The Director of Environmental Protection today approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the San Tin/Lok Ma Chau Development Node, with conditions.

The application was submitted by the Civil Engineering & Development Department (CEDD).

The CEDD exhibited the EIA report for public inspection from February 2 to March 2 this year. During the public inspection period, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) received a total of 50 public comments. The Advisory Council on the Environment's (ACE) EIA Subcommittee discussed in detail the report and public comments at its meeting on March 18.

Since the commencement of the public inspection of the EIA report, the EPD has also participated in four meetings held by the CEDD with green groups and gathered the groups' views on the report and proposals on enhancing the mitigation measures and compensation. Subsequently, the ACE endorsed unanimously the EIA report with conditions and recommendations at its meeting on April 22.

At a press conference today, Director of Environmental Protection Samuel Chui said the EPD has studied and reviewed in detail the EIA report, and agreed with the proposed mitigation of the ecological and fisheries impacts arising from the development through avoiding impacts on the Ramsar Site, Mai Po Lung Village Egretry and the Mai Po Village Egretry as well as creation of environmental capacity through reprofiling pond banks, pond drain-down, and trash-fish stocking, with a view to achieving no-net-loss in ecological function and capacity of the wetlands.

In addition, other mitigation measures proposed in the report, such as preservation of a 300m-wide east-west birds' flight corridor near the Lok Ma Chau Boundary Control Point and a 70m-wide major bird flight path of the Mai Po Lung Village Egretry, establishment of a 35m-wide non-building area in the form of an eco-interface along the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park, adoption of a stepped building height descending towards the park, and establishment of wildlife corridors for facilitating and supporting the movement of Eurasian otters across Lok Ma Chau, Sam Po Shue and the Inner Deep Bay area, can achieve effective mitigation of the ecological impacts arising from the development on egretries, birds' flight corridors and paths, and Eurasian otters.

Mr Chui said the purposes of ecological surveys are to fill in the information gaps in existing available data, and to confirm and evaluate the ecological value of the habitats and species thereon, adding that the ecological impact assessment in the EIA report has considered all relevant literature review, research information or data and ecological survey records.

The approval conditions mainly include requiring the CEDD to submit various detailed designs and implementation plans to implement the recommended ecological mitigation or enhancement measures; not to begin pond-filling works prior to commencement of construction of the ecologically enhanced fish ponds at the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park; and to set up an environmental committee.

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Separately, the Development Bureau welcomed the Director of Environmental Protection's decision to approve the EIA report, which was an important step that provided it with a solid foundation to proceed with the next stage of the town planning process and enable the commencement of the works project as scheduled.

It said the CEDD will make every effort to follow up on the conditions attached to the approval and fully implement the environmental mitigation measures and the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park according to the design.

The bureau added that during the process, it will take into account expert advice and continuously assess the effectiveness of the ecological mitigation or enhancement measures.