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IF TSIM SHA TSUI IS the centre of the Kowloon peninsula, Kimberley Road is its heart. People who live in Kimberley Road are usually there to take advantage of the commercial activities in the area, and the night life.

Neighbouring Carnavoran, Nathan and Austin roads have restaurants, pubs, cafes and shopping arcades to keep night-life enthusiasts happy.

Years ago, Kimberley Road was an upmarket shopping area, filled with boutiques selling high-end designer clothes, including one owned by renowned local designer Walter Ma.

Although some boutiques remain, most have been taken over by wedding-service companies and restaurants.

There are also a number of cha chan tan - Hong Kong-style fast-food outlets - along the road.

One of the major shopping attractions of Tsim Sha Tsui, Miramar Shopping Centre, is located at the top of Kimberley Road.

Apart from top-end brand-name shops, Miramar has a department store, cinemas, restaurants and a hotel.

Commercial district Tsim Sha Tsui East is also only a 10- to 15-minute walk from Kimberley Road. The district has also gone through a metamorphosis from a night-life hot spot with clubs and saunas to a commercial and tourist area with office blocks and attractions such as the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Hong Kong History Museum.

Two other neighbouring roads, Cameron and Granville, are major shopping attractions for youngsters in Kowloon and Hong Kong.

Kimberley Road has a mix of cultures and ethnicity. Although Chinese residents dominate, quite a few Koreans, Indians and Pakistanis live along the road.

In fact, Kimberley Road and neighbouring Kimberley Street have more Korean grocery stores and restaurants than any other place in the territory. There is even a Korean Christian Church located on the road.

Oscar Au Tat-hung, a sales manager at Midland Realty, said many young people had moved into the area because of its convenience.

'Young people working in Tsim Sha Tsui are attracted to live in Kimberley Road because of its proximity to other places. Transportation is easy too,' Mr Au said.

Indeed, availability of transport is a distinct advantage of living in Kimberley Road as Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station is only two blocks away. Many buses ply routes along nearby Nathan Road. Hunghom train station, a major transport hub, is a 10- to 15-minute walk from Kimberley Road.

However, on the flip side, some people might find Kimberley Road a noisy place to live. As there are number of shopping centres and office blocks in the area, traffic on Kimberley Road can be heavy during rush hours.

Although prices of properties on Kimberley Road were relatively inexpensive, rentals were quite expensive because of high demand, Mr Au said.

Most residential properties on Kimberley Road are independently owned buildings more than 20 years old.

Luna Court, built 14 years ago, and Passkon Court, aged 16 years, are the only developments less than 20 years old. Luna Court, at 53-59 Kimberley Road, has medium- to small-sized apartments ranging from 519 to 552 sq ft.

The average price is HK$2,800 to HK$3,000 per square foot, with the smallest apartment costing about HK$1.45 million.

However, the average rental is as much as HK$17 per square foot, which means the monthly rental for a small apartment could be up to HK$8,800.

Passkon Court is located at 79-81 Kimberley Road. Flats there range from 447 sq ft to 597 sq ft, the larger size having three bedrooms.

A bigger apartment in the development sold in June for HK$1.43 million, or about HK$2,428 per square foot.

Rentals are relatively high in Passkon Court, the average being HK$20 per square foot. A small apartment in the building rents for HK$9,000 per month.

Champagne Court at 16-20 Kimberley Road has larger apartments of more than 1,000 sq ft, though the building is more than 40 years old.

The prices of Champagne Court flats range from HK$1,400 to HK$1,700 per square foot, while rentals are about HK$15 per square foot.

Mr Au said there were few sales transactions in this building because of the difficulties in getting a mortgage.

'Buyers of these old building have to pay the sale price in lump sum, as most banks refuse to provide mortages for such an old building,' he said.

Another old building, Wing Lee, at 27-33 Kimberley Road, has apartments ranging from 800 sq ft to 1,000 sq ft in size. The average price is about HK$1,600 per square foot and rentals range from HK$9 per square foot to HK$15 per square foot, depending on the condition of the flat.

A couple of buildings on the road have small flats, including Shun Fai Building at 64-66A and Tung Wui Building at 46-48.

Mr Au said there were more sales transactions for these buildings because more people could afford smaller units.

Shun Fai flats range from 396 sq ft to 420 sq ft, and sell at an average HK$2,900 per square foot, so a small apartment costs about HK$1.1 million.

Next week: Connaught Road

Graphic: pro21agwz



Famous district's heart beats to slower rhythm