Rezoning times near the Shenzhen border drop to two months under a new bill passed by Hong Kong lawmakers on Thursday to speed up the massive Northern Metropolis project.
The Legislative Council approved the third reading of the Northern Metropolis Development Bill to cut through planning and land procedures for the 300-square-kilometre development zone announced in 2021.
The legislation sets out to quicken construction, industrial operations, and the cross-boundary flow of capital, goods, and people as authorities push to link the city closer with mainland China.
Under the new rules, the approval period for rezoning non-conservation areas falls from nine months to two, while authorities also simplify land resumption and urban planning steps.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn told lawmakers on Thursday that authorities plan to table subsidiary legislation to LegCo in January and roll out concrete measures in the first quarter.
“At this stage we do not seek an all-encompassing piece of legislation capable of addressing every possible scenario,” Linn told lawmakers in Cantonese, according to Hong Kong Free Press. “As the Northern Metropolis development progresses, new legislation will be introduced and existing ordinances will be amended as necessary.”
The mega-project covers roughly a third of the city’s territory along the border with Shenzhen, shifting focus from initial high-tech blueprints toward a mix of technopoles and university towns.
On Wednesday, officials and the MTR Corporation announced that a new railway line linking the Northern Metropolis with the existing metro network will cost about HK$86.2 billion, dropping more than a quarter from original estimates.
