Hotel plan for home on Peak approved
Developer gets nod to turn century-old house into upscale accommodation even as district councillors prepare a motion of objection
The Town Planning Board has given the green light for the conversion of a 97-year-old residence on The Peak into a boutique hotel, despite strong opposition from the district council.
The board said the main reasons it approved the project yesterday were that the owner was taking the initiative to protect the historic residence at 27 Lugard Road, and that the developer had proposed ways of compensating for additional traffic on the narrow road, a popular hiking trail.
"It is clear that an owner could tear it down any time despite its proposed grade-two historic status," a board spokesman said. "Under existing policy, the city is relying heavily on owners' initiative to save heritage buildings."
The spokesman said traffic restrictions proposed by the developer would be written into the transport permit to be obtained by the hotel in the future.
"Members believed the future traffic would be more or less the same as the current situation."
The approval went ahead as members of the Central and Western District Council were preparing to move a motion objecting to the project next month. Fourteen councillors made a joint statement against the project last month, with more than 100 signatures collected from the public.
According to land and company documents, the four-storey residence was acquired by developer Crown Empire for HK$384 million in September last year. The company is held by British Virgin Island-registered Ashley Pacific, which also holds the Butterfly Hotel and Serviced Apartment Group.