Third runway given the green light by government green advisers
The government's environment advisers have backed the plan to build a third runway at the airport despite concerns over its impact on marine ecology.
The government's environment advisers have backed the plan to build a third runway at the airport despite concerns over its impact on marine ecology.
The endorsement by the Advisory Council on the Environment means the focus will shift to the question of how the multibillion-dollar plan will be funded.
"A majority of the members supported endorsement with conditions," he said after a four-hour meeting.
The recommendation will be sent to the Director of Environmental Protection who must decide within 30 days whether to issue a work permit to the Airport Authority. Conditions include the creation of a 2,400 hectare marine park; two funds to support improvements to the marine ecology and fisheries resources; and speed controls on the authority's ferries.
Lam said there had been no formal vote and shrugged off fears the decision might be subject to a legal challenge; some green activists had claimed the report was flawed and measures to compensate for environmental damage were not convincing. He said the authority would still have to satisfy the council on details related to the conditions before it could start work as scheduled in 2016.
The authority would have to come up with funds "substantial" enough to support conservation of dolphins in a sustainable manner. But he would not say if the HK$150 million proposed by the authority for each of the two funds was enough.
Ng Chi-Kee, acting chief executive officer of the authority, hailed the endorsement as a milestone in maintaining the city's competitiveness as an aviation hub. "We will respond to the council as soon as possible, and step up the planning process of the runway," he said. Ng saw no grounds for a judicial review of the report.
The project will mean the permanent loss of at least 650 hectares of sea habitats and will mean Chinese white dolphins will be looking for new territory.
Before the meeting, green activists and a dozen Ma Wan residents protested against the project. The residents, from the Park Island development, feared the extra runway would aggravate aircraft noise problems.
Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, said the government would look at financing options. He denied the estimated cost was now well over the previous forecast. "The reports that the runway will cost HK$200 billion are groundless," he said.
