Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is delivering his first policy address on Wednesday (Oct. 19) morning, highlighting the strong support of the motherland that the SAR enjoys and the financial hub's strategic competitiveness.
Lee said that Northern Metropolis is the foothold for Hong Kong's strategic development and the new engine for Hong Kong to scale new heights. The current-term Government will take forward the development of the Northern Metropolis in full steam. A number of major development projects in the area have already commenced. The government will enhance quantity, speed, efficiency, and quality in various aspects to vigorously compress the time required for turning pieces of "primitive land" into "spade-ready sites" for major projects by half from more than ten years in the past.
According to Lee, the government will establish a Steering Committee on the Northern Metropolis and an Advisory Committee on the Northern Metropolis to strengthen the governance system for the development of the area. The Chief Executive will lead the former to provide high-level policy steer and supervision. The latter, to be chaired by the Financial Secretary and comprising experts and stakeholders in the community, will tender advice and suggestions. The HKSAR Government will collaborate closely with the Guangdong Provincial Government, with a view to enabling the Northern Metropolis to radiate beyond its geographical boundary and creating synergy with the Guangdong Province, the Shenzhen Municipality and the GBA. A department dedicated to the development of the Northern Metropolis will also be set up next year to steer various departments and coordinate their innovative efforts in pressing ahead with the development. Our target is to formulate a concrete plan and an action agenda for the Northern Metropolis within next year.
Upon completion, the Northern Metropolis will emerge as a "new international I&T city", integrating quality life, new economies, and culture and leisure. The innovative urban design will help promote home-job balance, green living, and development and conservation co-existence. We will fully leverage the advantages of the Northern Metropolis's proximity to the hinterland to promote the comprehensive development of control point areas. On its west, the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area (NDA) will be the focus. Its geographical proximity to Qianhai will become a central business district with a catchment reaching Shenzhen and even the GBA. With the San Tin Technopole as its core, the central part will pool I&T enterprises and create synergy with Shenzhen's I&T cluster just across the river, becoming a diversified test bed for innovation. Modern New Territories North New Town industries can also benefit from collaboration with Shenzhen. Endowed with rich natural and tourism resources, the east side is best placed for recreation and tourism development for Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The government will:
press ahead with land creation and housing construction – We will take forward in full swing major projects that have commenced in Kwu Tung North/Fanling North, Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long South, etc. Planning for the majority of other development projects, including San Tin Technopole, has already commenced. Our target is to commence land resumption procedures for all development projects within five years, and to form 40% of the new development land and complete 40% of the new flats within 10 years;
increase development intensity – We will make the best use of the land resources in the Northern Metropolis by adopting higher plot ratios. As a guideline, the maximum plot ratio for residential sites will be 6.5 (higher than that of 5 for earlier generations of new towns like Sha Tin), while that for commercial sites will be 9.5;
make available sites for different industries – Sites will be made available gradually in the next five years to support the development of I&T and other industries. Three buildings are under construction in the Lok Ma Chau Loop in San Tin Technopole, and part of the land in the Loop will be ready for attracting businesses and investment from next year. The first batch of San Tin I&T sites outside the Loop will commence works in 2024, while the first batch of sites for development of industrial buildings in areas earmarked for logistics and emerging industries in Hung Shui Kiu and Yuen Long will be available from next year. Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen NDA is positioned as a modern service hub, and site formation works for the commercial sites near Hung Shui Kiu Station will also be completed in 2026;
construct landmark developments – The government will plan for a number of landmark developments in the Northern Metropolis, such as cluster of cultural facilities, post-secondary education institutions, major sports facilities, hospital networks and cluster of government facilities to facilitate the development of the area and to provide a quality living environment. Certain government offices currently in central business districts with no specific location requirements will be relocated to the Northern Metropolis, including, for example, nearly 40% of the office floor area in the Queensway Government Offices, with a view to driving the development of the area and releasing the land in the central business districts;
pursue proactive ecological conservation – Upon completion of the relevant study next year, the government will implement a New Proactive Conservation Policy to gradually resume private wetlands and fish ponds with ecological value and develop a Wetland Conservation Parks System, with a view to increasing the environmental capacity for the development of the Northern Metropolis. Separately, we will initiate the statutory procedures for designating about 500 hectares of land in Robin's Nest as a country park in 2024, which will echo the Shenzhen Wutong Mountain Scenic Area, creating a cross-border ecological corridor between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. We will gradually open up Sha Tau Kok (excluding Chung Ying Street) in 2024 for cultural and eco-tourism activities and will consult the local community early next year; and
foster cross-border interactions – With a favorable location in proximity to the hinterland, the Northern Metropolis can create synergy with the Mainland in areas such as industry development, land use and ecological conservation. Hong Kong and the Mainland have already set up task forces under the Guangdong-Hong Kong and Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation mechanisms to deliberate on cross-boundary integration proposals for creating greater value for the Northern Metropolis.
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