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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 the North East New Territories New Development Areas with conditions at its meeting today (September 9).
The Chairman of the ACE, Professor Paul Lam, said that the Council considers the EIA report within the remit of the EIA system as provided for under the EIA Ordinance. In endorsing the EIA report, the Council has requested the Director of Environmental Protection (DEP) to consider imposing suitable conditions in the Environmental Permit (EP) for the project proponent to address the concerns of ACE related to the relocation of fish species Rose Bitterling, establishment of alternative egretry site(s), treatment of arsenic identified in the Kwu Tung North New Development Area and compensatory tree planting plan. While the Environmental Protection Department will be responsible for monitoring the compliance of the conditions of EP by the project proponent, ACE has specifically asked that progress reports in this regard should be regularly submitted to the Council for reference.
Professor Lam further noted that ACE had also received a number of submissions from green groups and local communities on the social and other impacts of the project which were outside the purview of the EIA regime. The Council has made some observations and suggestions to the Government for further consideration.
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 any comments it has on the EIA report to DEP within 60 days of its receiving a copy of the report.
Ends/Monday, September 9, 2013
Issued at HKT 22:04
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