Middle Island Water Sports Training Centre: Progress

Middle Island Water Sports Training Centre: Progress

WORDS: IAN BROWNLEE

In August 2019 a Members Forum was held on the ‘Future of Middle Island’. It outlined some of the issues which needed to be addressed and indicated a way forward. Members made suggestions and comments which have been taken into consideration. Following that meeting the Middle Island and Shelter Cove Development Working Group (DWG) was established in November 2019 and has overseen the progress of the studies and investigations and has regularly reported to General Committee.

An important stage has now been reached and it was our intention to have another Members Forum in early 2022, but the Covid restrictions have not made that possible. To keep members informed this article addresses Middle Island, while another article by Lucy Sutro provides details on the Opening Up Schemes that need to be put in place.

But first some background on Middle Island.

SUPER TYPHOON MANGKHUT

Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong on the 16 September 2018 and caused severe damage at Middle Island. Much of the impact was recorded on CCTV, and the water level from the storm surge was above the level of the existing hardstanding as is shown in Photo 1. After the storm the extent of damage on the hardstanding and inside the rowing Boathouse could be seen (Photos 2 and 3). Almost all of the boats in these locations needed to be replaced and there was physical damage to the buildings. The cost was in excess of $10 million and activities were disrupted for more than 3 months.

An initial analysis of the impact of the typhoon indicated that boats and buildings located at a height above approximately 5.0m above principal datum (mPD) were not affected. The existing Boathouse and hardstanding are only at approximately 4.00mPD and will often be subject to storm surge impact as the effects of climate change become more prevalent. This needs to be seriously addressed when looking at the future of Middle Island. Also other inadequacies of the existing facilities need to be improved.

LEASE CONDITIONS

The land status at Middle Island is quite complex. The Club House and the “old”

Initial Conceptual Plan Indicating Possible Expansion

hard standing immediately in front, are held on a lease which expired in May 2021. The remaining areas – the rowing Boathouse and areas around it, and the “new hard standing” are held through three temporary short term tenancies, all of which have expired and subject to three months’ notice to quit from government. The Club has made a submission to Lands Department to amalgamate all of the land holdings into one new lease.

While that has been accepted in principle, they decided that a new lease relating to the old lot should be processed first and a new lease granted which will run through to 2027. The basic documentation for the new lease was completed in January 2022 but it is still to be formally signed off. It includes new conditions requiring the site to be “Opened Up” for use by members of the public through a structured process relating to “Eligible Outside Bodies”. The Club has to submit and implement an “Opening Up Scheme”, and this is currently being drafted. Performance on this scheme will be significant when government considers extending the lease beyond 2027. The Club has also been advised to obtain all the necessary approvals before 2025 to enable the amalgamation of all of the land into one new lot in 2027.

Government has indicated that when new leases are to be granted in 2027 they will be subject to the payment of a land premium. The amount to be paid is not known at this stage, but government has said it will give an indication during 2023.

ENGINEERING STUDY

Typhoon Impact Study

It was necessary to have technical input, so consulting engineers AECOM Limited were appointed in March 2021 to provide an engineering report which included a computer analysis of possible future impacts of typhoons on Middle Island. The impacts of various levels of storm were assessed looking primarily at storm surge and tides. Based on this, the probability of future storm impacts was assessed, the likely damage from the impact and the possible mitigation measures needed to reduce damage were identified. The assessment was based on historical data, an analysis of the CCTV of Mangkhut’s impact and criteria provided by the Hong Kong Observatory and the Civil Engineering Department for developments along coastlines.

In summary, the engineering report shows that it is desirable to have the formation level of any hardstanding at around 5.5mPD. Any building at a level lower than this could be subject to damage. For example, any replacement of the existing Boathouse should not be rebuilt at the current level, but needs to be rebuilt on a formation level up to about 1.5m higher than the existing level. This is also higher than the existing hardstanding and an economic form of mitigation needed to be identified for that area.

Conceptual Plan

To assist the engineering study a Conceptual Plan was prepared by the DWG. The main new component was a 3-storey Boathouse built on new reclamation to the east of the existing hard standing. The ground floor area would be similar in area to the existing Boathouse, with changing rooms and staff offices on the first floor and multi-purpose event/activity space on the second floor. There is no intention to expand the capacity of Middle Island, rather to accommodate the current level of use in better, safer facilities. It is also intended to provide lift access and a connection to the existing Club House building. While the Conceptual Plan provided a starting point for the study, the results will inevitably result in changes.

Geotechnical Study

The other major component of the engineering study was an assessment of the risk arising from the slopes at the rear of the site. There are relatively minor risks from potential landslips or boulder falls. There are, however, constraints on future development arising from any slope works which might be necessary for the new reclamation and new building. The development area is therefore squeezed between the sea and the slope.

Options for Development

In January 2022 the engineers presented three options for the future development of the site. While there are differences for the development of the new building and new reclamation, there was a common solution proposed for the existing hardstanding, and this is shown in Figure 1.

In this area it is proposed that a permanent protective wave wall of about 1.2m in height be constructed on top of the sea wall. Removable wave barriers would be put in place at the top of the ramps and stairs to the pontoons. These measures would not stop water from covering the hardstand, but would remove most of the energy so that there is less destruction. The material and small boats stored on the hardstanding would need to be lifted from the hardstanding and lower levels of racks, and secured in locations which are above about 5.0mPD. A layout for the boat racks and storage units has been determined. All of this could be implemented as soon as the Club considers it a priority and finance is available.

Figure 1: Proposal for the existing hardstanding on the western portion of the site

The New Reclamation

Three options were presented for the new reclamation on the eastern portion. The fundamental objective is to obtain protection for the new facilities by providing a reclamation which was at about 5.5mPD. The design of the new Boathouse was not part of this exercise as it was mainly to identify potential locations for a new building. The options were, in summary: Option 1: A reclamation line drawn as a direct extension of the existing sea wall, which provided the largest area of new land and protruded furthest from the shore; Option 2: A smaller reclamation (see Figure 2) which has a chamfered sea wall to minimize the possibility of the sand on the adjacent beach being eroded by eddies created by the reclamation. The existing slipway at the Boathouse is retained, but expanded in width and extended to a distance similar to the length of the existing Boathouse. An expanded pontoon would be provided leading from the slipway. The existing slipway on the western side would be widened. Option 2 is the one preferred by the DWG. However, issues relating to the existing temple, a large rock outcrop, and the location and form of the proposed Boathouse, still need to be resolved. In Figure 2 it is assumed these features would be removed.

Option 3: This option was considered to see if the existing Boathouse could be reasonably retained and incorporated into a new reclamation layout. This was considered to not be feasible when compared with the other two options.

BROAD ORDER OF COSTS

The engineering study also presented broad estimates of various costs and the most relevant ones are:

Cost of Western hardstanding proposals as in Figure 1. $15 million Cost of Eastern reclamation in

Figure 2 (excludes cost of building) $28 million

CURRENT ACTIONS

During the recent lease discussions with Lands Department, it became necessary to remove the temporary storage provided in containers. Now that the proposals for the western part of the site have been defined through the engineering study, it is appropriate to obtain formal approval from government to construct two temporary buildings. A two storey building will be for storage and workshop facilities, and another single storey building will be training facilities. In addition, approval will be sought for construction of the racks for the storage of the RIBS. These works are estimated to cost around $5 million and construction could be completed by January 2023.

THE NEXT STEPS

The next major step will be to prepare a town planning application to obtain approval to the proposed layout for the whole of the site. Before this can be submitted some additional work needs to be done on the layout and design of the new Boathouse. The application should be ready to submit by the end of 2022, and it would then be made available for public comment. On approval of the planning application the Club would be in a good position to justify the amalgamation of the land into one lease document to be prepared in 2025, which would secure the basis for investing in the additional development. A Members Forum will hopefully be held before the planning application is prepared.

Clear explanation of the purpose of the development will be important for obtaining public support. Middle Island is the largest water sports training facility in Hong Kong and it is readily available for non-members to use through joining courses and competitions. This is not widely known and factual information needs to be presented so that it can readily be understood by the public. The site is now being presented as the “Middle Island Water Sports Training Centre” which better reflects the actual use and the continuing purpose for the proposed improvements and developments.

Ian Brownlee is the Chair of the Middle Island and Shelter Cove Development Working Group and a member of the General Committee.