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The Town Planning Board (TPB) decided today (February 26) to submit the draft Chek Lap Kok Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) without amendment to the Chief Executive in Council for approval.
In arriving at this decision, the TPB thoroughly deliberated on the need for the three-runway system (3RS) project, the views and concerns raised in the written and oral submissions by the representers and commenters, the responses made by the relevant government bureaux and departments, and other relevant planning considerations.
While the TPB examined in detail a number of issues which will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting, the main considerations of the TPB are:
(a) First, the TPB agrees that Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) plays a critical role in maintaining Hong Kong's status as an aviation hub and Hong Kong's competitiveness as a business hub and international finance centre. The 3RS would provide Hong Kong with the expansion capacity needed to capture the opportunities arising from the strong regional economic growth, and is conducive to the long-term economic development and growth of Hong Kong;
(b) Second, the TPB noted the practical constraints to increase the capacity of the two-runway system (2RS) to cope with continued strong growth in air traffic. The implementation of the 3RS would meet Hong Kong's long-term air traffic demand;
(c) Third, the environmental and ecological concerns have been addressed in the approved 3RS Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report to meet the requirements of the EIA Study Brief and the EIA Ordinance Technical Memorandum, whilst appropriate mitigation measures have been proposed to mitigate the potential adverse impact of the 3RS project; and
(d) Fourth, the TPB noted various technical assessments have been undertaken to confirm the feasibility of the development of the 3RS project. The 3RS would be operated in accordance with the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Ends/Friday, February 26, 2016
Issued at HKT 18:19
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