Dear Dr. Wang,

Our department has received your application for access to information on
19 May 2021.

Your application is now under processing.  According to paragraph 1.16 of
the Code on Access to Information, our department will inform you of the
latest progress of the case separately by 21 days from receipt of the
request i.e. on or before 8 June 2021.

Should you have any questions in the meantime, please contact me at 2762
5237.

Yours sincerely,

Howard Kwok
for Director of Civil Engineering and Development

=======================================================================================

From:        Simon Wang <[FOI #655 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Civil Engineering and Development Department
<[Civil Engineering and Development Department request email]>
Date:        19/05/2021 10:37
Subject:        Freedom of Information request - Decontamination for
Cadogan park

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Dear Civil Engineering and Development Department staff,
           Referring to the letter to the editor by Ms Cherry Wong
Kin-ching, Central & Western District Councillor (Kennedy Town & Mount
Davis)
 [1]https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/art...
I have the following questions for the department to answer under the Code
on Access to Information:

1. What is the basis of the decision made to include Cadogan park in the
decontamination project?  

2. Please provide the report about the pollution of the soil of the
Cadogan park that the department possesses.

3. What is the timeline of the decontamination project in connection to
the Cadogan park?

4. What is the response of the department to the views and arguments
presented in Ms Cherry Wong's letter?

5. What standard is used when the department decides to have a
decontamination site of 3 metres deep?

6. Which government departments/bureaus has the department consulted when
it decides to include the park for decontamination? Please provide
relevant documents (if available).

7. Is the deparment aware of the Motion passed in Central and Western
District Council (in Chinese)
[2]https://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/cent...
? What does the department plan to do in response?

I'd also take the opportunity to urge the department to respond to Ms
Wong's letter in SCMP and review its decision regarding the park.
Follow-up actions will be taken to bring this case to the Ombudsman and
the Legislative Council after gathering relevant information.

Yours faithfully,
Dr Simon Wang, Ph.D., FHEA
Lecturer in English
Language Centre
Hong Kong Baptist University
Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
Phone: (852) 34117044
[3]http://lc.hkbu.edu.hk/staff_simon.php
Writing for the Public Project

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References

Visible links
1. https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/art...
2. https://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/cent...
3. http://lc.hkbu.edu.hk/staff_simon.php
4. https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
5. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

Dear Dr Wang,

Thank you for your application dated 19 May 2021 seeking information
relating to the decontamination works at Cadogan Street Temporary Garden
(CSTG).  Below is our response to the request under the Code of Access to
Information using the same numbering as in your email for easy reference.

1.        The site of Cadogan Street Temporary Garden (CSTG) was first
included in the study area for the project since the issue of Project
Profile of “Demolition of buildings and structures in the proposed Kennedy
Town Comprehensive Development Area (KTCDA) site” in 1998
([1]https://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/prof...) for an
application for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study brief.  At
that time, it was proposed to demolish all buildings and structures within
the proposed KTCDA site (including the site of CSTG) and carry out land
decontamination works, where necessary, to facilitate further
developments.  Upon issuance of EIA Study Brief
([2]https://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/stud...) by the
Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the Civil Engineering
Department (since then merged into Civil Engineering and Development
Department (CEDD)) took up the project planning and implementation in
1999.  At present, CEDD is conducting a study to review the ground
decontamination project in view of the latest land use planning according
to the Kennedy Town & Mount Davis Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) approved in
2017.  The site of CSTG remains as part of the study area of the on-going
project review study.

2.        Extensive site investigation (SI) with 193 boreholes have been
carried out to collect data regarding contaminants within the whole
project site.  Among the 193 boreholes, 18 boreholes have been carried out
in CSTG.  The above SI results are shown in the EIA Report titled
“Alternative Ground Decontamination Works at the Proposed Kennedy Town
Comprehensive Development Area Site (Register No. AEIAR-188/2015) approved
in 2015 and are available at
[3]http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/repor....

3.        The project comprises “Demolition of buildings, structures and
chimneys above ground at Kennedy Town incineration plant and abattoir” and
“Ground decontamination works at the site of ex-Kennedy Town Incineration
Plant/Abattoir and adjoining area (including the site of CSTG)”.  You may
refer to the Legislative Council Public Works Subcommittee Paper No.
PWSC(2007-08)30
([4]https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr06-07/english...)
and Legislative Council Public Works Subcommittee Paper No.
PWSC(2015-16)25
([5]https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr14-15/english...)
about the background of the project.  As mentioned in Central and Western
District Council (C&WDC) Building Management, Environmental Hygiene &
Works Committee (BEHWC) Document No. 41/2020
([6]https://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/cent...),
CEDD commenced a project review study in 2020 to review the scope and
implementation approach of the proposed decontamination works of the
project site including CSTG according to the Kennedy Town & Mount Davis
Outline Zoning Plan approved in 2017.  The project review study is still
on-going.

4.        The views and arguments presented in Ms Cherry Wong’s letter to
the editor of SCMP were mainly concerned about the need for
decontamination, standards and depth required for decontamination and her
latest test results of topsoil in CSTG.  Our responses can be found in the
followings:

(a)        Need for Decontamination and Standards and Depth Required for
Decontamination
Please refer to CEDD’s response to the passed motion in BEHWC meeting of 4
February 2021
([7]https://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/cent...)

(b)        Latest Test Results of Topsoil in CSTG
The soil testing results have been passed to our consultants for reference
as mentioned in our response to the passed motion in BEHWC meeting of 22
April 2021
([8]https://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/cent...).
 Our consultants will make reference to all relevant SI data and public
comments in the review exercise.  

5.        EPD promulgated the “Guidance Manual for Use of Risk-Based
Remediation Goals (RBRGs)” (“Guidance Manual)
([9]https://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/sites/default...
s/gme.pdf) as the contaminated land standards for Hong Kong with effect
from 15 August 2007 in line with the international practice of managing
contaminated land. The standards introduced RBRGs, which are the threshold
contaminant concentrations derived based on risk assessment principles and
methodologies, taking account of the risk of exposure pathway to human
under different types of land use.  To mitigate the risk of exposure
pathway to human during excavation, depth required for decontamination
would take into account the potential depth of excavation for future
maintenance and improvement works in CSTG.  As mentioned in BEHWC Document
No. 17/2021
([10]https://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/cent...),
as a preliminary proposal, our consultants recommended that a maximum
depth of about 2-3m below ground for decontamination if implemented would
normally suffice for the purpose of future maintenance and improvement
works within CSTG.
6.        As mentioned in the response to item 1 above, the site of CSTG
was included in the project area back in 1998.  The present review
exercise commenced in 2020 in consultation with departments, including
EPD, Planning Department, Leisure and Cultural Services Department and
Architectural Services Department, on multiple aspects such as
contaminated land management, land use planning, requirements on
maintenance and improvement works in CSTG, etc. Their advices would be
considered when formulating the implementation strategy and
decontamination schemes.

7.        Our response to the passed motion in BEHWC meeting of 22 April
2021 can be found at
[11]https://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/cent....

The project review study is still on-going, CEDD will examine the current
contamination level in CSTG for the purpose of reviewing the need for and
scope of ground decontamination works.  CEDD will endeavour to take the
public comments into account when formulating the updated decontamination
scheme.

Regards,

LEUNG Chi-foon
Chief Engineer/ Special Duties (Works)
Civil Engineering and Development Department

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