TNAG-0642-FCO40-790-Kowloon-Walled-City-and-aircraft-safety-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 31

For discussion

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on 13th September 1977

HISK 183/1.

XCR(77)248 Copy No

MEMORANDUM FOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Hong Kong Airport (Control of Obstructions) Ordinance

(Chapter 301)

HONG KONG AIRPORT (CONTROL OF OBSTRUCTIONS)

(AMENDMENT) ORDER 1977

RECEIVED MY RIG SHY HO.

2 3 SEP 1983

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

G.S. 84

PA

你啦

GOVERNMENT LAND ALLOCATION K107 ·

REGISTRY

Action Taken

ROYAL OBSERVATORY

32....

The Hong Kong Airport (Control of Obstructions) Ordinance

and its subsidiary legislation impose building height restrictions to ensure the safety of aircraft in flight. The restrictions are normally applied to areas defined by means of plans but individual sites may be exempted by inclusion in the Schedule to the Hong Kong Airport (Control of Obstructions) Order. An amendment to the Schedule is now proposed to include Govern- ment Land Allocation 107, the site of the Royal Observatory, in the list of exempted sites.

2

To meet the expanding needs of the Royal Observatory, a project has been included in the Public Works Programme which will provide additional accommodation in a nine-storey block and entail the construction on its roof of a signal mast and telecommunications, radar and satellite reception equipment. The planning and design of the new building has been completed and construction is due to start in July 1978.

3

The Hong Kong Airport (Control of Obstructions) Order limits the height of buildings in the area to 60.5 metres above Principal Datum. The new Observatory building will exceed the statutory height limit by about 6.5 metres and radar dishes and, in addition, satellite reception equipment will be erected on its roof. The reasons for exceeding the statutory height limit are as follows:

(a)

Mount Elgin, on which the Royal Observatory is sited, was selected for the purpose partly because it commanded good all-round views and was a suitable location for meteorological observations. Over the years, all-round visibility has become restricted by the construction of buildings around the Observatory up to the statutory height limit. Meteorological observations of a standard to meet local and international requirements are there- fore becoming more difficult to make. The new building will permit the required standard of meteorological observation to be met by restoring all-round visibility from the top floor of the building, which will accommo- date the Central Forecasting Office.

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