The Tsim Sha Tsui skyline, which has been thrusting higher since the closure of Kai Tak airport more than 10 years ago ended height restrictions in its former flight path, could be studded with more big skyscrapers despite new curbs imposed last year.
Conservationists blame a failure of town planning that saw several projects approved before zoning rules came in that cap waterfront building heights at 80 metres. These towers could be more than three times that tall; one developer has permission to go as high as 386 metres.
The Kowloon peninsula will continue to be dominated by the 484-metre International Commerce Centre, built on reclaimed land in West Kowloon, and surrounding buildings. But in the bustling, congested commercial district next door, several tall towers are being built. One, the 250-metre The Masterpiece, opened its 59th floor show flat to VIPs yesterday. Flats in the block in Hanoi Road sell for HK$22,000 per square foot.
Mary Melville, who has lived in Tsim Sha Tsui for 20 years, is not impressed. 'This building is just too tall. A public street, Cornwall Avenue, disappeared as a result of the project and people moved out. The public space we get in return is a covered passageway between shops with a few potted plants and half a dozen seats,' the 62-year-old said.
Prospective buyer Lau Kwok-sing is attracted to The Masterpiece because it is taller than most buildings in the district. The 52-year-old, who works in the jewellery trade, plans to buy an 800 sq ft flat as an investment.
Property agents expect the tower to be popular with buyers from over the border. 'This kind of luxury building is not targeting people on the street but loaded buyers, mostly from the mainland,' said Irene Chan, account manager at Midland Realty.