My Lamma Forums

[oldtaiping]

What's with the super-huge crane they've erected on the beach on the way from Po Wah Yuen to Pak Kok? (Across from the site of Dickstock ) That eyesore construction site seemed abandoned for years, but now it's going full tilt. What is being built there?

[volley]

A tannery.

[Lamma-Gung]

The proud site of the future multi-millionaires quarter. I dubbed it the Lammarina. A real marina, Gold-Coast -style, where only seriously rich people will be able to commute by yacht. Clubhouse, etc., the lot.

Targeted completion date of this private & secretive residential complex: end of this year. They're building at full tilt now for the last several months, at least six days/week, over a dozen workers at any time, I believe.

There's speculative talk of a coastal road to be built to give these upmarket Lammarinarians easy access to Main Street, not having to walk over the hill. If the developers or the govt. will pay for it is open for discussion.

Here's a photo submitted by Mr. DickStock, his view of the crane. He called it "Invading my space, man!". He's asked the Lands Dept. for info, but has been waiting for two months already.

I did a close-up photo shoot from all around recently and will be publishing it soon in the blog, as soon I get some more info, hard facts and hopefully an artist's impression of the completed residential complex from the estate management office of the development I found the other day.

[Lamma-Gung]

[oldtaiping]

Talked to "Troy," a guy who works at the site today. Sounds like the crane will be part of the landscape until the project finishes -- sometime early next year. I asked about safety to the paths and surrounding homes, but he said that it has been inspected and it poses no danger outside the construction zone. If you live around there, it would be a good time to ask for a rent reduction...

[dragon]

So we have a huge crane there now

when work started 5-7 years ago I enquired about the huge kapok tree and whether it was going to be cut down - was assured not. It still stands but they are currently bulldozing an enormous hole which from where I was standing looks to be almost at sea level

I have some questions:

1. Is there a phone number or address we can get in order to ask about preserving the trees on this site

2. If a hole is dug behind a huge concrete wall, lower than sea level, does it fill with water?

3. what exactly are they doing with the huge concrete walls - it looks like they are bringing the whole site up to path level

would appreciate light shed on any of the above

[Alan]

[Lamma-Gung]

Here are the contacts, from a Lammarina photo shoot I haven't published yet. Let us know what you find out by calling these numbers, if anything at all.

Mr DickStock lives below the crane and he claims to have been totally unsuccessful so far to get any kind of info from the developers or government over the last several months... i learned just a bit more (see above) by talking to Jackson, who'd obvioulsy be very eager to get the commission for selling some of these most expensive properties on Lamma ever. But it's way too early now even for advance sales...

[Alan]

[dragon]

I heard disturbing news that the old tannery site which is currently home to the large yellow crane infront of Dickstock's house is going to have a 10 storey building put up there.

Apparantely the land was sold privately pre-97 and somehow managed to evade the 27 foot height limit.

Is this the beginning of the end of low rise Lamma?

What can we do to get more info?

[chuckm]

[Alan]

[Lamma-Gung]

No need to go to the Lands Dept, just ask the people who are actually building the site! I did a bit of investigation recently, gathering some first-hand info and more contacts than listed on the sign above.

I've managed to get a close, long look at the large-size construction plans today and had a site engineer explain them to me patiently and in great detail, plus getting more info from his colleagues. Here's the gist, straight from the horse's mouth:

• It'll be 12 houses in total, none higher than 2 floors, basically the same as Village Houses, but luxurious ones. 10 of them 700 sqft/floor, 2 duplexes. Some will be free-standing, some in staggered rows.
  
• Construction deadline for the structure, walls, roofs: Feb 2006.
  Ready to move in: close to end of 2006.
  
• Nice, large, square outdoor swimming pool and a gym below it. A nice clubhouse, of course.
  
• No Chinese or English name for the development confirmed yet. Provisionally, it's called something like "Lamma Island #1".
  
• The biggest construction site on Lamma Island in a long time.
  
• The Tower Crane is the first one ever used on Lamma Island and is about 35 metres high and has a reach of 35 metres. It'll definitely stay there all year.
  
• The beach below the development will stay public and untouched, as will the huge Kapok tree.
  Many more trees, lawns and greenery will be planted around the houses. Each house will have a sizable lawn/garden.
  
• No marina or space for the boats inside the development, but the current pier will be extended in an L-shape in front of the beach and could have space for a small number of private boats of the residents.
  
• Path along the coast line from the ferry pier is "almost confirmed".
  I'll have another little talk with Lammadonna about this road. I assume it'll be upgraded to VV-ready (there are a lot of stairs in the current path through the typhoon shelter).
  Path construction starts sometime next year, to be ready together with the development at the end of 2006.
  The current path from Po Wah Yuen to Pak Kok will not be affected.
  
• Last but not least: a new ferry service to the Cyberport from the development's own pier!

This is just the engineers' info, no sales & marketing info yet, like sale or rental prices, development's name or any other marketing info. I've got the contact person's name in the developer's office (not K.S.So) and will talk to him as well very soon.

Any engineering questions I might be able to answer in the meantime, as we talked about a number of issues...

[Alan]

[Lamma-Gung]

Tower Cranes: HEC used something much much bigger than a tower crane for their chimneys which are so much hgher.

Yes, these are good questions to ask about the new coastal path to this development. The engineers know very little about it, as it's not their project and it's not even approved yet. But from studying the construction plans, the path will go around the outside of the new development, so it's probably not private and will be usable by anybody on foot, bike or VV.

I'll see what I can find out from Lammadonna. It will be a lot tougher than the talkative & friendly engineers. I'll need my Chinese interpreter who's not a patient person... Lammadonna got an internet-savvy intern now who shows her this website occasionally, whenever there's something of interest to her, like my recent dragonboat photos ("Very nice!).

I doubt very much that the ferry service would be private. Just for 12 houses, how could they be commercially viable? Yes, it would be a welcome shortcut to Queen Mary Hospital for sure. As it connects to the Cyberport directly, we might get a few rich geeks working there moving to Lamma? A direct ferry from your home to the office and back, what could be more convenient! I used to have that when working in Hung Hom's Harbourfront and living in North Point. Last ferry back at 7:30pm, great excuse to leave the office "early"...

Well, I named the development already, Lammarina, but it might not be the best name for it. There's an artist's impression of the development - only in the developers office. It would be so nice to get a high-res photo of it...
I'll see what I can find out when talking to the developer's office directly. They might not want to talk to any outsiders at all yet as they're still far from being ready to sell or let...

[Alan]

[soundbydesign2]

sounds like f@%$^'n Paradise

[Foxy]

A tower crane was used to build the third power stantion chimney about 10 years ago.

And a security bunker has already been built by the gate, presumably to keep out undesirables (ie Lamma residents)

[Alan]

After reminding myself of the geography, I see that a new path probably wouldn't go via the new lookout. But also, I fail to see the great need for it. Making a stairless VV path would be much bigger undertaking than just extending the path from the other side of the typhoon shelter. With their own pier and ferry, the Tanners will hardly need VV deliveries, which in any case can already get there roundabout via Tai Peng.

Odd how the couple of hundred residents of Hippie Valley, Pak Kok, DickStock, etc didn't rate such a path, but a dozen expensive houses go up and it's all go. Sort of like how all the facilities appeared at the Central Pier after Disco Bay moved their pier there.

But if it is built, it had better be open to all, and not have some officious watchmen trying to block it off from the hoi polloi.

[Lam Ma Ma]

They better give out prizes for the naming contest!!!!!!