Policy Address

(A) Establish the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis

45. With the overall planning of the Northern Metropolis, it is now the optimal juncture to expedite the development of the area, bringing in industries and major projects. I will establish and chair the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis, under which the following three working groups will be set up:

1. Working Group on Devising Development and Operation Models: led by the Financial Secretary, the working group will formulate development and operation models for industry parks in the Northern Metropolis, taking into account their nature and scale. This will include setting up one or more dedicated companies, or statutory or non-statutory bodies, for various industrial parks, devising public-private partnership approaches such as the Build-Operate-Transfer model. It will also explore shifting from "highest bidder wins" to industry-linked "two-envelope approach" for tendering. We will devise a range of financing schemes, including equity, bonds, government injections, and "provision of land as a form of capital participation". The Development Bureau (DEVB) is conducting policy study to set up an industry park company for about 23 hectares of industry land at Hung Shui Kiu. The recommendations will be announced this year after reporting to the working group.

2. Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town: led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the working group will study the development mode for the Northern Metropolis University Town. It will set up a research task force to conduct field trips on the successful models of university towns elsewhere, seeking views from presidents and representatives of local, Mainland, and other internationally renowned universities. It will also explore the possible 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 Hong Kong.

   Three batches of sites for the Northern Metropolis University Town will be available for use in 2026 (Hung Shui Kiu), 2028 (Ngau Tam Mei) and 2030 (New Territories North New Town) respectively at the earliest. The working group will make recommendations on the positioning and vision regarding the development of these sites to devise a clear, industry-led approach. The land in the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area (NDA), for example, will integrate with nearby, high-end professional services as well as vocational and professional education and training facilities for joint development. The land in Ngau Tam Mei can dovetail with the overall innovation and technology (I&T) development of the San Tin Technopole and the Loop, among others, life and health technology industries, and to be used for joint development with the third medical school and an integrated medical teaching and research hospital.

3. Working Group on Planning and Development: led by the Deputy Financial Secretary, the working group will be responsible for managing the end-to-end process from planning to implementation, co-ordinating and consolidating such aspects as planning, engineering, land, transportation and environmental protection, to promote industry anchoring, create job opportunities and enhance productivity. A dedicated project supervision office will be established under the working group to strengthen the co-ordination and supervision of the approval process, imposing time limits and phased reporting, to accelerate progress.