STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT : FINAL REPORT Hyder-Mott Connell Joint Venture This report is prepared by Hyder-Mott Connell Joint Venture for information and discussion purposes. The findings and recomme ndations do not necessarily represent the views of the HKSARG. Planning Department Agreement No. CE 25/2001 Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy – Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report Author VARIOUS Checker GUI YI LI Approver ANNE KERR June 2007 This report has been prepared for the Planning Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in accordance with the terms and conditions of appointment for Agreement No. CE25/2001 Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy - Strategic Environmental Assessment dated October 2001. Hyder Consulting Limited and Mott Connell Limited cannot accept any responsibility for any use of or reliance on the contents of this report by any third party. Agreement No. CE 25/2001 Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report AGREEMENT NO. CE 25/2001 HONG KONG 2030: PLANNING VISION AND STRATEGY STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FINAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS PART A : ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT 1 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Preamble 1 1.2 Study Background 2 1.3 Study Objectives 3 1.4 Scope of Work 4 1.5 Structure of the SEA Final Report 5 2 BASELINE CONDITIONS 6 2.1 General 6 2.2 Air Quality 6 2.3 Noise Conditions 8 2.4 Geology, Soils and Contaminated Land 9 2.5 Water Resources and Water Quality 11 2.6 Waste 13 2.7 Energy and Natural Resources 17 2.8 Natural Resources 19 2.9 Landscape 19 2.10 Risk 21 2.11 Ecological Conditions 22 2.12 Cultural Heritage Conditions 28 2.13 Conclusions 29 3 ENVIRONMENTAL CAPITAL STOCK AND CARRYING CAPACITY 34 3.1 Environmental Capital Value 34 3.2 Pressure Generated from the Future Developments 39 3.3 Environmental Carrying Capacity and Strategic Indicators 43 3.4 Environmental Efficiencies 47 3.5 Conclusions and Recommendations 48 Hyder – Mott Connell P:\Hong Kong\INF\PROJECTS\637\draft final SEA report\Final SEA_20070614.doc Agreement No. CE 25/2001 Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report 4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES 50 4.1 Introduction 50 4.2 Increased Global Environmental Awareness 50 4.3 Environmental Constraints 50 4.4 Environmental Opportunities 53 4.5 Review of New Technologies 58 4.6 Conclusions and Recommendations 67 5 ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES 70 5.1 Introduction 70 5.2 Overseas Sets of Objectives 71 5.3 Proposed Environmental Objectives for Hong Kong 78 5.4 Conclusions 85 PART B : THE OPTIONS AND EVALUATION 88 6 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OPTIONS 88 6.1 Introduction 88 6.2 Vision-Based Approach of the HK2030 Study 88 6.3 Scenarios for Formulating Development Options 89 6.4 Environmental Assessment of Development Options in Stage 3 89 6.5 Environmental Assessment of Development Options in Stage 4 90 7 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 92 7.1 The Strategic Environmental assessment Process 92 7.2 SEA Methodology 93 7.3 Air Quality 93 7.4 Noise 101 7.5 Water Resources and Water Quality 105 7.6 Waste 110 7.7 Energy and Natural Resources 112 7.8 Land Use and Landscape 114 7.9 Risk 114 7.10 Ecology 116 7.11 Cultural Heritage 118 7.12 “What If” Scenario 118 7.13 Evaluation of the Reference Scenario and the “What If” Scenario 119 7.14 Conclusions 124 Hyder – Mott Connell P:\Hong Kong\INF\PROJECTS\637\draft final SEA report\Final SEA_20070614.doc Agreement No. CE 25/2001 Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report 8 EVALUATION OF THE STRATEGIES 125 8.1 Introduction 125 8.2 Infrastructure and Transport Strategies 125 8.3 New Development Areas 127 8.4 Cross-boundary Issues 132 8.5 Summary 134 8.6 Sustainable Project Monitoring and Audit 134 PART C : THE WAY FORWARD 140 9 INITIATIVES AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION 140 9.1 A Way Forward 140 9.2 Other Initiatives and Their Implementation 153 10 SUMMARY REMARKS 158 10.1 Options Development 158 10.2 Evaluation of Development Options 158 10.3 Evaluation of Strategies 160 10.4 Mitigation Measures 162 10.5 Sustainable Project Monitoring and Auditing and Further Implementation 163 11 REFERENCE 165 LIST OF TABLES Table 4-1 Renewable Energy Technologies Potentially Applicable to Hong Kong 64 Table 5-1 London, Singapore and Tokyo are party to International Agreements on Environmental Issues 71 Table 5-2 Table of Comparative Approach to Noise Impacts 72 Table 5-3 Comparative Air Quality Regulations and Guidelines 74 Table 5-4 Comparative Water Quality Regulations and Guidelines 75 Table 5-5 Policies and/or Statutory Requirements of Selected Countries on the Use of Non- fossil Fuel/Renewable Energy Sources 76 Table 5-6 Selected National Individual Risk Criteria 78 Table 5-7 Summary of Potential Environmental Objectives 85 Table 7-1 Implementation Programme of the Pearl River Delta Regional Air Quality Management Plan 98 Hyder – Mott Connell P:\Hong Kong\INF\PROJECTS\637\draft final SEA report\Final SEA_20070614.doc Agreement No. CE 25/2001 Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report Table 7-2 Evaluation of the Reference Scenario and “What If” Scenario 120 Table 8-1 Sustainable Project Monitoring and Audit of HK2030 Strategy 136 Table 9-1 Implementation Initiatives 141 Table 10-1 Summary of Environmental Aspects of Various Environmental Discipline 158 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1 Study Process Figure 2-1 Long Term Trends in Annual Average SO2 levels in Hong Kong – Roadside Stations, 1991-2005 Figure 2-2 Long Term Trends in Annual Average SO2 levels in Hong Kong – General Stations, 1986-2005 Figure 2-3 Long Term Trends in Annual Average NO2 levels in Hong Kong – Roadside Stations, 1991-2005 Figure 2-4 Long Term Trends in Annual Average NO2 levels in Hong Kong – General Stations, 1986-2005 Figure 2-5 Long Term Trends in Annual Average CO levels in Hong Kong - Roadside Stations, 1991-2005 Figure 2-6 Long Term Trends in Annual Average CO levels in Hong Kong – General Stations, 1994-2005 Figure 2-7 Long Term Trends in Annual Average O3 levels in Hong Kong – General Stations, 1986-2005 Figure 2-8 Long Term Trends in Annual Average TSP levels in Hong Kong – Roadside Stations, 1991-2005 Figure 2-9 Long Term Trends in Annual Average TSP levels in Hong Kong – General Stations, 1986-2005 Figure 2-10 Long Term Trends in Annual Average RSP levels in Hong Kong – Roadside Stations, 1991-2005 Figure 2-11 Long Term Trends in Annual Average RSP levels in Hong Kong – General Stations, 1986-2005 Figure 2-12 Average Cadmium Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997-2002 Figure 2-13 Average Hexavalent Chromium Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997- 2005 Figure 2-14 Average Lead Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997-2005 Hyder – Mott Connell P:\Hong Kong\INF\PROJECTS\637\draft final SEA report\Final SEA_20070614.doc Agreement No. CE 25/2001 Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report Figure 2-15 Average Nickel Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997-2002 Figure 2-16 Average Benzene Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997-2005 Figure 2-17 Average Benzo[a]pyrene Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997-2005 Figure 2-18 Average 1,3-Butadiene Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997-2005 Figure 2-19 Average Formaldehyde Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997-2005 Figure 2-20 Average Perchloroethylene Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997-2005 Figure 2-21 Average Dioxins Concentration Levels in Hong Kong, 1997-2005 Figure 2-22 River Water Quality Monitoring Stations in Hong Kong Figure 2-23 Water Quality Index of Inland Waters from 1986 to 2004 Figure 2-24 Beach Water Quality Monitoring Stations in Hong Kong Figure 2-25 Beach Rankings for 2005 Figure 2-26 Water Control Zones in Hong Kong Figure 2-27 Quantities of Construction Waste in 1991-2005 Figure 2-28 Waste Facilities Serving Hong Kong, 1996-2005 Figure 2-29 Major Materials Recovered/Recycled in Hong Kong, 2005 Figure 2-30 Location Plan for Existing PHIs Figure 2-31 Terrestrial Habitat Map of Hong Kong 2004 Figure 2-32 Conservation Assessment Map of Hong Kong Figure 5-1 Dutch Societal Risk Figure 5-2 USA (Santa Barbara, Calif.) Off-site Societal Risk Criteria Figure 6-1 Preferred Development Option – 2010 Figure 6-2 Preferred Development Option – 2020 Figure 6-3 Preferred Development Option – 2030 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A Environmental Baselines Appendix B An Explanation of the Reference Scenario and ‘What If’ Scenario under the HK2030 Study Hyder – Mott Connell P:\Hong Kong\INF\PROJECTS\637\draft final SEA report\Final SEA_20070614.doc Agreement No. CE 25/2001 Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy Strategic Environmental Assessment Final Report ABBREVIATIONS AA Airport Authority Hong Kong AAB Antiquities Advisory Board AFCD Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ALARP As Low As Reasonably Practicable A&MO Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance AMO Antiquities and Monuments Office APCO Air Pollution Control Ordinance API Air Pollution Index AQOs Air Quality Objectives BCF Boundary Crossing Facilities BEC Business Environmental Council BIPV Building-Integrated Photovoltaics BOD Biological Oxygen Demand BSE Department of Building Services Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University C&D Construction and Demolition C&I Commercial and Industrial CA Conservation Area CAPs Criteria Air Pollutants CASET Computer Aided Sustainability Evaluation Tool CBD Central Business District CEDD Civil Engineering and Development Department CEPT Chemically Enhanced Primary Treatment CET Centre of Environmental Technology (now Business Environmental Council) CH4 Methane CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CLP CLP Power Hong Kong Limited CNG Compressed Natural Gas CO Carbon Monoxide CO2 Carbon Dioxide CPA Coastal Protection Area CRIII Central Reclamation Phase III Hyder – Mott Connell R00867-10/08 Abbreviations - Page i of vi P:\Hong Kong\INF\PROJECTS\637\draft final SEA report\Final SEA_20070614.doc June 2007 Agreement No.