Approach Beach is a gazetted beach located near

Yau Kom Tau Yau Kom Tau or Yau Kam Tau () may refer to: * Yau Kom Tau (Tsing Yi) on Tsing Yi island, Hong Kong * Yau Kom Tau (Tsuen Wan District) in the Tsuen Wan District of Hong Kong. Yau Kom Tau Village Yau Kom Tau Village (), sometimes transliterated a ...

Castle Peak Road Castle Peak Road is the longest road in Hong Kong. Completed in 1920, it runs in the approximate shape of an arc of a semi-circle. It runs West from Tai Po Road in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, to Tuen Mun, then north to Yuen Long then east ...

in Ting Kau,

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

, Hong Kong. The beach has barbecue pits and is managed by the

Leisure and Cultural Services Department The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. It provides leisure and cultur ...

of the

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...

. The beach is rated as Grade 2 by the

Environmental Protection Department Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is a department of Hong Kong Government concerning the issues of environmental protection in Hong Kong.The EPD is responsible for developing policies covering environmental protection, nature conserv ...

for its water quality. The beach, along with Ting Kau Beach, is one of the only two gazetted beaches in

Tsuen Wan District Tsuen Wan District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the New Territories and is served by the Tsuen Wan line of the MTR metro system. Its area is 60,7 km². Its residents, who mostly live in Tsuen Wan Town, enj ...

that can "swim in

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...

". The beach offers views of the

Ting Kau Bridge Ting Kau Bridge is a long cable-stayed bridge in Hong Kong that spans from the northwest of Tsing Yi Island and Tuen Mun Road. It is near the Tsing Ma Bridge which also serves as a major connector between the Hong Kong International Airport ...

as well as

Tsing Ma Bridge Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's 16th-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after the two islands it connects, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan. It has two ...

History

In May 1987, the beach was gazetted by the Hong Kong Government and

Hong Kong Jockey Club The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, having been founded in 1884. In 1959, it was granted a Royal Charter and renamed The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (). The institution reverted to its original name ...

assisted

Regional Council Regional Council may refer to: * Regional Council (Hong Kong), disbanded in 1999 ** Regional Council (constituency) Regional council may refer to: * Regional council (Cameroon) * Regional council (France), the elected assembly of a region of Fra ...

to open the beach. Less than ten years after the opening, the oil pollution problem due to large ships had become more and more serious. However, since May 1995, the beaches in Tsuen Wan District were closed due to the construction of the nearby Ting Kau and Tsing Ma Bridges and no longer allowed the public to swim due to its poor water quality and lifeguard services have to be suspended. The beach has been reopened to the public for swimming since 15 June 2011.

Water quality

In 1995, Approach Beach (along with two other nearby beaches) was closed because the water quality had worsened following the commissioning of Stage 1 of the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS). While HATS Stage 1 overall improved water quality in

, it worsened conditions in the western area of the harbour because of the large quantity of non-disinfected effluent being released from the

Stonecutters Island Stonecutters Island or Ngong Shuen Chau is a former island in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. Following land reclamation, it is now attached to the Kowloon Peninsula. Fauna The island once boasted at least three mating pairs of sulphur-crested co ...

Sewage Treatment Works. Permanent disinfection facilities were built at Stonecutters Island under HATS Stage 2, and water quality subsequently improved. Approach Beach was officially reopened to swimmers on 15 June 2011, and lifeguards are provided there once again.

Features

The beach has the following features: * BBQ pits (2 nos.) * Changing rooms * Showers * Toilets * Bathing sheds

References

External links

Official website
{{Gazetted beaches in Hong Kong Ting Kau Beaches of Hong Kong

History

Water quality

Features

See also

References

External links