Time running out for Jessville as talks with owners fail

Owners of the historic Jessville mansion in Pok Fu Lam have threatened to knock it down after a year-long negotiation with the government failed to give them economic incentives to preserve it, their consultant said.

This is the second time the owners have issued such a warning since May, when they demanded the government back their proposal to erect three multi-storey residential blocks surrounding Jessville.

The government was surprised at the news and noted it with regret, a Development Bureau spokeswoman said, adding that discussions were continuing but a consensus on the redevelopment density had yet to be reached.

Any development in Pok Fu Lam needed strong justification, and district councillors and neighbours were very sensitive towards bulky and tall buildings incompatible with the environment, she said.

'The doors for discussion with the owner remain fully open on the government side, with a view to achieving a preservation-cumdevelopment option,' she said.

The owner's redevelopment proposal was scheduled to be discussed by the Town Planning Board yesterday, but the owners withdrew it after meeting government officials the day before.

'Time has run out. [The owners] may now demolish the building,' the owner's planning consultant Ian Brownlee said. 'It's been two years, we have had numerous meetings, but the government is still considering, still covering up what they want.'