Lights out for Avenue of Stars as iconic Hong Kong site set to shut down for three years despite public outcry

Questions mount over the lack of competitive bidding for TST harbourfront extension project

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Tourists look on as a Chinese actor mirrors the fighting skills of film icon Bruce Lee at the Avenue of Stars, which offers great views of the Hong Kong skyline. Photo: Samantha SinPhoto: Edward Wong

Published: 2:00pm, 21 Aug 2015Updated: 3:01pm, 20 Jun 2018

Hong Kong's famous Avenue of Stars is facing closure for up to three years after town planners conditionally endorsed a plan to expand the tourist attraction in Tsim Sha Tsui despite overwhelming public opposition.

The Town Planning Board yesterday gave the green light to an application, submitted jointly by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Sustainable Foundation Company, a non-profit venture set up under New World Development for the controversial project.

The 440-metre stretch of prime harbourfront, opened in 2004, will be extended eastward to incorporate the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade that ends in Hung Hom.

A food hub, a film gallery and a performance venue will be built on the extended section, which is a much quieter area. Dining facilities will be added in Salisbury Garden, outside the Museum of Art. The development work will mean the promenade has to be closed to public access for up to three years, although the board has advised the developer to shorten this period.

New World, which was granted the right to operate the avenue for 20 years in 2004 and is now seeking to extend the period, has promised to cover all the revitalisation costs. But many, including some board members, have questioned the lack of a competitive bidding process in letting it handle the project.