EPD Releases Latest Beach Water Quality Ratings: Five Good, 29 Fair, Six Poor.

Grading of beach water quality released

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (July 31) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).

Five beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 29 as Fair (Grade 2) and six as Poor (Grade 3).

Grade 1 beaches are:

Hap Mun Bay Beach*	Lo So Shing Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach*	Tai Po Lung Mei Beach*
Kiu Tsui Beach

Grade 2 beaches are:

Anglers' Beach*	Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Butterfly Beach*	Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach*
Cafeteria New Beach	Middle Bay Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach	Pui O Beach*
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach*	Repulse Bay Beach*
Chung Hom Kok Beach	Shek O Beach*
Clear Water Bay First Beach	South Bay Beach*
Clear Water Bay Second Beach*	St. Stephen's Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach*	Stanley Main Beach*
Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach [Non-gazetted beach]	Ting Kau Beach*
Golden Beach*	Tong Fuk Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach	Trio Beach
Kadoorie Beach	Turtle Cove Beach
Kwun Yam Beach	Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Lido Beach*

Grade 3 beaches are:

Approach Beach	Castle Peak Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach*	Silver Mine Bay Beach*
Casam Beach*	Silverstrand Beach*

Compared with the grading released last week, Pui O Beach has been upgraded from Grade 3 to Grade 2, and Silver Mine Bay Beach from Grade 4 to Grade 3. South Bay Beach, Tong Fuk Beach and Upper Cheung Sha Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2.

"The changes in beach water quality are generally within the normal range of natural fluctuation," an EPD spokesman said.

Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.

While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.

A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD's website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the EPD's dedicated webpage on the beach water quality forecast (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast).

Note 1: Lifesaving services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 21 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from June 1. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).

Note 2: This refers to Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach which has no lifesaving service.

Source: AI-found images

Approved Kwai Chung Outline Zoning Plan amended

The Town Planning Board today (July 31) announced amendments to the approved Kwai Chung Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

The amendments mainly involve (i) rezoning a site at the junction of Lei Muk Road and Kwok Shui Road from "Other Specified Uses" ("OU") annotated "Buildings with Historical and Architectural Interests Preserved for Social Welfare Facility Use", "Open Space" and an area shown as 'Road' to "Residential (Group A)5"; (ii) revision to the building height restriction of the "OU" annotated "Columbarium" ("OU(Columbarium)") zone at Tsing Tsuen Road; (iii) rezoning three strips of land at Tsing Tsuen Road from "Green Belt" and "Industrial" ("I") to "OU(Columbarium)"; (iv) rezoning three parcels of land near Wing Kei Road and to the east of Tsuen Wan Chinese Permanent Cemetery (TWCPC) from "OU(Columbarium)", "OU" annotated "Cemetery" ("OU(Cemetery)") and "OU" annotated "Funeral Parlours and Crematorium" ("OU(FPC)") to "I"; (v) rezoning a parcel of land to the east of TWCPC from "OU(Cemetery)" and "I" to "OU(FPC)"; and (vi) rezoning a site at Wo Yi Hop Road from "OU" annotated "Business" to "Residential (Group E)2".

The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP are amended to take into account the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zones and the planning scheme area, where appropriate.

The draft Kwai Chung OZP No. S/KC/33, incorporating the amendments, is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Tsuen Wan and West Kowloon District Planning Office, and (iv) the Kwai Tsing District Office.

Any person may make written representations in respect of the amendments to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before September 30, 2026. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29C on "Submission and Processing of Representations and Further Representations" (TPB PG-No. 29C).

Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29C. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:

* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29C, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and

* The Secretariat of the Town Planning Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.

The Guidelines and the submission form are available at the above locations (i) and (ii) and the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

Copies of the draft Kwai Chung OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centre in North Point. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed on the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).