Family split on fate of Dragon Garden

Tycoon's son has deciding vote on whether it is preserved

The fourth son of Lee Iu-cheung holds the key to the fate of the late tycoon's vast and picturesque private garden at Sham Tseng.

With other stakeholders evenly divided over the proposed sale of the 8-hectare site to a property developer, they are waiting for Lee Him, now in San Francisco, to return and cast his vote, a family member said yesterday.

This emerged as other family members joined the clamour for Dragon Garden to be conserved rather than sold to Sun Hung Kai Properties, in a deal due to be signed in about two weeks.

The family member said the tycoon had left the site on Castle Peak Road to his five sons, Lee Ming, Lee Po, Lee Chun, Lee Him and Lee Shiu. Lee Ming and Lee Po have died, leaving their shares to their sons.

At a family meeting on Monday, the grandsons were still adamant that the sale, worth about $130 million, should go ahead, the family member said. But Lee Chun and Lee Shiu were now willing to donate the garden to the public if someone could take over and conserve it. The family member said they were waiting for the fourth son to return to Hong Kong and cast his vote.

The family member said the deal was initiated by John Lee Yuen-hong, the eldest son of Lee Ming. But John Lee was unavailable for comment yesterday.