Hong Kong environment chief proposes halving time for assessing impact of construction projects to combat sluggish housing supply
- Secretary for Environment Wong Kam-sing proposes shortening duration of ecological impact assessments to between 18 and 24 months
- Other proposed changes include creation of central database to consolidate environmental and ecological data for land surveys
Hong Kong’s environment minister has proposed halving the time to assess the ecological impact of local construction projects to speed up the development of housing and tackle sluggish supply.
At a Legislative Council panel meeting on Monday, Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing proposed shortening the entire environmental impact assessment (EIA) process to between 18 and 24 months from the current duration of three to four years.
Under the proposal, the minister said an assessment could be carried out at the same time as the design work of the construction project, which cannot proceed under the current legislation until an environmental study is approved.
“This is to ensure better use of the time and resources of the whole society to achieve a better balance between the environment and development and a better focus on environmental protection efforts,” Wong said.
Undersecretary for the Environment Tse Chin-wan said the proposed changes, which are part of a review of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, would not compromise public participation, adding that the creation of a centralised database for all EIA studies could prevent future legal disputes.
The database, which would be developed by the Environmental Protection Department, would standardise evaluation methods for baseline surveys, which assess a site’s conditions and predict the potential impact of construction on an area.