Accommodation
J Residence, a residential development built on a plot made available through the Urban Renewal Authority at 60 Johnston Road, will be completed by the end of this year. Nearby, Chinese Estates Holdings has partially completed the Zenith, a residential project comprising three towers at 3 Wan Chai Road and 258 Queen's Road East, which will eventually contain 652 residential units. The company is also building a residential project on the intersection of Gresson Street and Johnston Road, which has yet to be named. Mr Tse said that while these new developments were in the busy heart of Wan Chai, home seekers looking for a more peaceful area should try Star Street, a short walk from Pacific Place in Admiralty. The two prime properties in this quiet corner of Wan Chai are No1 Star Street, a development completed by Cheung Kong (Holdings) in 2001, and Star Crest, a slightly older luxury development consisting of two towers built by Swire Properties in 1999. Quieter still is the Kennedy Road area, above Star Street. With no bus lanes and little traffic, this neighbourhood is appreciated by residents for its peaceful, green surroundings and easy access to Admiralty, Causeway Bay and the heart of Wan Chai. Mr Tse said prices in Wan Chai varied due to the diversity of property developments in the area. 'Generally speaking, the closer to the commercial area one gets, the older and cheaper the property developments become,' he said. New developments J Residence and the Zenith are priced at about HK$7,000 per square foot, while older residential blocks are normally about HK$5,000 per square foot. Flats in luxury residential projects, such as Star Crest, are about HK$10,000 per square foot.
Overview
Wan Chai is a district of contrasts. Most people associate the neighbourhood with the bars and nightclubs on Lockhart Road and Jaffe Road, or the office buildings on Gloucester Road. But away from the crowded streets of its commercial core there are quiet residential neighbourhoods, most notably on Kennedy Road. As one of the oldest districts on Hong Kong Island, Wan Chai is steeped in Hong Kong's pre-second world war history. One of the charms of the district is the older neighbourhood bound by Johnston Road and Queen's Road East, where narrow side streets are lined with nostalgic old tenement buildings and shops. This part of Wan Chai is home to the district's lively wet market, metal workshops, wedding-card makers, dried food and Chinese medicine shops, and old cafes and restaurants. This charm is fading, however, as parts of the neighbourhood facing severe urban decay are being torn down under the government's urban renewal programme to make way for modern high-rise residential developments. Redevelopment projects are in full swing, under the auspices of the Urban Renewal Authority, on four blocks: the Johnston Road project, on the block bound by Ship Street and Tai Wong Street East; the Lee Tung Street and McGregor Street project; the Wan Chai Road and Tai Yuan Street project; and the Queen's Road East project on the intersection between Queen's Road East and Stone Nullah Lane. While a few buildings will be preserved as a token heritage conservation effort, the urban renewal drive is expected to transform the look of the area, giving it a more modern, upscale character. Desmond Tse, a branch manager in Wan Chai for Midland Realty, said the new residential developments would make the district one of the more active primary markets on Hong Kong Island.
Driving and Transport
Wan Chai is easy to reach by car and public transport. Trunk roads - Gloucester Road, Lockhart Road, Hennessy Road and Johnston Road - give drivers ready access to the district. For public transport, there are many bus routes and a tram line running through the district, in addition to the MTR. For access to Kowloon, there is the option of the ferry service running between the district's ferry pier and Tsim Sha Tsui.