Telford Garden
Encyclopedia
Private housing estate
A private housing estate is a term in Hong Kong that refers to a housing estate developed by a private developer, as opposed to a public housing estate built by the Hong Kong Housing Authority or the Hong Kong Housing Society. It usually is characterised with a cluster of high-rise buildings,...
located above Kowloon Bay Station of the MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
, in Ngau Tau Kok
Ngau Tau Kok
Ngau Tau Kok is an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, located at the northern part of Kwun Tong District, next to Kowloon Bay. It covers Jordan Valley, Ngau Tau Kok and Upper Kwun Tong town centre. The population of Ngau Tau Kok exceeds 210,000...
, New Kowloon
New Kowloon
New Kowloon is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, bounded in the south by Boundary Street, and in the north by the ranges of the Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Tate's Cairn and Kowloon Peak...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It was jointly built by Hang Lung Properties
Hang Lung Properties
Hang Lung Properties , formerly Amoy Properties and parented by Hang Lung Group, is a Chinese real estate company with its headquarters in Hong Kong. It is a member of Hang Seng Index Constituent Stocks ....
and Hopewell Holdings
Hopewell Holdings
Hopewell Holdings Limited ,, established on 17 October, 1972], is a Hong Kong-listed infrastructure and property firm headed by Sir Gordon Wu.-History:It was listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 1972....
, and Telford Plaza II was built by New World Development
New World Development
New World Development Company Limited , based in Hong Kong, is active in property, infrastructure, services and telecommunications. It was established in 1970 with Dr Ho Sin Hang as Chairman and Chow Chi Yuen as Director and General Manager...
; all are managed by the MTR Corporation
MTR Corporation
MTR Corporation Limited is a company listed on the Hong Kong Exchange and included in the Hang Seng Index. MTR owns and runs the Hong Kong MTR metro system, and is also a major property developer and landlord in Hong Kong...
(its first property project). The residential buildings were completed in 1980. There are a total of 41 residential blocks, organised by alphabetical order (from A to U), with only Block L not sharing its lobby with a twin block. The total flat number is 4,065. At the outset, many flats in Blocks R, S and T were bought by the Hong Kong Government as residences for its firemen and policemen, as well as airline staff as it was near the old Kai Tak Airport
Kai Tak Airport
Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. It was officially known as the Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, when it was closed and replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, 30 km to the west...
. Most of these properties are now back on the private market.
The whole estate is above the Kowloon Bay Depot of the MTR, which is among the largest among all depots of the MTR.
Nearby amenities and facilities
Telford Plaza I (德福廣場一期), recently substantially renovated, is one the largest shopping centres in Kowloon BayKowloon Bay
Kowloon Bay is a bay located at the east of the Kowloon Peninsula and north of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is the eastern portion of Victoria Harbour, between Hung Hom and Lei Yue Mun...
. Telford Plaza II was a more recent addition to Telford Plaza I and their exits face each other. Telford Plaza I has 2 levels while Telford Plaza II has 4. The complex includes shops, banks, restaurants, a cinema, a department store, electronics chain stores, etc. The open-air area has banks, a kindergarten, a community centre, music and dance centres, part of the City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong is a comprehensive research university in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1984 as City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and became a fully accredited university in 1994. It has achieved fast growth in recent years and received international recognition for its academic achievements...
, and clinics.
Previously, nearby there was also Wellington College (now part of City University), a police station, the Independent Commission Against Corruption
Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong)
The Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong was established by Governor Murray MacLehose on 15 February 1974, when Hong Kong was under British rule. Its main aim was to clean up endemic corruption in the many departments of the Hong Kong Government through law enforcement,...
offices (now moved), a skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
, and other facilities.
The podium area has a park with a resting area, fountain, plaza and fish/turtle pond; the second level of the podium has a children's playground and is also the entrance area for many blocks. Telford Garden has a clubhouse, which has swimming pools, tennis courts, a fitness centre, etc. It was originally open to the public but is now members only as of 2006; fees are HK$10,000 to join and then HK$2,000 per year.
Telford Plaza is the main pathway between Telford Gardens, the Kowloon Bay MTR and the Kowloon Bay industrial area. Thus, the air-conditioned routes through the shopping mall is open 24 hours.
The MTR Headquarters Building at the far end of Telford Plaza II is the headquarters of MTR Corporation. There used to be a police station next to the pickup/drop off area but has since been moved. The minibus stop and taxi stands are right beneath Level 3 of Telford Plaza II and there are four carparks in Telford Garden, 2 for shoppers and 2 for residents.
Kowloon Bay Depot
The Kowloon Bay Depot is located under Telford Garden and is the largest depot in the entire MTR system. It houses trains serving on the Kwun Tong Line and was also intended to be linked to East Kowloon Line as there was no suitable space for a dedicated depot for that line. MTR M-Train EMUMTR M-Train EMU
The M-Train is the oldest variation of Electric Multiple Unit that operates on the MTR rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. 762 cars were ordered, built by Metro Cammell , and were refurbished starting in 1998 by the Australian company United Goninan.-Features:The M-Train is the one variation...
trains and (prior to 2009) MTR K-Stock EMU
MTR K-Stock EMU
The K-Stock is an electric multiple unit that operates on the MTR rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong.There are two variants: those delivered for the Tseung Kwan O Line now , and those delivered in 2006 to 2007 for the Tung Chung Line...
trains are stored and maintained here.
In 2003 and 2004, some M-Train sets were refurbished at Kowloon Bay Depot for eventual service on the Disneyland Resort Line.