'Our hands were always very dirty because we collected scrap metal for recycling. But those were happy days,' she says. 'We could still see the harbour from our shop, back then, and at Mid-Autumn Festival, my children would play with lanterns near the waterfront. But now we can't get a glimpse of the sea any more.'

Tse is among a group of residents hunkered down in the district, despite a September 14 deadline for their removal under the redevelopment scheme. The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has issued writs against the hold-outs, but most say they have no choice as they can't find affordable alternative accommodation. They don't have funds for a court battle, and can only write letters in their own defence, Tse says.

Tai Kok Tsui once thrived on its mixture of residential blocks, dock facilities and clusters of metalwork and vehicle workshops, but URA officials say redevelopment is necessary because buildings in the district are too old and ground-floor workshops generate air and noise pollution. About 1,300 households are affected by five URA projects covering Cherry, Larch, Fir, Pine, Anchor and Fuk Tsun streets.

'There's a need to improve pedestrian linkages in the district, as road traffic is busy due to street parking and loading activities of workshops,' says a URA spokesman. 'Through a comprehensive approach, including the implementation of redevelopment, rehabilitation [and] revitalisation projects, we can bring a better living and working environment to the area.'

But district representatives say the authority's vision for Tai Kok Tsui mainly benefits developers, who focus on high-density, high-rise estates to maximise land use and profits.

The Yau Tsim Mong District Council has long lobbied the government for improved public facilities, including the construction of a waterside promenade from Sham Shui Po to Kowloon City, but to no avail, says council chairman Henry Chan Man-yu. 'We've been asking for a promenade so that old people living in poorer areas can gather to chat with their friends, while professionals living in new luxury high-rises can go jogging,' Chan says.

'Residents of the old and new neighbourhoods now live in two different worlds. There's a serious polarisation in Tai Kok Tsui. Existing residents don't enjoy benefits from redevelopment of the district at all.'

Tse, who has lived in the district for nearly 30 years, feels the difference. 'The better environment is not for us. The rest of Tai Kok Tsui will be just like the reclaimed coastal area with high-end flats and big shopping malls,' he says. 'We seldom go to the department stores near Olympic MTR station. People there dress very nicely, but they seem very cold.'

But the hold-outs know eviction is almost inevitable and senior citizens such as Wong are anxious about their future.

'I rely on the HK$8,000 that I get from renting out our old shop space. That is very important to me as I am chronically ill - I have to support myself,' says the widow, who suffers from cancer.

The residents say they will also miss the sense of community and friendliness of their neighbourhood - a rare quality in many developments.

'The buildings in my neighbourhood might look shabby, but people are friendlier,' Tse says. 'Although our shops are small, we know [the] names and background of nearly every customer and give them the best service.'

Wong says extensive reclamation work at Tai Kok Tsui and the demolition of old buildings has erased all trace of her and her husband's old haunts.

'Whenever I used to walk past, memories would flood into my mind,' she says. 'But I can't bear to visit since the project has begun.'

Kevin Manuel Kwo-keung, a lecturer at the department of building science at City University, says the redevelopment of Tai Kok Tsui needs a human touch. 'The government and private developers are only concerned about economic viability. They don't formulate people-oriented plans, and the new development poses a serious threat to the culture and history of the district,' Manuel says.

'Tai Kok Tsui used to be a shelter for fishing boats and ships. Can you find any trace of history along the harbour now? It seems memories of the past have all been wiped out.' The renewal projects will destroy the community, he says.

'They totally break down the social network because those long-time residents can never be neighbours again,' Manuel says. It's hard for many of them to find places to move because rents and flat prices have gone up considerably, the lecturer says. 'Without government help, it's difficult for them to settle somewhere they can afford to buy or pay rent,' he says. 'It's very sad.'

Manuel calls on the government to rehouse affected residents within the district, so they can be resettled as a community. The academic also criticises planners for failing to include better recreational facilities for residents in their revitalisation schemes. 'Developers have taken over most of the coastline for the construction of high-rises, but the government has yet to do anything at the waterfront to introduce more recreational facilities,' he says.

Bernard Lim, the president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, says the government should create more open spaces and public facilities when redeveloping old districts. 'There's concern over whether there's enough recreational facilities for residents,' he says. 'Long-time inhabitants in the older part of Tai Kok Tsui don't benefit from the new construction in their district.'

High-density developments along the reclaimed waterfront not only fail to meet the needs of Tai Kok Tsui residents, the blocks of tall buildings form huge barriers that block the older areas from sun and wind, Lim says.

According to a study last month by environmental group Green Sense, the blocks of tall buildings have sealed off 63 per cent of Tai Kok Tsui's 6km coastline, preventing sea breezes from reaching ageing inner neighbourhoods.

Built to maximise the number of flats with sea views, the wall of high-rises impedes ventilation and makes the old quarters even hotter in the summer, the group says. As a result, families in the inner-city blocks suffer more respiratory diseases.

'The government can't just give developers a free hand,' says Green Sense chairman Roy Tam Hoi-pong. 'Some think the solution in urban renewal projects is to tear down old districts and build again, but [new construction] can actually make the quality of life worse.'