Now, six years after three blueprints for the project went on show and four years after the government pulled the plug on them, these three new plans are being exhibited and public comment invited once again.

The plans for the HK$21.6 billion arts hub come from Rocco Yim Sen-kee, Rem Koolhaas and from Norman Foster - whose competition-winning original design, dominated by a giant canopy, bit the dust in 2006.

In a consultation lasting three months, members of the public will be asked to say which elements of each plan they like best. 'One of these overall concepts will emerge as the basis for development. At the same time, we may very well incorporate some bright ideas of the other two plans to form one master plan,' West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chairman Henry Tang Ying-yen said.

A spokeswoman for the authority said the public's views would serve as a reference when it selects the final design, which is expected to be submitted to the Town Planning Board next year.

Architect Bernard Lim Wan-fung, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design, said it would be better to ask the public to pick one plan. Lawmaker Cyd Ho Sau-lan agreed, saying that otherwise 'the final blueprint will become a mishmash of different styles'.

Tang said the project's planner would ensure the integrity of the final master plan.

British architect Foster - no stranger to Hong Kong, having designed the HSBC headquarters building and the main terminal building at the Chek Lap Kok airport - features a huge urban park with 5,000 trees in the west of the site, occupying almost half the area.

'This park, unlike other cities' parks, is located right at the waterfront. From it, you will be able to wander through to the far end of the peninsula in shade and enjoy that spectacular view of Hong Kong Island,' a senior executive of the Foster team, Spencer de Grey, said. 'It will be a park for everybody, where all sorts of activities can be developed.'

A cluster of hotels wraps around the Western Harbour Tunnel portal at the tip of the site as a buffer to reduce noise pollution. The plan shrinks the space allotted to theatres to build more educational facilities.

Blocks of flats up to 20 storeys high are placed along Austin Road in front of existing luxury blocks. Arts and cultural facilities are scattered throughout the site.

The retail and commercial area gives a taste of Tsim Sha Tsui's Nathan Road 'golden mile'. An elevated skyrail connects various points in the site with neighbouring districts; there is an 'ecobus' service too.

Foster won an international competition in 2002 to design the arts hub with a concept featuring a large canopy. It sparked controversy in part because bids to build the hub would have to be for the entire project, leading to concerns a single developer could dominate the project. The high cost of maintaining the canopy was also a concern.

Hong Kong architect Yim, who created the winning design for the new government headquarters at Tamar, said he had been inspired in his West Kowloon concept by the passion of Hong Kong people for the Qingming Riverside Landscape by Northern Song dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan.

'Like the diverse activities taking place on the riverside, you will find it a surprising experience to stroll through the arts hub, which encourages you to learn and explore,' Yim said. 'You won't have to be an art lover to go there. But when you are there, you will fall in love with art.'

Yim places a Xiqu Centre for Cantonese Opera close to the old district of Jordan to entertain old people passionate about xiqu - Chinese opera.

A grid of small streets linking the arts and cultural facilities reflects the character of the city. Trams shuttle visitors between the facilities and hotels that sit among blocks of flats. Under green roofs extending from the art facilities to the waterfront are cafes and small shops. Visitors lacking the price of a concert ticket can visit floating pontoons for street performances on the waterfront.

Dutch architect Koolhaas, taking inspiration from the design of old New Territories settlements, divides the arts hub into three villages - for visual arts, arts performances and a market.

The flagship museum known as M+ would be a large visual arts 'factory' accommodating not only exhibitions but also work and living spaces for artists.

A village in the middle of the site features a cinema, flats and facilities for small-scale entertainment.

Facilities on the site are connected with the exits to nearby MTR stations. A bridge for pedestrians, cyclists and cars links the site with Austin Road. Water taxis serve the hub from the Star Ferry pier in Central.

'What we want to do is to create a Hong Kong utopia. On one hand you benefit from the modern metropolis and on the other hand you got the intimacy of the smaller scale,' said Koolhaas, known in China for his iconic design for the new CCTV headquarters in Beijing, to which many residents of the capital objected fiercely.

Playing by rules

The designers had to work within the authority's limits

All three designs comply with requirements for 23 hectares or more of open space and buildings no taller than: 100m