Hotel influx ahead of MTR opening worries Sai Ying Pun residents
New MTR station is attracting developers, with latest tower project causing concerns that the neighbourhood will lose its charm
Residents in Sai Ying Pun are afraid their neighbourhood will be destroyed by a surge in new hotels drawn to the area by the city's newest MTR station, which is set to open this month.
The latest hotel project is at the eastern end of Third Street, which is lined with mainly walk-up apartment buildings and garages in the heritage-rich residential district.
The plan was approved five years ago but many locals were not aware of the proposal until the developer sought to revise the plan recently.
The project would be the first hotel on the sloping part of Sai Ying Pun, raising concern from locals and conservationists that the development would significantly alter the residential nature of the area.
At present, all the hotels in Sai Ying Pun are on the flatland on Queen's Road West, Des Voeux Road West and Connaught Road West.
Over the past seven years, since the MTR announced its plan to build the Sai Ying Pun station, the area has seen the construction of at least 10 hotels. Seven others, including the Third Street project, are in the pipeline after securing approval from the Town Planning Board.
As well, the district is experiencing an influx of trendy bars and restaurants.
Cheung Kan-yan, of Sai Wan Concern, which monitors development in the area, said: "The arrival of a towering hotel on this quiet street is likely to drive away local shops and push up rents, as has happened on other parts of Sai Ying Pun where hotels have popped up. Rents may go up …
"We're now having this 'hotel empire' in Sai Ying Pun because of the upcoming MTR station, the surge in individual travellers from the mainland, and soaring rents in SoHo that pushed development westwards."
Clever Wealth Development, developer of the Third Street project, initially planned for the hotel targeting "budget-type visitors" to be 21 storeys in a proposal submitted to planners in 2010. At the time, the application drew a total of 10 public comments objecting to the plan and was eventually approved.
In 2013, Clever Wealth acquired an adjacent three-storey walk-up building for HK$35.3 million. It is now seeking to expand the development, which, if approved, will cover a bigger site and rise to 28 storeys, with 95 guest rooms.
An owner of a garage on Third Street, who identified himself as Mr Chan, was one of the 10 locals who opposed the project in 2010.
"The plan got approved and the building of my shop was demolished. I moved to the other side of the street and now pay a higher rent," Mr Chan said.
"The neighbourhood is changing fast. It's another SoHo now," he said.
District councillor Sidney Lee Chi-hang said a few residents had expressed concerns to him over the project but that there were also supporters.
