New Town Plaza
New Town Plaza is a shopping mall in the town centre of Sha Tin, Hong Kong. Developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties, it was the biggest shopping centre in the New Territories when it was completed in the early 1980s. Covering 200,000 square metres (49.4 acres), the plaza comprises Phase 1 (the main mall) and Phase 3, which are connected to each other, as well as the Grand Central Plaza, which is less than one kilometre from Phase 1. Phase 1 underwent extensive renovation from 2003 to 2008. The nine-storey shopping centre is right next to  Sha Tin station and Citylink Plaza. It is one of the busiest shopping malls in Hong Kong. There are many different transportation links to New Town Plaza, such as shuttle services from nearby estates, minibus routes, the MTR station located right within the plaza itself, and so forth. Floor plan. Phase 3. New Town Plaza Phase 3 () is a private housing estate and a shopping arcade. It comprises 5 high-rise buildings and a 3-floor shopping arcade built between 1990 and 1991. Phase 3 underwent extensive renovation from 2017 to 2019, to increase the shops, the existing atrium from  Level 1 to Level 2 have been removed. Layout of the shopping arcade after renovation: Layout of the shopping arcade before renovation: Grand Central Plaza. The Grand Central Plaza complex () houses the HomeSquare shopping mall. Snoopy's World. On the podium of Level 3 of Phase 1, there is an outdoor playground called the "Snoopy's World" (), the first "Peanuts" outdoor playground in Asia. It opened to the public on 1 September 2000. Musical fountain. When New Town Plaza Phase 1 opened, an oval musical fountain at the centre of Level 3 was an icon of the shopping mall and  the largest musical fountain in Asia. It was demolished in August 2004 and then, in May 2005, rebuilt on the roof garden of Level 7, opening in November that year. But it was then closed in 2015 which is the year of New Town Plaza has opened 30 years. During the Anti-ELAB movement in 2019. New Town Plaza is one of the key locations for the Anti-ELAB movement, which originated from a peaceful protest held on 14 July in Sha Tin escalated into intense confrontations between the protesters and the police when the protesters were kettled inside New  Town Plaza. Sun Hung Kai Properties were scrutinised for allowing the police to enter the shopping centre without proper permit. In September 2019, protesters gathered several times in different shopping malls to sing for the song Glory to Hong Kong. On 11 September 2019, around 1000 people sang the song in New Town Plaza together that night, with crowds of people singing the song in other shopping malls around Hong Kong as well. External links. Note: Flash player required for the following links