The Environmental Advisory Committee held a meeting on Friday (August 19) to follow up on the environmental impact assessment report of the "Technical Study on Partial Development of Fanling Golf Course Site: Feasibility Study".
The relevant project should have been discussed at last week's meeting, but due to the objection of some members, there was no conclusion, so it was necessary to arrange an extension of the review.
When asked about the incident, the Secretary for Housing, Ho Wing-yin, stressed that the option of building public housing on the golf course is very important, and the Government will cherish every piece of land.
According to the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, residential development with no less than 2,000 units is a "designated project" and requires an environmental permit before it can be started. The golf course development plan, which is expected to build 12,000 public housing units, is naturally also planned. its columns.
Since the director generally has to take into account the approved EIA report when issuing permits, this is why the builders who opposed the golf course recently strongly criticized the report for inappropriate inspection methods and underestimated animal breeds, etc., and tried to persuade the EPA to advise the director not to approve the report.
The Environmental Advisory Committee met to consider the environmental assessment report of the Fanling Golf Course.
(Photo by Liang Pengwei)
The opinion of the Environmental Advisory Committee does not restrict the decision-making of the bureau
However, it should be noted that the specific function of the EPA is actually limited to submitting comments to the Director of Environmental Protection on the environmental film review report of the "designated project", and its comments are not binding on the Director's subsequent decision to approve or reject the report.
In addition, as former member Wen Zhisen said, the EPA's responsibility in this link should only consider whether the report content meets the requirements of the Department's "Technical Memorandum on Environmental Assessment Procedures", and there is no need to refer to other materials.
Furthermore, Article 5 of the Ordinance stipulates that if the Director is satisfied that the relevant project is "very unlikely to have adverse environmental impacts" and that "the mitigation measures comply with the requirements of the Technical Memorandum", then the Director can issue a notice to the Secretary for the Environment and Ecology. Direct application for environmental permits is permitted with the consent of the EPA and additional restrictions are imposed on the permit.
Therefore, even if the project EIA report is not approved for registration, golf course development can still apply for a direct permit through this channel.
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The public interest is higher than the local ecological conservation
Of course, regardless of the EPA's opinion or the EPD's decision, both should focus on environmental protection considerations. For example, the "Technical Memorandum" specifically states that the director's refusal to approve a permit cannot be "based on land use."
However, even after the above two hurdles have been passed, Article 30 of the Ordinance also stipulates that the Chief Executive in Council may "exempt any project from complying with any provisions of this Ordinance in the public interest". Such considerations for the "public interest" are obvious. Not limited to environmental issues.
The housing site included in the partial development plan of the golf course is currently equipped with a nature education trail.
According to the Nature Guidebook published by the Ecological Education and Resource Centre in 2015, there are 28 species of butterflies, 18 species of dragonflies, 31 species of birds and three other animals in the area, only one of which is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The inside is "Vulnerable", and all others with data are "Least Concern" species at the same level as humans.
White-necked crows listed as Vulnerable.
(Photo by AFCD)
In contrast, in recent years, officials have repeatedly emphasized that the "Lantau of Tomorrow" project involving major "public interests" has clearly been questioned as threatening the "critically endangered" finless porpoises and "endangered" green sea turtles on the list. It is still progressing steadily with continued support from the authorities.
Since Li Jiachao has said that he will explore all possible options for finding land, the decision to determine the future of the golf course is his best chance to prove this point to the society, and let the public see that he and his team can indeed balance the needs of conservation and development. On the other hand, it can show courage to resist the obstruction of vested interests.
Point-by-point refutation of the "golf course release theory" The recovery of golf course housing can reflect the administrative value of the Li Jiachao government. Fanling golf course has spread controversy. The government should be prepared to avoid passive
