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Following is a question by the Hon Tam Yiu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (November 6):
Question :
It is learnt that there are 13 restored landfills in Hong Kong at present, but only a few of them have been converted for recreational purpose or into community sitting-out facilities and are open for use by the public. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of restored landfills at present which have not yet been converted for recreational purpose or into community sitting-out facilities, or in fact are not yet open for use by the public although they are shown, on the web site of the Environmental Protection Department, as being used for recreational purpose or having been converted into sitting-out facilities; and the respective areas of the land concerned in those landfills;
(b) of the restored landfills with only part of the area currently providing recreational or sitting-out facilities, and the respective remaining areas in those landfills;
(c) of the reasons why the authorities have not yet converted all or most of the areas of the landfills into recreational or sitting-out facilities for use by the public although such landfills have been restored for years;
(d) whether it has plans to expedite the conversion of restored landfills into recreational or sitting-out facilities; if it has, of the details of the plans and the anticipated dates of opening for use by the public; if not, the reasons for that; and
(e) whether the Government will set up a dedicated fund to expedite the aforesaid works for the provision of recreational or sitting-out facilities; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Our reply to the question raised by the Honorable Tam Yiu-chung is as follows:
The Environmental Protection Department will continue the aftercare of landfills when the landfilling operation is completed. The landfill aftercare works mainly involve the maintenance of capping layer and management of the landfill gas and leachate systems at the landfill site so as to ensure compliance with safety and environmental standards. For the protection of these facilities, restored landfills are in general suitable for recreational uses or passive amenities but not for large-scale construction or industrial activities. In addition, there are slopes within restored landfills affecting the area available for such preferable uses. There are currently 13 restored landfills. Part of the landfill at Siu Lang Shui has been designated as a "Site of Special Scientific Interest" due to the butterfly over-wintering phenomenon; the others are mostly zoned as "Open Space", "Green Belt" or for recreational or related uses. Our restored landfills have been developed gradually into recreational grounds, sports facilities, parks and for other recreational purposes for public use.
(a) to (d) The areas available for development, land use zoning and current status of the 13 restored landfills are summarised in the table in Annex.
(e) All along, we will develop recreational facilities at suitable and available restored landfills through our public works programme. In addition, we will consider various feasible means to expedite the development; for example, we would allow eligible non-profit making organisations to develop and use the restored landfills for recreational purposes through the grant of land licences. We will continue to expedite the development of restored landfills for recreational purposes through different options.
Ends/Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:23
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