Grand Promenade is built along the east coast of Hong Kong Island. The complex consists of 5 towers ((omitted tower 4) with towers 2, 3, and 5 being interconnected[2] Grande Promenade provides 2,020 residential units. The saleable area of Grande Promenade ranges from 293 sq.ft. to 2,170 sq.ft. [1] The towers are arranged in a way that most units have a panoramic view of Victoria Harbour, Lei Yue Mun, Tathong Channel, or Shaukeiwan Typhoon Shelter. There are clubhouses and swimming pools for residents of the estate. Grand Promenade is also a pet-friendly private housing estates on Hong Kong Island.
Grand Promenade is one of the 20 major housing estates in Hong Kong,[3] and one of the constituent housing estates of the Centa-City Leading Index. According to the 2021 Population Census in Hong Kong, Grand Promenade's median monthly income from major occupations and median monthly household income are HKD45,000 (USD5,750) (ranking 14th in Hong Kong) and HKD67,300 (USD8,600) (ranking 37th in Hong Kong).
In terms of architecture, the 3 towers of Grand Promenade (Towers 2, 3 and 5) are 219 meters high, making them the 36th tallest buildings in Hong Kong. The other two buildings (Towers 1 and 6) are 209 meters high, making them the 63rd tallest buildings in Hong Kong. In addition, Grand Promenade is the tallest residential buildings and the third tallest building in Eastern District on Hong Kong Island, so it is one of the landmark buildings in the district.
History and Naming
Grand Promenade was formerly the Sai Wan Ho Ferry Pier. In Jyutping, Grand Promenade is pronounced as "Ga Hang Waan". The name 'Ga Hang' implies smooth sailing in all endeavours, with 'Ga' representing diversity and inclusivity, 'Hang' representing smoothness and unobstructed progress, and 'Waan' representing the waterfront location of the property. The name embodies the ideal of a high-quality, seaside residence on Hong Kong Island where everything goes smoothly.
Housing
Completed in 2005 by Henderson Land Development, there are 5 residential towers (Tower 4 omitted) in a L-shape built upon the base with a total of 2,020 apartments. Residential floors start from 7/F or 8/F to 71/F or 73/F (4/F, 14/F, 24/F, 34/F, 40/F, 44/F, 54/F & 64/F omitted), have 3 to 8 units per floor and a saleable area of 293 sq.ft to 2,170 sq.ft. Each unit has a balcony or flat roof. The penthouses have a rooftop with a jacuzzi.
Rank
Name
Chinese name
Height (m)
Height (ft)
Floor count
1
Grand Promenade 2—5
嘉亨灣第二至五座
219
718
66
2
Grand Promenade 1
嘉亨灣第一座
213
700
63
2
Grand Promenade 6
嘉亨灣第六座
213
700
63
Grand Promenade (Right) from Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
Entrance of Grand Promenade
Grand Promenade
Amenities
The development has an extensive clubhouse facilities. Club@Sea, currently located on the 6th floor, covers an area of 130,000 sq.ft. and has more than 70 facilities, which are categorised into four themes: Leisure World, Fitness World, Sports World and Family Kingdom. Facilities include a table tennis room, multi-function room, art studio, game room, band room, Chinese opera room, glow bowling centre, American pool/snooker, karaoke rooms, aerobics/yoga room, piano rooms, conference room, golf simulator room, learning kitchen room, gymnasium, tepidarium, wine gallery etc. Also, it has a garden-style garden platform and sky garden, a 25-meter outdoor all-weather swimming pool, a private dog park and a jogging trail, providing the resident with space for fresh air and entertainment.
Ancillary Facilities
Next to Lei King Wan, there is a gathering area of various speciality restaurants - "SOHO East", as well as supermarkets and daily necessities chain stores on the ground floor. There are many livelihood stores and restaurants around MTR Sai Wan Ho Station, banks, shopping malls, cooked food centres and markets. In terms of community recreational facilities, there are Quarry Bay Park, Aldrich Bay Park, Sai Wan Ho Waterfront Park, Island East Sports Centre, Sai Wan Ho Sports Center, Sai Wan Ho Playground and Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre nearby for public use.
Grand Promenade is close to Cityplaza and the core business district of Taikoo Place, and there are many international schools nearby, with complete living and transportation facilities. Therefore, it is favoured by business and corporate tenants and expats like Hong Kong drifter, Japanese and Korean families. At the same time, it also attracts professionals and middle-class people to live here.
There is a public transport interchange on the ground floor of Grand Promenade and a 3-storey parking lot on the upper floor. There are many direct bus and minibus routes to Causeway Bay, Admiralty, Central, Stanley etc. There are also various transportation nearby, including trams and ferries to Kwun Tong & Lei Yue Mun.
Therefore, it is favoured by people and tenants who work and study on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon East, especially Hong Kong drifters and professionals who work in Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai and Quarry Bay. At the same time, it also attracts plenty of professionals and middle-class people to live here.
In the 2016 by-census, the estate population was recorded as 4,573. The median age of the residents was 36.9. Over 35% of the population is non-Chinese.[5]
In July 2001, the developer successfully applied for and was granted permission to exclude the public transport terminus from the gross floor area in its building plan.[6] A land tender controversy was caused when the Government maintained that former Director of Building AuthorityLeung Chin-man had reasonably exercised his discretionary powers to exempt the area of a public transport terminus in the gross floor area calculation of the development. The effect was to allow the addition of 10,700 square meters to the project, more than doubling the number of apartments from 1,008 to 2,020, costing the government HK$125 million in lost revenue.[7][8]
In November 2005, the Audit Commission accused Leung of not conferring with other government departments before exercising his discretionary power, thus handing the developer an additional HK$3.2 billion.[6] Leung tabled a judicial review. The two sides reached a deal in May 2006, when the Commissioner dropped legal proceedings, and Leung abandoned his judicial review.[8]
Wall Effect of Area Nearby
This property has been cited by the government and academics as having had a negative "wall effect" on surrounding neighbourhoods because of its bulky size on reclaimed land next to the harbour, which leads to poor air ventilation for nearby residents.[9]
The awarding of the tender in 2001 to billionaire Lee Shau Kee's Henderson Land Development was met with much controversy over the calculation of land premium. The result of this controversial episode was the massive size of the towers and the aforementioned negative "wall effect".