The Town Planning Board has rejected the review application for a hotel and open space development at Ship Street and Kennedy Road in Wan Chai.

The board recognised the project would contribute positively to urban renewal in Wan Chai and the applicant has taken considerable effort to address the concerns the board raised previously.

However, the board remained concerned about the intensity and scale of development, the 'wall effect' and adverse impacts the development would cause.

The board's major concern is the overall bulk of the development, which is too massive and incompatible with the character of the neighbouring developments at Kennedy Road.

Problems remain

The development would create significant visual impact in view of the proposed building mass as compared with the surrounding developments, the board added.

Although the proposed road improvement schemes could mitigate the anticipated traffic impact, the applicant had not sufficiently demonstrated their feasibility and timing.

The board noted that the development require many trees to be chopped down, a fact considered not acceptable. It was also concerned that some of the proposed covered open space within the development might not be able to fulfil the proper and intended function of public open space.

Project history

The board's Metro Planning Committee rejected the mega tower hotel project in April 2004. At the review hearing in July 2004, the board raised concerns relating to the development scale, traffic, visual impact, tree felling, open space, and sunlight and ventilation aspects.

The applicant made further submissions to address these concerns, and presented a further improvement proposal at the hearing in December.