KSC Public Golf Course

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Recreational Facilities in Sai Kung --
The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau
Public Golf Course
By Channey Chan, Carlokas Ho, Esther Ng, Elby Ip
and Pearl Chan
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Introduction
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Introduction to Kau Sai Chau (I)

• 5th largest island of HK
• Lie in the centre of Port Shelter

• Large mangrove community on the north part of
  island (reservoir)

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Introduction to Kau Sai Chau (II)
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History of Kau Sai Chau (I)

• 1936-1975 military training in aerial bombing
  and artillery shelling by HK government
• Fire damage and soil erosion by shelling and
  hillfires
• Dominated by low shrubs and grasses

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History of Kau Sai Chau (II)
Before
After
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About the Public Golf Course (I)

• Jockey Club was aware of the growing wish of golf
  course
• Build a public golf course with 2 sites, north
  and south
• Agreement with HK government
• HK government land
• Jockey Club construction and maintenance
• Environmental assessments
• Before construction
• Become framework of EIA for EPD

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About the Public Golf Course (II)

• Known as environmentally friendly golf course
• "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" 1st
  golf course in China to win this distinction
• Aim at promoting golf to public
• Not-for-profit-making basis
• Has started the 3rd site construction in 2006
• Adopt a long sustainable plan

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Rationale for Choice

• Target Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course
• i. Historical background
• military training in bombing and shelling
• ii. Common sense of building golf course
• environmentally unfriendly
• iii. Recreational facilities
• first public golf course

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Our Goals

• Is Kau Sai Chau golf course really
  environmentally unfriendly?
• Impacts ? Positive? Negative?
• Assess sustainability of golf course
• Any further development?
• Any impacts on other aspects?

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Baseline Information
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Research Methods of Baseline Information

• Primary research
• Interviews with stakeholders
• Kevin Yuen, general manager of the Jockey Club
  Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course Limited
• Observation
• Secondary materials
• Government publications
• Newspaper searching
• Internet
• Printed books

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Baseline Conditions and ImpactsSocial Aspect (I)

• Community Project
• provision of a healthy sport
• encouragement of compliance in etiquette and
  fairness
• indoctrinate proper values to younger generation
• harmonization of family (parent-child activities)

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Baseline Conditions and ImpactsSocial Aspect (II)

• providing therapeutic services to people with
  disabilities
• assisting in fund raising activities
• expanding elite golfer training to the grass-root
  level

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Baseline Conditions and ImpactsEconomic Aspect

• attracting more visitors to Sai Kung
• ? positive effect on local economy
• provision of jobs
• minimizing the drain of wealth from Hong Kong to
  other golf cities
• enhancing the growth of golf industry

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Baseline Conditions and ImpactsEnvironmental
Aspect

• Before development
• little habitats
• degraded by hill fires
• ? soil erosion, washouts
• shell damages resulted from artillery
  practices in the 1950s

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Baseline Conditions and ImpactsEnvironmental
Aspect

• Benefits
• converted the barren island
  to a scenic place (improved
  visual effect)
• re-colonization of flora and fauna
• reduced soil erosion
• increased hill fire control
• preserve coastline

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Baseline Conditions and ImpactsEnvironmental
Aspect

• Present
• minimum use of pesticides
• planting of environmentally friendly turf grass
  Seashore Paspalum for the 3rd golf course
  currently under construction

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Baseline Conditions and ImpactsPolitical Aspect

• Served as a blueprint for the drafting and
  establishment of the Environmental Impact
  Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) which came into
  effect in 1998, two years after the KSC golf
  course had been opened.
• Resulted in clearer categorization of development
  projects requiring environmental permits outdoor
  golf course development is one of the categories
  of designated projects in the EIAO.
• Green groups are part of the advisory/monitoring
  committees in development projects (? the
  government tends to be more responsive to the
  environmental concerns of the public and Green
  groups).

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Stakeholders' Information
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Types of Participants (I)

• KSC golf course
• Environmental groups (green groups)
• World Wide Fund, The Conservancy Association,
  Friends of the Earth
• Golf players and visitors
• Government departments
• Environmental Protection Department, Agriculture,
  Fisheries and Conservation Department, Planning
  Department and Sustainable Development Council

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Types of Participants (II)

• Environmental consultants
• Sai Kung residents
• Sai Kung fishermen
• Kau Sai villagers

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Interrelations of Participants
Society
Environment
Environment
Community
Economy
Politics
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Examples of Interrelations

• Society Economy
• e.g. Sai Kung Residents and Job Provision to Sai
  Kung Residents
• Politics Environment
• e.g. Legislation of EIA and HK water quality

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The End