Environmental report on Chek Lap Kok airport runway plan approved
The government has approved the environmental impact assessment for the proposed third airport runway at Chek Lap Kok despite strong opposition from conservationists.
The government has approved the environmental impact assessment for the proposed third airport runway at Chek Lap Kok despite strong opposition from conservationists.
The environmental impact assessment, published in June, proposed 250 mitigation measures - including setting up a 2,400-hectare marine park for the endangered Chinese white dolphin after the runway is completed in 2023.
Conservationists were disappointed at the approval, having previously slammed the measures as flawed and cosmetic. The project will lead to a permanent loss of at least 650 hectares of sea habitat.
Authority chief executive Fred Lam Tin-fuk welcomed the approval as a major step in the city's "pursuit of strengthening long-term competitiveness" and said the airport was already operating close to maximum capacity.
Lam said the authority would submit to the government its recommendations on how to take the project forward and complete other statutory procedures. Work on a management plan for the marine park will also begin.
"We aim to obtain all the necessary approvals to expand the airport, with the aim of having the third runway system fully operational in 2023," said Lam. "Our aim is to achieve a balance between economic development and conservation."