New Territories North and West offer a haven for Hongkongers looking for more laid-back lifestyle
Houses and high-rises have replaced fish ponds and farmland as people move in from the more densely populated areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon
Spanking new buildings have transformed parts of the northwestern New Territories from rural to urban. But the laid-back lifestyle still makes the area a haven for those fleeing the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong Island.
Kingswood Villas in Tin Shui Wai was one of the first luxury properties in the area. “The development of Kingswood Villas thoroughly changed the face of an otherwise unknown rural area,” says Charlie Xue of City University’s department of architecture and civil engineering.
Because of its remote location, he says, Kingswood Villas offers some of the lowest priced private housing in Hong Kong and attracts lower middle-class residents to the ranks of homeowners.
Originally a fish pond several kilometres away from the border, the site was developed by Cheung Kong in seven phases.
From 1991 to 1998, 58 residential towers with 15,800 living units were built on 40 hectares of land. There is a shopping mall, Fortune Kingswood, a five-star hotel and a transport interchange, which connects the development to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
