Environmental Assessment And Planning

Mission

To pre-empt environmental problems associated with development projects, plans and strategies, by assessing their environmental implications and ensuring that measures are implemented to avoid any potential problems that are identified.

On A Green Track

A bird’s-eye view of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and its vicinity.. A bird’s-eye view of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and its vicinity.
The East Rail Line electric trains have been commuting between Lo Wu and Hung Hom since the 1980s. The East Rail Line electric trains have been commuting between Lo Wu and Hung Hom since the 1980s.

One of the Government’s core aims is to create a city that is greener and offers quality living. In a place as dynamic and congested as Hong Kong, that means careful assessment at all stages of the planning and development process. Even projects that will bring environmental improvements must be investigated to ensure they do not give rise to potential new problems.

Hong Kong has a well-established process for assessing new developments. Our Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Ordinance provides a legal framework for ensuring designated projects meet environmental requirements. We also have a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) system that brings out environmental issues early in the policy and planning stages to avoid major environmental problems and identify opportunities for environmental improvements.

A recent example of our system at work is the Sha Tin-Central Link, which will reach urban areas currently not served by rail transport and offer a more direct journey to Central from the New Territories and East Kowloon. This is an example of a development that, on the one hand, can improve the quality of the environment by providing people with a low-carbon form of public transport, but on the other hand, has environmental impacts that must be addressed.

Keeping the Noise Down

Densely populated East Kowloon (left) and the proposed route for SCL (right).

Densely populated East Kowloon (left) and the proposed route for SCL (right).

The Shatin-Central Link (SCL) was proposed in the Second Railway Development Strategy Study, which was completed in 2000. Rail travel is one of the most environmentally-friendly forms of transport as it can reduce the amount of nitrogen oxides, respirable suspended particulates and carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted by conventional road transport. An SEA under the Second Railway Development Strategy Study affirmed these benefits.

The SCL will connect Shatin to Central via Hung Hom. It will also provide a rail line to serve East Kowloon, including the Kai Tak Development area, where people currently do not have easy access to rail transport. To ensure that all potential environmental issues and their cumulative effects are carefully studied and no unacceptable problems are created at the project level, five EIAs have been conducted, each covering one section of the line.

Installing noise barriers along the rail line and under platforms is one of the noise abatement measures currently implemented for Hong Kong railway networks.

Installing noise barriers along the rail line and under platforms is one of the noise abatement measures currently implemented for Hong Kong railway networks.

Noise from railway operations is the most obvious concern and the EIA addresses this. Through a comprehensive alignment selection exercise, most of the line is to be built underground to minimise noise exposure. Where the train must run above ground past sensitive noise receivers, the project proponent, the MTR Corporation Limited, will erect noise barriers and enclosures to reduce the impact.

The design of the trains and tracks will also reduce noise, particularly at the entrance to Hung Hom station where the existing East Rail line and new East Kowloon line will run parallel to each other. Adding a second rail line here that is as noisy as the existing line would increase noise levels by 3 dB(A), or decibels, and potentially push the total noise level over the statutory limit. The design of the new line therefore has been adjusted to make it 10 dB(A) quieter than the limit, so the two lines together will be within the limit. It’s a clear example of the environmental benefit that can be achieved by addressing problems before they arise.

Artistic designs of the SCL terminal at Sha Tin (left) and the future Hung Hom station (right).

Artistic designs of the SCL terminal at Sha Tin (left) and the future Hung Hom station (right).

Preserving Built Heritage

Direct environmental impacts are not the only concern with the SCL. The link will pass through some of the oldest settled areas in Hong Kong and potentially conflict with examples of the city’s built heritage – rare structures that hearken back to Hong Kong’s past. The EIA has identified the problems and also provided innovative solutions for ensuring the railway line does not damage these treasures.

One of the most interesting findings was that the SCL would pass under the remains of the Lung Tsun Stone Bridge, a 19th century structure that connected the old Kowloon Walled City to a pier and was first discovered during investigations for the Kai Tak Development. The train tunnel will be built about two metres below the bridge and the concern is that the vibrations of the tunnel boring machine could damage it.

To solve the problem, the EIA has recommended that no machine tunnelling be carried out under the bridge. Instead, long, thin steel bars will be inserted horizontally to form a circular “cage” under the bridge that will be the outline of the tunnel. Hand-held equipment will then be used to dig out the ground within the cage to create the tunnel. These measures are expected to help keep the bridge intact.

The EIA also recommends preserving an airplane hangar that pre-dates the First World War and a military pillbox, both within the former Tai Hom Village Archaeological Site. The pillbox will be kept in situ while the metal hangar will be dismantled, its most damaged and rusted parts removed, and the rest reassembled on the same site as a “miniature” hangar.

Environmental permits for sections of the project started being issued in 2011. The measures being taken demonstrate that an EIA can effectively protect the environment and our cultural heritage, thus supporting the aim of a better quality of life for Hong Kong people.

Rare structures identified by the SCL-EIA: (left) the remains of the 19th century Lung Tsun Stone Bridge; (centre) an airplane hangar dating back to the First World War; and (right) a military pillbox.

Rare structures identified by the SCL-EIA: (left) the remains of the 19th century Lung Tsun Stone Bridge; (centre) an airplane hangar dating back to the First World War; and (right) a military pillbox.

The Strategic View

SEA Schematic Diagram. SEA Schematic Diagram.
Victoria Harbour and the Clock Tower at Tsim Sha Tsui are unique landmarks of Hong Kong. Victoria Harbour and the Clock Tower at Tsim Sha Tsui are unique landmarks of Hong Kong.
The Stanley Sewage Treatment Works is accommodated inside rock caverns. The Stanley Sewage Treatment Works is accommodated inside rock caverns.

The SCL was one of the recommendations in the Second Railway Development Strategy Study, which also underwent an SEA to consider its wider impacts. SEAs evaluate the strategic environmental implications of policies, plans and programmes at an early stage. They provide environmental information for comparing options, screening out “non-starters”, facilitating stakeholder dialogue, and understanding the cumulative impacts of development proposals.

An SEA that got underway in 2011 relates to the study on “Increasing Land Supply by Reclamation and Rock Cavern Development cum Public Engagement – Feasibility Study”.  The issue is an important one for Hong Kong because land is limited, reclamation is banned in Victoria Harbour in order to protect this special natural asset, and caverns may be able to accommodate some facilities and thus release valuable land space.

The SEA is looking at the environmental issues related to options for reclaiming land outside the harbour, possible uses for rock caverns, possible sites for development, and the cumulative implications of these options. It is being carried out by the Civil Engineering and Development Department, with input from the Environmental Protection Department. As part of the overall study, the Government will also conduct two public engagement exercises. These exercises, together with the SEA, will allow both public views and environmental factors to be taken into account in the formulation of a strategy for increasing land supply – an approach that ultimately will contribute to Hong Kong’s progress towards a greener, quality living environment.

Looking Ahead

We will continue our efforts on:

  • the EIA process and the EIA Ordinance to offer stringent, objective and transparent assessments of the environmental impacts of designated projects, with the aim of protecting the environment;
  • the SEA process to evaluate the strategic environmental implications of policies, plans and programmes at an early stage; and
  • the provision of environmental input on planning issues and new town plans.

Topical Issues