Controversial Avenue of Stars upgrade scrapped but Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront to remain closed
Proposals for 500m addition featuring dining, film and performance venues on Tsim Sha Tsui’s eastern waterfront triggered public outcry over lack of an open tender and consultation
A highly controversial plan to develop an extension to the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront has been scrapped because of a public backlash, but the popular Avenue of Stars will still remain closed until 2018.
The decision, announced by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department on Wednesday, goes some way to address criticism that the project to transform the promenade into a dining, film and performance boulevard was not tendered openly and the public was not consulted properly.
But the fact remains that while developer New World will no longer be closing off the entire stretch of waterfront for three years, much of it will still be off limits for a shorter period to allow a smaller-scale facelift by the government.
And the Avenue of Stars, which New World has been managing since 2004, will remain closed until towards the end of 2018.
WATCH: What do Hongkongers think of a new development project coming to the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront?
New World boss Henry Cheng Kar-shun distanced himself from the promenade development yesterday, while stressing that the avenue was still his group’s responsibility for nine years.
While the department said the new move was in response to public feedback, some see the capitulation as a way to defuse a hot-button issue and stop it from further dragging down the government’s popularity ahead of the Legislative Council election later this year.
Right after the announcement, Sino Group associate Murdoch Investments and Shangri-La Hotel (Kowloon), which applied for a judicial review last year against the Town Planning Board’s conditional approval of the plan, indicated court proceedings “should no longer be necessary”.
Shangri-La is part of the Kerry Group, the controlling shareholder of SCMP Group, publisher of the South China Morning Post.
A 13-metre high film gallery with an observation deck and dining facilities was to be built along the promenade under the original proposal initiated by the government and New World – prompting the owners of nearby hotels and other properties to complain about being deprived of sea views.
The Avenue of Stars is being renovated and greened.
READ MORE: Plan to revamp Hong Kong’s famous Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront greeted with scepticism by locals and tourists
The decision to allow the developer to manage the extended avenue without inviting others sparked controversy last year, with critics highlighting Cheng’s support for Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying during his election campaign in 2012.
The government then held a two-stage public consultation to address concerns. The first stage ended last November. The second was scheduled to start last month, but it has been delayed.
The department said yesterday the consultation would be cancelled as the first stage had found people “wished to have fewer structures built on the promenade so that people can stroll on a more spacious area and enjoy unobstructed views of Victoria Harbour”.
READ MORE: Lights out for Avenue of Stars as iconic Hong Kong site set to shut down for three years despite public outcry
Under the revised design, which the department said was “simple” and would halve the original renovation time of more than two years, old railings and floor tiles would be refurbished and more parking spaces and a toilet block would be added.
