The Planning Department on Friday unveiled plans to transform much of the teeming Tsim Sha Tsui commercial area by first tidying up three streets - Hart Avenue and Granville and Haiphong roads.

The lower section of busy Nathan Road, under seemingly endless excavation, would later be rescued from the hectic traffic and given over to pedestrian walkways.

Hart Avenue would become a pedestrian zone in the evenings and Granville Road is to be repaved and widened under the plan.

The area outside the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR exit on Haiphong Road is to be beautified with trees and ``street furniture'', according to a Planning Department spokesman.

Some bar and restaurant owners along Hart Avenue said turning the area over to pedestrians would be an opportunity to remake it into an entertainment spot similar to Lan Kwai Fong in Central.

The project, opened to public consultation on Friday, is expected to proceed as soon as possible unless the public objects, the spokesman said.

Construction could start early next year, with longer-term public consultation taking place throughout the year.

``We are planning a long-term face-lift for Tsim Sha Tsui and these three areas have been chosen as trial runs because the changes are more straightforward,'' the spokesman said.

Over the longer term, the department has proposed turning a section of Nathan Road into a pedestrian zone to ``consolidate its attractiveness''.

The tentative plan is to set up a permanent pedestrian zone and landscaped piazza in the two to three street blocks of Nathan Road between Haiphong Road and Middle Road.It would require traffic management measures to streamline traffic flow and reorganise some bus routes.

``It would require many more phases of consultation. A lot of transport issues will also have to be overcome,'' the spokesman said.

``[But] if the transport network could be improved, the traffic pressure and demand could be reduced, especially if and when the bus terminal at the Star Ferry pier is moved to East Tsim Sha Tsui.''

No timetable has been set for the Nathan Road proposal, he said.

Other improvements to the district included a transport interface with the future West Kowloon Cultural District, to be established in the area near Austin Road.

Pedestrian crossings at various roads in the area, especially where traffic ``black-spots'' concentrate, would also be improved.

Crossings at Canton Road, Kowloon Park Drive and Salisbury Road, among others, have been proposed.

A ``creatively beautified'' skywalk, for example, could make crossing at Salisbury Road easier and more pleasant, the spokesman said.

In addition, old and congested streets in the district would be redesigned to make ``walking the streets more enjoyable'', he said.

``The Pedestrian Priority concept would be applied to areas between Kimberly Road and Middle Road, Haiphong Road and Peking Road.''

The changes will accompany facelifts at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade, expected to be completed in 2006.

Vincent Ng, chairman of the Planning and Lands Committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, welcomed the proposal.

``Hong Kong seldom puts any emphasis on urban design. Most streets embrace the utilitarian principle, not attractiveness for the pedestrian,'' Ng said.

Man Chi-sum, chief executive of environmental group Green Power, also supported the proposal.

``The area around Nathan Road is heavily polluted with most of the pollutants coming from the traffic, especially the buses and minibuses. Putting a stop to traffic would definitely help make the area cleaner,'' he said.

But some shop owners along Nathan Road and taxi drivers opposed the proposal to pedestrianise the main road, as the move could affect their business and worsen the traffic in the area, they said.

sylvia.hui@globalchina.com