Public consultation
According to the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance published by the Environmental Protection Department, public consultation should be done during exhibition of a project profile and during public inspection of the EIA report. Notice the difference of the public consultation process between Hong Kong and Canada, where in Canada, public consultation is considered part of the EIA.
Public consultation in the form of exhibitions. Photo: hzmb.hk
Discussions between stakeholders. Photo: hzmb.hk
The timing of public consultation drew some criticism from the Hong Kong society, most notably from Greenpeace. We think that if public consultation is done before an EIA, the general public may not have enough information regarding the benefits and costs of the project that will enable them to make good decisions. If the expectations of the EIA during public consultation is vastly different from the results when the EIA is released, there will be a lot of public outcry and controversy, and some may even feel cheated.
In fact, there was a Hong Kong resident who sued the government after the EIA was released because she felt cheated by the proponent. The project was put hold on for 8 months before the ruling was overturned following the government’s appeal. Public consultation done for this project is exactly as required, done before the EIA in the form of exhibitions and after the EIA is released. Public consultation was done in 2008 in the form of exhibitions, forums and meetings between stakeholders.
In fact, there was a Hong Kong resident who sued the government after the EIA was released because she felt cheated by the proponent. The project was put hold on for 8 months before the ruling was overturned following the government’s appeal. Public consultation done for this project is exactly as required, done before the EIA in the form of exhibitions and after the EIA is released. Public consultation was done in 2008 in the form of exhibitions, forums and meetings between stakeholders.
A Greenpeace article criticizing the timing of public consultation. Photo: Screenshot of article.