As he delivered his 2025 Policy Address today, Chief Executive John Lee announced the establishment of the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis under his leadership with the aim of speeding up the development of the area.
Mr Lee pointed out that the committee, under which three working groups will be set up, will be tasked with streamlining administrative workflows and removing unnecessary barriers and restrictions.
The Working Group on Devising Development & Operation Models, which will be led by the Financial Secretary, will formulate development and operation models for industry parks in the Northern Metropolis, taking into account their nature and scale.
There will be dedicated companies, or statutory or non-statutory bodies for various industrial parks, and public-private partnership approaches will be devised. The working group will also explore shifting from “highest bidder wins” model to industry linked “two envelope approach” for tendering, and devise financing schemes including equity, bonds, government injections, and “provision of land as a form of capital participation”.
The Chief Secretary will lead the Working Group on Planning & Construction of the University Town. The working group will set up a research task force to conduct field trips on the successful models of university towns elsewhere, seeking views from local, Mainland, and other internationally renowned universities.
It will also explore the way forward to deeply integrate industry development with the academic sectors where Hong Kong has an edge, alongside the strategies for attracting leading universities and research institutes in the Mainland and overseas to establish a base in the city.
Three batches of sites for the Northern Metropolis University Town will be available for use – Hung Shui Kiu in 2026, Ngau Tam Mei in 2028 and New Territories North New Town in 2030 – at the earliest.
The Working Group on Planning & Development will be responsible for managing the end-to-end process from planning to implementation. Led by the Deputy Financial Secretary, the working group will comprise a dedicated project supervision office to strengthen the co-ordination and supervision of the approval process.
The Policy Address also outlines measures to streamline administrative procedures concerning the Northern Metropolis development.
The measures include the introduction of the Fast Track Processing System, under which superior construction methods from different places will be adopted to integrate successful construction technologies, materials and equipment from the Mainland and overseas.
A “phased development” approach will also be implemented on a trial basis. Specifically, pilot low density facilities, such as retail, entertainment and convention and exhibition facilities will be developed initially to attract businesses before long-term development is rolled out.
Additionally, a land use review for Au Tau will be launched to capitalise on the development potential brought by the Northern Link. The Government will consider a larger proportion of private housing in the area around Sha Po at Au Tau Station for development into a new development area.
Other streamlining measures include flexible land grant arrangements which encourage enterprises to set up businesses and invest in the area, and allowing land owners in the Northern Metropolis to voluntarily surrender land planned to be resumed by the Government to offset the amount payable for in-situ land exchange or large-scale land disposal in new development areas. A “pay for what you build” approach will be adopted to reduce the cost of land premiums in the Northern Metropolis.
The Chief Executive said that dedicated legislation will be introduced to speed up the Northern Metropolis development, empowering the Government to devise simplified statutory procedures for a number of issues.
Such matters include setting up statutory industry park companies and providing them with dedicated channels for funding; managing the cross-boundary flow of people, goods, capital, data and biological samples in designated areas; speeding up the approval of building plans; relaxing permitted uses in outline zoning plans and fine-tuning development parameters; and expediting compensation payment for land resumption.
In regard to expediting transport infrastructural development, Mr Lee noted that construction works of Kwu Tung Station and Hung Shui Kiu Station are proceeding in full swing for completion in 2027 and 2030 respectively to dovetail with the development of the Northern Metropolis.
Furthermore, he stated that the Government has signed the Part 1 Project Agreement with the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, adding that it will concurrently develop the Northern Link Spur Line in combination with the Main Line, achieving simultaneous commissioning by 2034 or earlier.
