TNAG-0676-FCO40-825-Legislation-for-summary-offences-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 33

C.S. 84

RESTRICTED

- 3

XCR(77)197

6

The bulk of the excavation work will be underground and the noise associated with this work is unlikely to disturb the public. There will be some noise at the works areas in the Colonial Cemetery in the north and Wong Chuk Hang Valley in the south, due to the use of such ancillary equipment as air compressors and ventilation fans, and due to the removal of spoil by lorries. However, the relatively isolated position of the works areas and the imposition of strict noise abatement measures should ensure that night work will create little disturbance to nearby residents. The construction of the toll plaza, the Wong Chuk Hang interchange and other construction works away from the tunnel works areas will take place only during normal working hours.

7

Honourable Members may wish to note that, when tunnelling works for the construction of the pilot tunnel along the alignment of the tunnel were exempted from the provisions of section 13 of the Summary Offences Ordinance by order of the Governor in Council for the periods 17th May 1974 to 31st October 1974 and 25th February 1975 to 31st August 1975, no complaints were received from the public. Working conditions now expected for the construction of the main tunnel will be similar to these earlier activities.

8

To facilitate the early completion of the tunnel and to minimise the total cost of its construction, it is therefore proposed that an order be made to exclude from the application of section 13 of the Summary Offences Ordinance the contractor's activities within the areas delineated in the drawings attached at Annex A. The exclusion would be for the period from 15th July 1977 to 31st July 1980 and would be subject to the following conditions:

(a) all plant and equipment shall be "sound-reduced" so

that the sound level measured outside the nearest occupied property will not exceed 50 decibels (dBA) for work between the hours 8 p. m. and 6 a. m.;

(b)

(c)

(d)

noise reduction equipment and baffling arrangements appropriate to each area specified in the Schedule and approved by the Director of Public Works shall be provided and used within each such area;

no piling work of any sort shall be carried out within any such area on any day between the hours 8 p. m. and 6 a. m. or at any time on any public holiday;

blasting will be prohibited outside the confines of the tunnel between 11 p. m. and 6 a. m.; and

RESTRICTED