Take the plunge: spacious homes and healthy seaside environment tempt city’s families to move to Tseung Kwan O
Energetic coastal town is close to the countryside and offers a host of leisure facilities, such as Velodrome Park, and is within a 30-minute commute of Central
The quest for a better living environment is drawing city folk away from the urban jungle to the seaside town of Tseung Kwan O.
Agents report that buyers and renters alike can find bigger, newer homes, with more space around them to relax and play than in older, smaller flats in traditional Hong Kong Island and Kowloon locales. The near-record take-up of recent launches shows just how hot this market has become. It also demonstrates the district’s quantum leap from working-class village of old, to sought-after residential neighbourhood of today.
In the 1960s, industrial activities flourished in Tseung Kwan O. Ship building, marine repairs and steel rolling were the main industries, along with fishing of course. These industries were gradually phased out or relocated after 1982, when the government approved the development of Tseung Kwan O as the seventh new town in Hong Kong.
Planning began for a series of major infrastructure projects which would turn the pretty but somewhat remote seaside locale, with limited transport options, to a well-connected, dynamic, modern precinct within 30 minutes of Central. These projects have included construction of the Tseung Kwan O Tunnel, which improved road access, and the arrival of the MTR in 2002.
Meanwhile, the new town taking shape on reclaimed land would include modern housing developments, shopping malls, and leisure facilities.
Jay Wong, chief associate district manager at Midland Realty, says most of the people moving to Tseung Kwan O are looking to upgrade their living quality. “The wide variety of new apartments gives them lots of choices, and excellent leisure facilities.