News Stories:

Click-on these handy "jump links" to quickly access the news item
you're looking for.

1. Snowball keeps rolling for $780m theme park

1. Snowball keeps rolling for $780m theme park

Plans to build a $780 million snow theme park on Ma Wan Island have been resurrected, despite being written off by the major developer last week. The 10.8-hectare SnowWorld theme park was to be built off Lantau and would have been a key feature in a multi-themed development covering two million square feet. But the park has been hamstrung following a prolonged row with the government over a land grant. The major developer, Sun Hung Kai Properties, said yesterday it was revising its options. Last week a spokesman for Ma Wan Park, a subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai, said nothing positive had been achieved after 15 months of negotiations with the Town Planning Board over a grant. The spokesman said SnowWorld Hong Kong - which signed a memorandum of understanding in June 2000 to develop and own the park - had given up its plans. But SnowWorld managing director Thomas Kessler said yesterday the plan was still alive. ``It opens the door for SnowWorld to discuss [the land grant] directly with the government,'' he said. Sun Hung Kai has revised plans to build 12 themed zones in the first and the second phase of the cultural park ``to get the best combination of zones'', according to a spokeswoman. The snow park was the third stage of the $1 billion development. Following the revision, the government said it would rather call for tenders than grant the site to the developers.

[Source: Hong Kong iMail, 9 April 2002]