The Legislative Council has passed the Northern Metropolis development bill at third reading, creating a framework for detailed rules in six areas, from planning procedures and land compensation to construction technology, noise controls, cross-border movement and a park company.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said the government would submit subsidiary legislation to the Legislative Council in January 2027 and was seeking to bring the facilitation measures into effect in the first quarter, introducing each measure as it was ready.
Existing laws will continue to cover Northern Metropolis city governance, transport and labour, Linn said. Where a measure should apply across Hong Kong, territory-wide legislation was more appropriate. The government plans to use amendments to the territory-wide tax law for tax incentives that could benefit businesses inside and outside the Northern Metropolis.
The simplified planning procedures will not apply to conservation zones in the Northern Metropolis, and the Town Planning Board will retain its scrutiny role, Linn said. Simplifying applications for building-noise permits will not change noise-control standards.
Lawmaker Yim Kong (Erik Yim) proposed an emergency trial arrangement to bring green electricity across the border into designated Northern Metropolis areas, in cooperation with CLP. As part of that arrangement, he proposed building a channel in specific parts of Hetao and San Tin to supply data parks directly with green electricity. He argued that reliable, lower-cost green power would help keep computing centres competitive and support high-end industries.
For data and biological samples, Linn said the government was discussing possible research trials to bring data and samples from the mainland to Hong Kong, provided national-security and other legal requirements were met and risks could be controlled. Authorities are gathering information from companies in the Hetao parks about the types and quantities of cross-border data and samples they need.