As a costly aspect is the nucd to dispose
of dredged material at a dumping sito suaward of Cheung Chau island, dredging work at the airport site needs to be reduced to a minimum. Also, as about 14 million cubic metres of dredged material would have to be removed from the Phase I site and nearly 7 million more from the Phase II site, considerable savings would accrue if a more convenient disposal site could bc found.
41.
The construction time for the whole project would be determined by the excavation of more than 100 million cubic metres of Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau islands and the reclamation of approximately 530 hectares of land, composed principally of granite (total airport land developed would be about 840 hectares). The excavation of these two islands is expected to produce a surplus of material and possible uses for it are being considered. Alternatively it might be feasible (and less costly) to reduce the amount of excavation of the two islands and make the airport higher than nine metres above Principal Datum.
42.
In defining the land-use plan for on-airport facilities no attempt has yet been made to weigh all the options available in terms of airport operational flexibility, operating and upkeep costs to tenants and to the airport, or efficiency of internal transport arrangements. Optimisation of these factors will be considered during an airport Master Planning study which it is recommended should now be undertaken.
(c) Environmental implications
43.
Construction of an airport at Chek Lap Kok would involve the relocation of only about 300 persons from that island and possibly only a further 430 persons now resident on the san Tau headland of Lantau island.
44.
The Consultants worked out noise forecasts for a variety of aircraft operational patterns. To produce forecasts of noise, the airport's operational use patterns need to be accurately assessed and prediction of these in turn depends upon reliable information about the meteorological environment. As this is not yet available, it has been possible only to make a conservative prediction of noise. As additional meteorological information becomes available this prediction will be reassessed with the likely result that the noise will prove less than at present forecast. What does emerge, even from this present conservative
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