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Cheung Kong Changes plan 2.
Cheung Kong keeps mum on emergency
1. Cheung Kong Changes plan
Hongkong Electric and its ultimate parent Cheung Kong (Holdings) want to redevelop
a car-park building within the South Horizons housing estate at Ap Lei Chau into
a 16-storey hotel. It is the electricity provider's second attempt to change the
land use of the site. Previously it intended to change the land and its neighbouring
electricity transformer centre to residential use but withdrew the plan amid pressure
from residents. The new proposal is to convert the 68,029 square feet site into
an 850-room hotel development. It could provide a total floor area of 635,087
sq ft with a plot ratio of 9.3 times. The Town Planning Board is expected to discuss
the proposal within two months. The earlier proposal was for two 60-storey residential
towers with more than 900 flats. [Source:
SCMP, 25 October 2001] 2.
Cheung Kong keeps mum on emergency
Nice to see that Cheung Kong (Holdings) has got its act together and built a couple
of walkways connecting its flagship Cheung Kong Center with the Citibank Plaza
and Bank of China sites. Pity about the proposed garden at the rear of the 66-storey
Li Ka-shing-owned skyscraper. Oh well, it has only been a couple of years since
the first paying tenants moved in and hope springs eternal (unlike the non-existent
trees and shrubs). Cheung Kong celebrated the opening of the sky-bridges by decorating
them with enormous bill-boards advertising the company's other property developments.
A source within the Lands Department told us Cheung Kong had a licence to construct
and maintain the bridges. He didn't believe the licence specified that advertising
hoardings were allowed. "I don't recall [Cheung Kong] seeking feedback from any
department," he said. Any company wanting to erect signs overhanging a public
highway has to seek permission from the Lands Department. However, in practice
this rarely happened, said the source. The developer did seek a temporary licence
for a lay-by on the land it owns in front of the Cheung Kong Center on Queen's
Road Central. Pedestrians may have fallen over the 29 traffic cones which surround
it and block the pavement. A sign designating the spot for use by "emergency services"
has not stopped the cars for Mr Li and his son and heir apparent Victor Li Tzar-kuoi
using it as a drop-off and collection point, according to lay-by spies. The Lands
Department source believed the temporary licence for the lay-by would expire before
the end of the year. Cheung Kong did not respond to inquiries. [Source:
SCMP, 25 October 2001] | 
