Twin towers are rejected by Town Planning Board

But Gordon Wu may put a 93-floor hotel on the site in Wan Chai instead

Hopewell Holdings' plan to build a 60-storey, twin-tower hotel in Wan Chai was rejected by the Town Planning Board yesterday.

However, Hopewell boss Gordon Wu Ying-sheung threatened to challenge the ruling in the courts - or simply reactivate a plan to use the site to build what would be Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper.

The board said the twin-tower plan was incompatible with the neighbourhood's character, and would cause traffic congestion, kill too many trees and damage the aesthetics of Hong Kong Island's skyline. 'I will take legal action,' Sir Gordon said. 'In the beginning, I thought I should listen to public opinion, which was against constructing very tall buildings. The 97-storey plan is still effective, so I may just return to the old plan.'

Hopewell's plan to build the biggest hotel in Hong Kong dates back to the early 1980s. Over the past 20 years, it has submitted 12 plans to the Town Planning Board, eight of which have been rejected.

In 1994, the board approved a plan to build a 93-storey hotel. Although no actual construction has ever started, the plan is still effective and could be reactivated without seeking fresh town planning approval. Sir Gordon gave no explanation why he referred to the plan as 97-storeys high yesterday.