March_1970 — Page 7

news review

Hotel will be Hong Kong's largest

The shift in development values which the Hong Kong cross harbour tunnel will encourage is evidenced by the announcement last month that a giant hotel is to be erected at Causeway Bay, close to the tunnel entrance. The site is directly opposite Hung Hom on the other side of the harbour and thus it will become the nearest sizeable hotel to Kai Tak airport which soon will disgorge tour groups by the hundreds from the new jumbo jets.

The hotel will take up 45,000 sq.ft. of Jardine's East Point Godown complex, adjacent to the new waterfront roadway. It will be a 33-storey building with more than 1,000 hotel rooms. Adjacent land is available should the developers decide to extend the hotel by a further 1,000 rooms.

A consortium of UK and Hong Kong companies

33-storey hotel at Causeway Bay

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will build the hotel BOAC Associated Com- panies, Forte Holdings Ltd., City Hotels Ltd., The Hongkong Land Investment & Agency Co. Ltd. and Jardine, Matheson & Co. Ltd. BOAC Associ- ated Companies and Forte Holdings Ltd. are al- ready working closely together on a number of other projects around the world.

Architects for the project are Eric Cumine As- sociates. Construction is expected to start later this year and it is planned to have the hotel opened by June 1972.

Improvement in housing conditions

The steady improvement in Hong Kong housing conditions is changing the pattern of housing needs and demands. This is one of the main themes of the latest report of the Housing Board.

The Board recalls that their reports over the last four years have reflected the improvement in the overall housing situation brought about by a very high level of building, and the gradual improve- ment of standards which this has allowed.

While the housing problem is by no means solved the Government programmes recommended so far, combined with the efforts of the private sector and those of the Government-aided agencies, should continue the measurable improvement in housing in recent years.' it says.

The latest report for the year 1969, tabled at a recent meeting of the Legislative Council, estimates that there are half a million people in the urban areas who need better housing. They include peo- ple living in congested conditions in old tenement properties, in squatter areas and in overcrowded rooms in the older resettlement estates.

The Board observes that the extensive Govern- ment low cost housing building programme now in hand should permit many families living in older tenement properties to obtain self-contained ac- commodation. Discussing the preferences of people seeking re-housing in his changing situation, the Board states: 'It is becoming increasingly clear that the housing demand, as distinct from the housing need, is for cheap housing centrally located as pos- sible in the existing urban areas, and that people will tolerate bad housing conditions rather than move to better housing in the outlying areas'.

Building plans approved

Ninety-nine new building plans of all types were approved by the Building Authority last De- cember and 40 completed buildings were certified for occupation. Of the plans approved 19 were on Hong Kong island, nine in Kowloon, 38 in New Kowloon and 33 in the New Territories.

Shatin expansion will cost HK$50 million

The start of construction this month on a new by-pass road and a 3,700 ft. bund at Shatin in the New Territories of Hong Kong will mark the begin- ning of a HK$50 million development programme

Far East BUILDER, March 1970

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