The government said yesterday that it is assessing whether to green-light a private construction project of building a hotel on a plot next to the Lisboa Gardens residential estate on Small Taipa Hill.
The plan submitted by the project’s architecture company was discussed during a regular meeting of the government-appointed Urban Planning Council (CPU) yesterday.
The meeting was chaired by Lands and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) Director Lai Weng Leong, where representatives from the architecture company briefed CPU members about the hotel project. The meeting was open to the media.
The representatives said during the meeting that in 2021 the company submitted a revised plan that proposes to scale down the project in compliance with the government’s requirements that the construction must not involve major excavation work.
The revised plan proposes the construction of a four-star six-storey hotel on the plot, officially known as M3, on the hill.
The revised plan proposes a gross construction area of 17,700 square metres, a decrease from the 29,700 square metres proposed by the original version of the plan.
According to the revised plan, the project would require excavation of 3,529 cubic metres of sand and rock from the hill, a drop from the 28,000 cubic metres proposed by the original plan.
During the meeting, several CPU members questioned whether it would be suitable to build a hotel on the hill, while some fellow members asked whether the roads on Small Taipa Hill could tackle an increased vehicular flow after the hotel opens.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lai said that after listening to views from CPU members and members of the public, the government will continue to assess the hotel project’s plan before finally deciding whether to approve it.
