Hong Kong’s Legislative Council resumed the second-reading debate on the Northern Metropolis development bill on 11 November, with lawmakers voicing support and calling for checks to accompany faster approvals. The bill has not yet completed its passage.

The bills committee held 12 meetings totalling nearly 30 hours of scrutiny before the debate resumed. Its chair, Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, said the bill is intended to simplify existing land-planning and land-administration procedures to advance development in the Northern Metropolis.

One practical change would simplify noise-permit requirements for works including the Northern Link, San Tin Highway and Northern Metropolis Highway. Lawmaker Yiu Ming welcomed the proposal but asked how much time it would save and how nearby residents would be protected from the effects of accelerated works.

Leung said the bill itself does not cover the low-altitude economy, airspace or water areas. The government has indicated, she said, that policies for emerging industries and tax incentives will be handled through territory-wide laws. The committee has asked the government to explain publicly which rules belong in the Northern Metropolis framework and which will apply across Hong Kong, so that industry support measures fit with the dedicated legislation.

Yiu proposed publishing average processing times for different types of projects and increasing reports to the Legislative Council from once a year to every six months. Election Committee lawmaker Andrew Lam also urged the government to issue consistent, public guidance across departments and create a single-window approval route, so applicants do not face conflicting decisions from different offices.

Maggie Chan Man-ki supported provisions under which innovative designs, materials and construction methods could qualify for the relevant “special circumstances” threshold under the Buildings Ordinance. She called for clearer approval principles, measurable safety indicators and more Buildings Department staff for oversight inspections. Separately, she proposed a tiered system for classifying and protecting data to support flows between Hong Kong and the mainland, noting that Hong Kong law did not then define “important data”.