Legislators scrutinised a Development Bureau request for about HK$27.1 billion for three San Tin projects at a Legislative Council Development Affairs Panel meeting on 27 October 2026. The funding would cover the second stage of phase one of the San Tin Technopole, the first stage of phase one of Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park, and phase one of a water-treatment facility.
A legislator questioned whether major construction spending was affordable given the government’s weak fiscal position, including whether it could put pressure on welfare policies. Legislators also asked how the government would prevent cost overruns.
One legislator compared about HK$27.1 billion for site formation and infrastructure across 158 hectares in an earlier stage of the technopole with about HK$16.5 billion for 175 hectares cited in the current application, and asked why the average cost per hectare differed.
The Development Bureau’s permanent secretary for planning and lands did not give an estimated total cost for the San Tin Technopole. She said the current stage involved fewer major road infrastructure works and that the bureau’s works branch would review estimates for reasonableness after they were prepared.
Officials cited two cost-control measures. The Civil Engineering and Development Department had set up a programme management office to monitor progress and costs in real time, according to Commercial Radio. The department’s North Development Office head said the target-price contract arrangement required the government to bear costs up to 105% of the target price, with contractors responsible for any amount above that.
Transport was another point of scrutiny. A government discussion paper assessed the proposed works’ effects on traffic as acceptable, but a legislator questioned whether that reflected conditions on the ground and whether the assessment had been made before or after the new Huanggang checkpoint opened. The permanent secretary said the timing of the assessment was not important because planning and works were dynamic. She said the government would monitor conditions and take measures as needed.
A legislator also urged the government to communicate with residents, farmers and businesses who could be affected, and make appropriate arrangements for them. The permanent secretary said the first technology-industry plots would become available in 2028/29. She said they could be promoted to investors to help bring in funds sooner.