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The following is issued on behalf of the Secretariat of the Advisory Council on the Environment:
The Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE) endorsed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report on "Expansion of Hong Kong International Airport into a Three-Runway System" submitted by the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) with specific conditions and recommendations at its meeting today (September 15).
The Chairman of the ACE, Professor Paul Lam, said the Council considered the EIA report under the EIA Ordinance, Cap 499. The EIA Subcommittee (EIASC) under the Council had held five meetings on August 11, 13, 18 and 19 as well as September 2 to deliberate the EIA report. Non-EIASC ACE Members were invited to join the meetings. EIASC also had a site visit to the SkyPier at Hong Kong International Airport on August 25 to better understand the operation of the high speed ferry service at the airport as covered in the EIA report. AAHK also has provided supplementary information in response to the questions and concerns raised by EIASC. These supplementary information have been uploaded on the ACE webpage for public information.
Professor Lam further noted that in endorsing the EIA report with conditions, the Council had requested the Director of Environmental Protection (DEP) to consider imposing conditions in the Environmental Permit (EP) for AAHK to address the concerns of ACE with regard to marine and terrestrial ecology (including conservation of the Chinese White Dolphins and the proposed marine park), fisheries, water quality, landscape and visual, waste management, as well as environmental monitoring and audit on air and noise emission. ACE has also specifically asked that AAHK should seek the Council's comments on the marine park proposal, implementation of the Marine Ecology Conservation Plan and the Fisheries Management Plan, as well as the Marine Traffic Routes and Management Plan for high speed ferries of the SkyPier before submitting the relevant plans to DEP for approval prior to commencement of the project.
Details of ACE's deliberations and proposed conditions will be issued for public information when the minutes of meeting is released.
In accordance with section 7(5) of the EIA Ordinance, ACE may give comments on the EIA report to DEP within 60 days of its receiving a copy of the report.
Ends/Monday, September 15, 2014
Issued at HKT 20:10
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