Changing face of West Kowloon's and TST's skyline

West Kowloon’s and Tsim Sha Tsui’s skyline has changed dramatically with the construction of numerous high-rise residential and commercial towers.

Infrastructure developments such as the West Rail and the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) add fuel to the momentum while developers seize every opportunity to expand their presence.

Home prices continue to rise in West Kowloon and Tsim Sha Tsui. The largest residential project launched this year has been Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) and MTR’s Cullinan West, being builtabove West Rail’s Nam Cheong station.

Estate agents estimate that nearly 1,000 units of Cullinan West have sold since its launch, with prices ranging from HK$20,000 to HK$34,000 per square foot. The MTR says Cullinan West will provide more than 3,400 units on completion.

Michael Tse, sales director for Kowloon at Midland Realty, says the sale led to a buying frenzy among upgraders and investors. “The next phase of Cullinan West is expected to go on sale in a couple of months and it will continue to set a barometer for residential prices,” he says. “Home prices in West Kowloon are likely to rise another 10 to 15 per cent.”

A SHKP spokesman says Cullinan West is being developed in three phases and will comprise a 300,000-sq-ft shopping mall. The first phase involves 1,050 flats comprising one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units.

He says Cullinan West and Imperial Cullinan at Olympic station, and The Cullinan at Kowloon station, also developed by SHKP, will be residential landmarks in West Kowloon while residents will benefit from integrated railway connections.