1, PN2, and PN5 to PN8. Further noise mitigation measures for the fixed plant are recommended to render the noise impact acceptable.

Noise from Music, Singing and Instrument Performing Activities

5.8.21 Although the main purpose of the Main Stadium is for sports events, musical activities such as concerts are also planned for the Main Stadium of the Project even though the frequency is expected to be low.

5.8.22 Concerts would be held in the Main Stadium with different settings. In Setting 1, a 3-sided stage is located at the northern end of the field. In Setting 2, a 4-sided stage is located at the centre of the field. Both settings have been modelled for noise impact assessment. More information of the noise modelling can be found in Section 5.5 and Appendix 5.4A.

5.8.23 Loudspeakers in concerts would produce noise with a strong bass. A typical spectrum and sound power from a musical event were adopted for the loudspeakers. Modelling results indicated that the audience under the two concert settings could receive a noise level of 96.5 dB(A) or above at most of the seating area from the loudspeakers and this level was considered to be sufficient for typical Rock & Roll concerts based on on-site sound measurement in music events in Hong Kong.

5.8.24 The predicted noise levels at the NSRs with the retractable roof fully opened have been calculated and are summarized in Table 5‑19. Further details can be found in Appendix 5.4A. Results indicated that the potential noise impact arising from musical events in the Main Stadium would comply with the daytime/evening noise criteria for all NSRs even with the retractable roof fully opened.

5.8.25 At present, there is no quantitative noise criterion for night time musical events. In order to assess the potential noise impact for such events, the most appropriate way was to carry out a noise assessment for a similar venue in Hong Kong. However, no such venue was available for such assessments. Nevertheless, specific acoustic designs (as mentioned .in Sections 5.6.1-5.6.4) will be in place at the Main Stadium to mitigate the noise. Should the future operator plan to implement any musical events at the Main Stadium during night-time period (i.e. 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.), the operator is obliged to comply with the NCO requirements.

Table 5‑19 Noise Levels from Musical Events at Main Stadium (Retractable Roof Fully Opened)

NSR	Location	Predicted Noise Level, dB(A) Leq (15 min)		Assessment Criteria, dB(A), Leq (15 min)
		Concert Setting 1	Concert Setting 2	Daytime / Evening	Night-time
N1	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	30	36	75	Not Audible
N2	Sky Tower	57	58	77
PN1	KTD Site 5A4	54	53	75
PN2	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) Site	64	70	75
PN3	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	58	58	77
PN4	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	55	55	77
PN5	KTD Site 2B4	56	57	73
PN6	KTD Site 2B3	56	57	73
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	58	58	73
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	62	61	73
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	38	41	73

Human Noise during Crowd Dispersion at Public Places

5.8.26 Noise impact due to crowd dispersion in public places during night-time has been addressed. To assess the possible annoyance from human activities including crowd dispersion during night time, local events with comparable crowd dispersal nature and scale have been reviewed. Among events each with a comparable scale of crowd and dispersal nature in Hong Kong, Chinese New Year's Eve flower had over 50,000 visitors and the events were conducted beyond mid-night. Since the operation time of the flower market event would last until early morning hours (until 4:00 a.m.), it was selected for assessing whether the noise from crowd would constitute annoyance to the nearby residents along the dispersal routes.

5.8.27 Under the NCO, enforcement of the noise causing annoyance in public places, as mentioned above, is mainly done by HKPF. Annoyance means that the noise is intolerable and should not be present from a reasonable person’s point of view considering the use of the noise sensitive receivers affected and the time. Similar to the practice in other countries, the HKPF would identify the noise source after receipt of the noise complaint. The HKPF would conduct investigation and enforce in rational manner according to the circumstances.

5.8.28 For the purpose of this planned project, two acoustic professionals with normal auditory sense were deployed to investigate the noise situation at the Victoria Park flower market. The aim was to assess whether crowd noise would cause annoyance at sensitive receiver locations. Victoria Park flower market was chosen because it had the highest visitor number among other flower markets in Hong Kong.

5.8.29 Prior to the investigation, a site survey was conducted to ascertain the accessibility of the noise sensitive receivers along the roads with special traffic arrangement near the flower market during opening of the market. Apart from a few low-rise residential buildings along Lockhart Road (between East Point Road and Cannon Street), no access could be gained. Typically, these few buildings at Lockhart Road were unaffected by traffic noise because of the special traffic arrangement and had openings at the staircase to simulate the effect of an opened window in a residential unit. A residential building at No. 541 of Lockhart Road was selected for the assessment. The road was one of the crowd dispersal routes that were closed for pedestrian access only. The assessment was conducted on 5^th and 7^th of February 2016 from 23:00 to 00:00 at 4/F of the staircase of the residential building. The assessment level at 4/F was chosen to simulate the lowest residential floor level of the planned NSRs in KTD area.

5.8.30 The perception of the acoustic professionals was that the crowd noise was audible, especially if someone paid attention to the noise at the staircase during the investigation period. No raised voice was heard during the investigation. However, the crowd noise was not considered intolerable considering the use of the noise sensitive uses affected and the time. It was found that noise from the people on the streets was not a source of annoyance to the local residents.

5.8.31 Reference was made to the noise complaint records obtained from HKPF. As shown in Table 5‑20 below, the number of complaints on noise from crowds on streets near the Chinese New Year Eve flower market at Victoria Park received by the HKPF in each of the past 5 years was rare, not to mention the number of valid complaints.

Table 5‑20 Complaint Record of Noise from Crowds on Streets

	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Total no. of noise complaint for the concerned period and locations	1	3	0	2	1
No. of Valid complaints	0	0	0	0	0

5.8.32 With the operation experience of the Hong Kong Stadium, it can be foreseen that major events at the Main Stadium of MPSC are infrequent, especially a full-house event which would require crowd dispersal after 11:00 p.m. Despite the findings of the above assessment, there would be measures to reduce the potential human noise impact.

5.9 Mitigation of Environmental Impacts

Construction Noise

5.9.1 Construction noise impact can be mitigated with the following measures:

(a) Adopt good site practice, such as throttle down or switch off equipment unused or intermittently used between works.

(b) Regular maintenance of equipment to prevent noise emission due to impair.

(c) Position mobile noisy equipment in locations away from NSRs and point the noise sources to directions away from NSRs.

(d) Use silencer or muffler for equipment.

(e) Make good use structures for noise screening.

(f) Use Quality Powered Mechanical Equipment (QPME) and quiet equipment which produces lower noise level.

(g) Erect movable noise barriers of 3m height to shed large plant equipment (breaker, backhoe, mobile crane) or hand-held items (poker, wood saw, power rammer, compactor) near low-rise NSR, with special design where necessary, e.g. with noise absorbing material or bend top. Its length should be at least five times greater than its height. The minimum surface density of the movable noise barrier is 10 kg/m². It is anticipated that a noise reduction of at least 5 dB can be achieved. Alternatively, acoustic shed/enclosure/silencer (generator, air compressor, concrete pump) or acoustic mat (piling) can be adopted. A noise reduction of 10 dB can be achieved.

(h) Carry out regular site inspection to audit the implementation of mitigation measures.

(i) Carry out noise monitoring and audit throughout the construction period.

Table 5‑21 Quality PME or Quiet Plant for Construction Work

PME	Code	Example	SWL, dB(A)
Breaker, mini-robot (mounted)	Others*	-	115
Saw, circular, wood	BSS501Z	Makita – BSS501Z^#	103
Crane, mobile (diesel)	EPD-01477	KOBELCO, CKE2500-2	104
Excavator / Loader, wheeled / tracked	EPD-01431	DOOSAN, DX225LC	103

* http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/application_for_licences/guidance/files/OtherSWLe.pdf

# Catalogue available from

http://www.makita.de/uploads/media/BSS500-B_02.pdf

5.9.2 With the use of quality PME, quiet PME, and movable noise barriers, the predicted construction noise levels at all representative NSRs are shown in Table 5‑22 below. For the mitigated scenario, the quantities and SWLs of the PME, detailed calculation and summary of the construction noise levels of the Project are provided in Appendix 5.2G – 5.2J. The results indicated that the construction noise levels at all NSRs would comply with the recommended noise criterion in EIAO-TM.

Table 5‑22 Mitigated Construction Noise Impact from the Project, dB(A)

NSR	Nature of Use	Predicted Maximum Noise Level from the Project, dB(A), Leq (30 min)	Noise Criterion, dB(A), Leq (30 min)	Exceedance, dB(A)
CN1	Residential	68	75	-
CN2	Residential	70	75	-
CN3	Residential	71	75	-
CN4	Residential	67	75	-
CN5	Residential	66	75	-
CN6	Residential	65	75	-
CN7	Residential	72	75	-
CN8	Mixed Use	68	75	-
CN9	Residential	73	75	-
CN10	Residential	73	75	-
CN11	Mixed Use	73	75	-
CN12	Residential	74	75	-
CN13	Residential	72	75	-

5.9.3 There will be totally three concurrent projects during the construction period of the Project. The total construction noise levels of the concurrent projects have been calculated. The sound power levels, corresponding notional distances, detailed calculations and summary of the construction noise levels of the concurrent projects are provided in Appendix 5.2K – 5.2N.

5.9.4 The predicted cumulative noise levels with concurrent projects can be found in Appendix 5.2P and Table 5‑23 below. Apart from the NSRs CN7, CN8, and CN13, the construction noise levels at all the NSRs would comply with the noise criterion for daytime construction activities. The detailed breakdown of the cumulative construction noise levels with exceedance at the representative NSRs are shown in Table 5‑24 below.

Table 5‑23 Cumulative Construction Noise Impact (Mitigated)

NSR	Nature of Use	Predicted Cumulative Maximum Noise Level, dB(A), Leq (30 min)	Noise Criteria, dB(A), Leq (30 min)	Exceedance, dB(A), Leq (30 min)
CN1	Residential	71	75	-
CN2	Residential	74	75	-
CN3	Residential	75	75	-
CN4	Residential	72	75	-
CN5	Residential	75	75	-
CN6	Residential	73	75	-
CN7	Residential	82	75	7
CN8	Mixed Use	82	75	7
CN9	Residential	74	75	-
CN10	Residential	73	75	-
CN11	Mixed Use	73	75	-
CN12	Residential	75	75	-
CN13	Residential	78	75	3

Table 5‑24 Breakdown of Cumulative Construction Noise Impact for the NSRs with Exceedance

NSR	Predicted Maximum Noise Level, dB(A), Leq30min			Number of Months with Exceeded Noise Level
	Cumulative	Project	Concurrent Projects
CN7	82	72	81	6
CN8	82	68	82	6
CN13	78	72	77	12

5.9.5 According to the results in Table 5‑24, the exceedance of the noise criterion would be due to other concurrent projects, and these “other concurrent projects” would have caused exceedance of the noise criterion.

Operational Road Traffic Noise

5.9.6 According to Sections 5.8.4 – 5.8.8, potential traffic noise impact due to the Project is either insignificant or the overall traffic noise levels comply with the 70 dB(A) criterion, except for the planned NSRs at the two CDA zone sites (TPN12, TPN13) and a housing site (TPN14). No adverse traffic noise impact would be induced due to the operation of the Project.

5.9.7 The existing uses of the planned NSRs TPN12 and TNP13 are warehouse, industrial buildings and factories. The existing use of the planned NSRs TPN14 is E&M Workshop. The selected assessment points represent the potential noise sensitive receivers in the CDA zoned sites and a public housing site. Assessment results indicated that the noise contribution due to the operation of the Project was significant.

5.9.8 The Housing Department would carry out an environmental assessment study (EAS) for the proposed housing development at the detailed design stage. The EAS would include the required mitigation measures so that all residential flats at the site would not be exposed to road traffic noise levels above the 70 dB(A) criterion. The planned uses of the CDA zoned sites are not committed at this stage. For a CDA development, a planning application is required for Town Planning Board approval. The future developers of the CDA sites would carry out an Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA would include the required mitigation measures so that all noise sensitive receivers (NSRs) at the site would not be exposed to road traffic noise levels above the respective criterion.

Noise from Sport Events

5.9.9 As mentioned in Section 5.5, acoustic features will be adopted in the design of the Main Stadium and Public Sports Ground and they are summarized below:

Mitigation Measures for Main Stadium

5.9.10 The structure of the stadium shall be soundproofing and complete. The entrances of the stadium shall have special acoustic design (e.g. double acoustic door) such that the soundproofing performance of the structure is not compromised. Details of entrances of the main stadium are provided in Table 7 and Figure 16 of Appendix 5.4A.

5.9.11 The gap between the base structure of the stadium and the fixed roof shall be air-tight to avoid noise leakage. Apart from the soundproofing structure and fixed roof of the main stadium, the retractable roof, which forms part of the design of the Main Stadium, shall be closed when needed. Rubber bearing or other devices with similar function shall be used to avoid the noise leakage between the fixed roof and the retractable roof. To increase the soundproofing performance of the roof, acoustic panels shall be attached underneath the fixed roof of the main stadium.

5.9.12 A distributed public address system shall be adopted with the loudspeakers directed towards the spectator stand.

5.9.13 For sports events in the Main Stadium as discussed in Section 5.8.13, the predicted operation noise levels at receivers during daytime/evening time period are within the criteria (ANL – 5 dB) even with the retractable roof fully opened. Adverse noise impact arising from sports events in the Main Stadium is not anticipated.

Mitigation Measures for Public Sports Ground

5.9.14 A cover shall be built over the spectator stand. To increase the soundproofing performance of the cover, sound absorption panels shall be attached underneath the entire cover.

5.9.15 For sports events in the Public Sports Ground as mentioned in Section 5.8.15, no adverse noise impact on NSRs is anticipated as the noise levels would comply with the relevant noise criteria for sports events during daytime/evening time period. No additional mitigation measure is required.

Noise from Fixed Plant

5.9.16 Partial enclosures and silencers shall be used to reduce noises from the fixed plant. According to the Good Practices on Ventilation system Noise Control issued by the EPD, partial enclosures and silencers can effectively reduce the noise level by 10-20 dB. A value of 15 dB was used for the noise mitigation in the calculation.

5.9.17 The mitigated noise levels were found to comply with the noise criterion at the worst-affected receivers, and hence the noise from the building services system operation should not be a concern. The noise levels at the representative NSRs are listed in Table 5-25. Detailed calculation can be found in Appendix 5.5.

Table 5‑25 Noise Levels at the Representative NSRs for Fixed Plants

NSR	Location	Mitigated SPL, dB(A), Leq (30 min)	Noise Criteria (Day/Night), dB(A), Leq (30 min)
PN2B	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) site	47	60/50
PN5	KTD Site 2B5	43	60/50
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	43	60/50
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	45	60/50
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	43	60/50

Cumulative noise impact

5.9.18 As mentioned in Section 5.9.16, noise level from the fixed plant could be effectively reduced by adoption of the above noise mitigation measures. The mitigated cumulative noise impact for the noise from a sports event in the Main Stadium and the fixed plant, and the noise from a sports event in the Public Sports Ground and the fixed plant are shown in Table 5‑26 and Table 5-27 respectively. Assessment results indicated that the cumulative noise impact on all the identified NSRs would comply with the noise criteria. No further mitigation measures are required.

Table 5‑26 Mitigated Cumulative Noise Levels from Sports Events at Main Stadium (Retractable Roof Fully Opened) and the Fixed Plant

NSR	Location	Predicted Noise Level / Assessment Criteria, dB(A), Leq (30 min)
		Daytime / Evening	Night-time (11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.)
N1	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	47/60	No Night Time Sport Event in Main Stadium
N2	Sky Tower	51/65
PN1	KTD Site 5A4	48/60
PN2	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) Site	56/60
PN3	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	51/65
PN4	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	49/65
PN5	KTD Site 2B4	49/60
PN6	KTD Site 2B3	51/60
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	50/60
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	54/60
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	44/60

Table 5‑27 Mitigated Cumulative Noise Levels from Sports Events at Public Sports Ground and the Fixed Plant

NSR	Location	Predicted Noise Level / Assessment Criteria, dB(A), Leq (30 min)
		Daytime / Evening	Night-time (11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.)
N1	Ma Tau Kok 13 Streets	52/60	No Night Time Sport Event in Public Sports Ground
N2	Sky Tower	56/65
PN1	KTD Site 5A4	54/60
PN2	Sung Wong Toi Road R(A) Site	60/60
PN3	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	58/65
PN4	Sung Wong Toi Road CDA Site	56/65
PN5	KTD Site 2B4	59/60
PN6	KTD Site 2B3	60/60
PN7	KTD Site 2B1	57/60
PN8	KTD Site 1K3	59/60
PN9	KTD Site 1L3	52/60

Noise from Music, Singing and Instrument Performing Activities

5.9.19 With the implementation of the recommended mitigation measures (Sections 5.6.1 – 5.6.4 refer), the potential noise impact arising from the musical events at the Main Stadium during daytime/evening period (i.e. 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.) would comply with the noise criteria stipulated under the Noise Control Guidelines for Music, Singing and Instrument Performing Activities. Should the future operator plan to implement any musical events at the Main Stadium during night-time period (i.e. 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.), the operator is obliged to ensure that the noise impacts arising from the said night-time musical events will comply with the noise requirements under the NCO.

Human Noise during Crowd Dispersion

5.9.20 In addition to normal dispersal routes above the podium, routes have been proposed on the ground level for directing the crowd towards the future Kai Tak Station and To Kwa Wan Station for crowd dispersion at night-time. Under such circumstances, the crowd would be directed to disperse under the podium at ground level. There would be covers above some sections of the night-time crowd dispersal routes. Such covers would partially screen the crowd dispersal routes from the planned residential sites although the covers are not to be provided as noise mitigation measures for the Project. For the crowd moving toward the Kai Tak Station, spectators would be directed to leave the site through or along the Indoor Sports Centre Building (ISCB) to reduce the exposed sections of the crowd dispersal routes. For the dispersal routes toward To Kwa Wan Station, the exit from the Project site is designed near the Sung Wong Toi Park. The proposed night-time crowd dispersal routes are presented in Figure 5-6.

5.9.21 For the crowd dispersal route to the Kai Tak Station, the exposed sections of the night-time crowd dispersal route could be further reduced if all spectators moving toward the Kai Tak Station are directed to leave the site through the ISCB. However, this alternative route is not adopted as the crowd dispersal time would be much longer due to the width constraints in the internal access of the ISCB while the operation of the car park inside the ISCB would be adversely affected.

5.9.22 For the crowd dispersal route to the To Kwa Wan Station, a section of the crowd dispersal route between the Main Stadium and the Road D2 would be along the western periphery of the Project boundary. It should be noted that a common lobby at ground level will be provided for the hotel and office block. The common lobby would provide better security and access control for the hotel and office block. Alternative crowd dispersal route passing through the common lobby of the hotel and office block is not adopted for security and access control reasons.

5.9.23 Option for construction of an underground walkway/subway between the Project site and the MTR stations is considered impracticable as the underground dispersal route toward Kai Tak Station would intercept the Kai Tak Nullah and an archaeological feature of high cultural significance (Sacred Hill) has been identified adjoining the To Kwa Wan Station. Possible constraints for the construction of an underground walkway to the two future MTR stations are shown in Figure 5-8.

5.9.24 Due to the width constraints of the internal access and the road crossings, the crowd dispersal time for routes under the podium at ground level would be longer than that on the podium deck. Therefore the dispersal routes under the podium are not intended to totally replace the normal dispersal route on the podium. Based on the MPSC operating consultant’s estimation, the majority of the crowd can be dispersed within 30 minutes if the normal routing on podium deck is used. In order to ensure that the majority of the crowd dispersion through the normal routes would not be extended to the night-time period, the normal routes would not be adopted for major events (i.e. more than 20,000 persons) which would finish at or later than 10:30 p.m.

5.9.25 The future Operator should arrange its staff members to marshal the dispersion of crowds after 10:30 p.m. in an orderly manner from the exits of the Main Stadium all the way to the two nearby MTR stations. Placards should be used to advise attendees of the events to keep the noise down. No loudspeakers should be used for any verbal communication between the marshalling staff and the attendees. If any attendees are found to raise the voice or make any noise beyond control even after verbal advice by the marshalling staff, the Police should be called in to restore the situation.

5.9.26 Based on the preliminary design of the Station Square, a covered walkway outside the northern boundary of the Project site toward the future Kai Tak Station is proposed. Such features would partially screen the crowd dispersal routes from most of the planned residential site although the covers are not to be provided as noise mitigation measures for the Project.

5.10 Evaluation of Residual Impacts

Construction Phase

5.10.1 According to Table 5‑22, there would be no exceedance of the construction noise criterion due to the Project after noise mitigation at all the NSRs. As shown in Table 5‑23, there would also be no exceedance of the construction noise criteria due to the Project after noise mitigation and the concurrent projects at the NSRs except NSR CN7, CN8 & CN13. Nevertheless, the exceedance would be mainly caused by other concurrent projects and would be transient in nature.

Operation Phase

5.10.2 The additional traffic noise impact caused by the Project on all the existing, planned and committed noise sensitive receivers would be either insignificant or the overall traffic noise levels would comply with the noise criterion during the operation of the Project, except the CDA zone sites and a housing site along Sung Wong Toi Road.

5.10.3 The future uses of the CDA zoned sites at southwest of the Project site near Sung Wong Toi Road are not committed at this stage. For a CDA development, a planning application is required for Town Planning Board approval. An Environmental Study (ES) is required for supporting the planning application. If any one of these CDA zoned sites contains noise sensitive uses, the ES should propose noise mitigation measures to demonstrate that road traffic noise levels at any noise sensitive use within the site would comply with the relevant noise criterion stipulated in the Hong Kong Planning Standard and Guidelines (HKPSG).

5.10.4 For the planned housing site, the predicted unmitigated traffic noise levels at this planned NSR would exceed the noise criterion of 70 dB(A) by 1 to 3 dB. This exceedance level would not create unacceptable constraints to the proposed development. The Housing Department would carry out an environmental assessment study (EAS) for the proposed development at the detailed design stage. The EAS would include the required mitigation measures so that all residential flats at the housing site would not be exposed to road traffic noise levels above the 70 dB(A) criterion.

5.10.5 With the implementation of the recommended mitigation measures mentioned in Sections 5.6.1 – 5.6.4, the potential noise impact arising from the musical events at the Main Stadium during daytime/evening period (i.e. 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.) would comply with the noise criteria stipulated in the Noise Control Guidelines for Music, Singing and Instrument Performing Activities. Should the future operator plan to implement any musical events at the Main Stadium during night-time period (i.e. 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.), the operator is obliged to comply with the requirements under the NCO.

5.10.6 The mitigated fixed plant noise levels would comply with the noise criterion at the worst-affected receivers

5.10.7 The mitigated cumulative noise levels due to noise from sports events in the Main Stadium and all the fixed plant, and the mitigated cumulative noise levels due to sports events in the Public Sports Ground and all the fixed plant would comply with the noise criteria at all NSRs. No adverse cumulative operation noise impact is anticipated.

5.10.8 Noise from human activities in public places would arise mainly from crowd dispersal after events. In general, crowd dispersion is not a source of annoyance especially during daytime/evening. For the possible crowd dispersal in night time, i.e. after 11:00 p.m., an assessment of noise from human activities during dispersion of crowd associated with a local event of a comparable scale and dispersal nature in public places in night time had been conducted. The assessment found that the noise did not constitute a source of annoyance to the local residents. Nevertheless, specific dispersal routes would be designed for the crowd dispersion through ground level for minimizing the exposed sections of the dispersal routes and hence noise from the human activities after 10:30 p.m.

5.11 Environmental Monitoring and Audit

Construction Phase

5.11.1 Regular noise monitoring is recommended at representative NSRs during the construction stage to ensure that relevant noise criteria can be met and the noise mitigation measures are effective. The EM&A requirement are detailed in a standalone EM&A Manual.

Operation Phase

5.11.2 The designated use of the Main Stadium and Public Sports Ground is for holding sports events. Noise from these events is mainly from the spectators. Unlike music events, there would be no extensive use of loudspeakers during sports events and noise from the PA system is only intermittent in nature.

5.11.3 According to Table 5-26, the predicted noise levels at NSRs during sports events are well below the ANL – 5dB criteria and hence the corresponding prevailing background noise levels. It is implausible that any significant noise impact can be identified through noise monitoring. Hence there is no need to conduct noise monitoring for sports events.

5.11.4 Holding music events is not the designated use of the Main Stadium. The acoustic settings and sound characteristics for different types of music events vary from each other. Noise monitoring is proposed for music events held in the Main Stadium during the first 3 years of operation. It is considered that three years are sufficient to capture the representative and the highest levels of operation noise of the Main Stadium for different types of music events. After the 3-year monitoring period, the findings of monitoring should be reviewed in order to determine whether further monitoring will be necessary.

5.11.5 The organizer of music activities should appoint an appropriate person to monitor the noise situation during the activities. Also, the organizer should provide a manned complaint hotline to respond to complaints from nearby NSRs immediately.

5.11.6 Real time noise monitoring at selected locations shall be conducted for any music event held in the Main Stadium during daytime or evening time periods and the corresponding actions shall follow the Event and Action Plan in the EM&A Manual. Trigger and Action Levels and corresponding follow-up actions have been established. The Action Level is the background noise level (BGL) +10 dB in Leq(5mins). The Trigger Level in Leq(15min) is 3 dB lower than the BGL +10 dB. Whenever the measured noise level in Leq(5min) exceeds the Action Level at any of the monitoring points, closing of the retractable roof shall start immediately. If the measured noise level in Leq(15min) reaches the Trigger Level, the organizer should be informed to reduce the noise levels. If the noise levels measured (rounded up or down to the nearest integers) in the two following 15-min time periods keep raising, closing of the retractable roof shall also start immediately even the Action Level is not exceeded.

5.12 Conclusion

5.12.1 Construction noise would inevitably be generated from the use of PME on site. With the implementation of mitigation measures such as adoption of good site practice and use of quieter PME and mobile noise barriers, levels of construction noise from the Project at all the representative noise sensitive receivers have been predicted to comply with the daytime noise criterion.

5.12.2 During the operational phase of the Project, potential traffic noise impact on surrounding noise sensitive receivers has been predicted and evaluated. Assessment results indicated that insignificant additional traffic noise impact will be caused by operation of the Project or the overall traffic noise levels would comply with the noise criterion at most of the affected NSRs. No excessive traffic noise impact would be induced due to the operation of the Project. For the planned housing site and the CDA zoned sites at southwest of the Project site near Sung Wong Toi Road, the potential traffic noise level on the noise sensitive receivers should comply with the noise criterion by adoption of mitigation measures at receivers.

5.12.3 Based on the mode of operation for the Project, no organized events shall be conducted simultaneously in the Main Stadium and the Public Sports Ground.

5.12.4 Potential noise impact arising from the operation of the Main Stadium, including sports and musical events, as well as the potential noise impact from human activities in public places has been assessed and found to comply with the noise criterion in the daytime/evening period with the acoustic design in place. Also, the potential noise impact for sports events in the Public Sports Ground has also been evaluated and similarly found to comply with the noise criterion in the daytime/evening period with the acoustic design in place. Fixed plant noise would exceed the noise criterion; however, with noise mitigation, the mitigated fixed plant noise levels would comply with the noise criterion at the worst-affected receivers.

5.12.5 The mitigated cumulative noise levels due to sports events in the Main Stadium and all the fixed plant, and the mitigated cumulative noise levels due to sports events in the Public Sports Ground and all the fixed plant would comply with the noise criteria at all NSRs. No adverse cumulative operation noise impact is anticipated.

5.12.6 Music events held in the Main Stadium would generate noise. With the implementation of the recommended mitigation measures, the potential noise impact arising from the musical events at the Main Stadium during daytime/evening period (i.e. 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.) would comply with the noise criteria in Noise Control Guidelines for Music, Singing and Instrument Performing Activities. Should the future operator plan to implement any music events at the Main Stadium during night-time period (i.e. 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.), the operator is obliged to comply with the requirements under the NCO.

5.12.7 Noise from human activities in public places would arise mainly from crowd dispersal after events. In general, crowd dispersion is not a source of annoyance especially during daytime/evening.

5.12.8 The crowd from the Main Stadium may disperse on the podium level during daytime/evening. Music events held in the Main Stadium may require crowd dispersal in night time (after 11:00 p.m.). The assessment has concluded that human noise during dispersion of crowd associated with a local event of comparable scale and dispersal nature in public places in night time would not cause annoyance to the local residents. However, specific dispersal routes would be designed for the crowd dispersion after 10:30 p.m. It has been recommended that the crowd after leaving the Main Stadium should be directed immediately to the ground level instead of the podium level with a view to minimising the exposed sections of the dispersal routes.

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[1]: Based on standard acoustic principles, air attenuation decreases with decreasing temperature and increasing humidity. The minimum temperature recorded at the King’s Park meteorological station in 2011-2015 is 6.1°C. In the assessment for MPSC, this temperature and 100% relative humidity are adopted as the worst case scenario. For the calibration in Appendix 5.4D, the average temperature (27.0°C) and relative humidity (70.5%) during the event period at King’s Park meteorological station were used.

[2]: The spectrum for “Loud” voice can be found in Table 1 of the following document:
http://www.odeon.dk/pdf/Application_Note_SpeechTransmissionIndex.pdf

[3]: Reference for human voice directivity:
http://nparc.cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/npsi/ctrl?action=shwart&index=an&req=20378930

[4]: Noise assessment report for musical event held at the Copper Box:

http://planningregister.londonlegacy.co.uk/swift/MediaTemp/2705-41515.pdf