Press Release
Two Mega Towers standing on the Kowloon waterfront
Lion Rock’s ridgeline will be blocked by 70-storey tower and skyscraper with almost 100 floors
70 percent of locals and visitors want height restrictions on harbourfront buildings to preserve views of Victoria Harbour
While residents in Wan Chai are tussling with developer Hopewell over the construction of the 94-storey Mega Tower, two developers (Wharf and New World) are quietly making plans for the construction of two towering blocks of commercial buildings on the Kowloon waterfront. It appears that the government will give them the green light.
The two proposed buildings are located right at the edge of the harbour. Sited at the present east wing of the New World Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, one of the blocks can be built up to a height of 70 storeys. Another block, which sits on a part of the Harbour City in the same district (the present Ocean Centre), is estimated to reach a height of 96 storeys. The view of the Kowloon waterfront will be spoilt and that of the ridgeline of Lion Rock from the northern coast of Hong Kong Island will be blocked further.
The amendment on the New World Centre’s land lease to allow buildings between 30 and 265 metres above principal datum was approved in 2003. The building plans of part of the Harbour City site were also approved in 1999, allowing buildings of up to 386.7 metres above principal datum.
The Planning Department proposed an amendment to the draft Tsim Sha Tsui Outline Zoning Plan No. S/K1/23 to the Town Planning Board on 25th April to set height restrictions for the entire district. However, exceptions were made for the sites of the two abovementioned projects, formally putting them under the spotlight. In other words, the government has released them from the restrictions. Given the traffic in Tsim Sha Tsui is already very heavy, the vehicular flow that the projects bring will make the district even more congested.
Although the developer paid the government the regrant premium for the added floor area a few years ago, there is still time for remedy as the redevelopment has not actually started.
Green Sense surveyed 300 people, both local residents and visitors, on the Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui waterfronts in the middle of May. The survey revealedthat 70 per cent of the respondents supported height restrictions on the buildings along the harbourfront to preserve the views. Fifty-five percent even said that they did not support the redevelopment of a 70-storey tower on the current site of New World Centre.
In general, local respondents believed that harbourfront buildings should be lower than 20 floors. This conforms to the stepped construction concept advocated recently by the government and Green Sense where building heights gradually increase from harbourfront low rises to taller buildings further inland. Given that the two projects are sited at strategic waterfront locations on the Kowloon harbourfront, Green Sense believes that they must not exceed 70mPD (approximately 20 floors).
Height restrictions on buildings in Kowloon due to aviation concerns disappeared after the relocation of the airport from Kai Tak in Kowloon City to Chek Lap Kok, resulting in the gradual increase in the number of high-rise buildings being constructed. Skyscrapers even appeared in southern Kowloon, such as Harbourfront Landmark (233mPD) in Hung Hom, International Commerce Centre or ICC(484mPD) above the Kowloon Station and the Hanoi Road Project (250mPD) of the Urban Renewal Authority.
Reaching a height of 233m (almost 70 floors), Hung Hom’s Harbourfront Landmark is located at the Hung Hom waterfront. In disharmony with its surroundings, it has been criticized by the architectural sector as having the worst design among waterfront structures.
“While honouring contracts with developers, the government should also respect the wishes of individuals and groups in Hong Kong to protect the environment. Victoria Harbour belongs to everyone in Hong Kong. Such an important public asset must not be sacrificed for the self-interests of developers,” said Roy Tam Hoi-pong, the president of Green Sense. At the moment, Victoria Harbour is only protected from reclamation by law. The views on both sides are regrettably not under any legal protection. Both Provident Centre in North Point and TWO ifc in Central are examples of failures in waterfront architecture. The former is a row of tall buildings forming a wall-like structure (ping-fung cheung 屏風牆)and the latter severely spoils the ridegeline of Victoria Peak.
Green Sense believes that the government should hold talks with the two developers of New World Centre and Harbour City as quickly as possible in order to handle these two projects in a proper manner. Arrangements like refunds of regrant premiums and land exchanges ought to be considered. This will put the corporate conscience of the developers to the test.
Jarring structures along both sides of Victoria Harbour
Name of structure / Problems / Height (mPD)Harbourfront Landmark,
Hung Hom / Not beingin harmony with Whampoa Garden, blocking the breezeway and disrupting views. / 233
Provident Centre, North Point / A row of tall buildings forming a wide wall-like structure / 80
TWO ifc / An excessively tall building spoiling Victoria Peak’s ridgeline. / 420
International Commerce Centre / An excessively tall building which, together with other projects at Kowloon Station, bring about the heat island effect in Kowloon. / 484
Hanoi Road Project of the Urban Renewal Authority / With its massive height and width, not only will it bring about a wall effect it will also spoil Lion Rock’s ridgeline. / 250
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