THE tallest building in Asia, talked about for decades but still just an architect's dream, is set to grow another two storeys, at least on paper, according to new plans filed by Hopewell Holdings.
The Mega Tower Hotel was originally designed to be 60 storeys.
Hopewell has now received planning approval that will see the $3.5 billion project soar to 93 storeys, up from 91, although the number of rooms has been scaled down from 2,400 to 2,197.
However, residents near the Wan Chai site have criticised the secrecy they say surrounds details of the scheme and fear the new plans include subsequent development of nearby sites that include their homes.
''We have been living without answers for so long,'' said Leung Chi-ping, an elderly resident in a nearby building also owned by Hopewell. ''I cannot live like this, unsure of my status, not knowing whether I'll be kicked out in a month.'' The change that most irks residents is the one returning several parcels from government to Hopewell hands. The property has been listed as open space, meaning no development will be allowed, but residents worry that Hopewell has other uses in mind.
In return for permission to plan the development of a 10,315-square-metre site in one go as a ''Comprehensive Redevelopment Area'', Hopewell pledged to give the Government many adjacent plots. These were to be turned into park or open space for the densely-developed Wan Chai district.
The surrounding plots were offered in exchange for planning approval of a project that otherwise would have exceeded allowable land use density. However, changes in land use requirements over the years meant Hopewell was no longer obliged to give up quite as much land.