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The Task Force on External Lighting today (October 10) announced that its stakeholder and public engagement exercise will be extended by one month to November 18.
The Chairman of the Task Force, Dr Albert Chau, said that by extending the engagement exercise by one month, stakeholders and members of the public will have more time to consider the Task Force's proposal for requiring lighting installations with decorative, promotional or advertising purposes that affect the outdoor environment to be switched off after a preset time in order to address the issues of light nuisance and energy wastage. The engagement exercise will now end on November 18.
The Task Force launched the public and stakeholders engagement exercise on August 19 to collect views on the proposed switching-off requirements, including the appropriate preset time, the scope of the requirements and the exemptions to be granted as well as the implementation approach.
After the engagement exercise started on August 19, a public forum and two engagement meetings for stakeholders were conducted in August and September. The Task Force thanks individuals and organisations who have expressed valuable views at the engagement forums or in submissions. The Task Force will continue to participate in briefing sessions with district bodies and stakeholder groups that have expressed interest in the issue of external lighting, with a view to collecting their views.
"We cordially invite members of the public and stakeholders to actively express their views on the Task Force's findings and proposals before the engagement exercise closes on November 18. The Task Force would give careful consideration to the views collected before drawing up specific recommendations to the Government on the appropriate ways to regulate external lighting," Dr Chau said.
The engagement document has been posted on the Environment Bureau's website (www.enb.gov.hk/external_lighting). Members of the public are invited to submit their views by email to hollyip@hkpc.org, by fax to 3187 4534 or by mail (Environmental Management Division, 3/F, Hong Kong Productivity Council Building, 78 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon) on or before November 18.
The Government set up the Task Force in August 2011 to advise it on the appropriate strategy and measures for tackling nuisance and energy wastage problems caused by external lighting, having regard to international experience and practices. Members of the Task Force are drawn from a wide cross section of the community, including professional bodies, relevant trades, the academic community and green groups.
Ends/Thursday, October 10, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:21
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