The Secretary for Development of Hong Kong, Wong Wai-lun: In the next five years, around 70,000 housing units and approximately 1 million square meters of commercial floor space will be provided in the North District.

On September 8, Hong Kong's Secretary for Development, Ning Hanhao, stated at the SING TAO Property Development Trends Forum 2026 that the Northern Metropolis has officially entered its harvest period after several years of planning and construction. Housing projects in the new development areas of Kwu Tung North/Fanling North will gradually be ready for occupancy starting this year, and the Hung Shui Kiu/Xa Tsuen new development area has also begun to supply industrial land. Currently, companies have already settled in He tau and Sha Ling. Ning Hanhao pointed out that the national 14th Five-Year Plan explicitly calls for Hong Kong to expedite the development of the Northern Metropolis. Among the nine new development areas in the Northern Metropolis, four have already entered the construction phase, involving over 800 hectares of land development. By the fiscal year 2025-26, the government has reclaimed over 520 hectares of private land and completed the leveling of approximately 120 hectares. Looking ahead to the next five years, the Northern Metropolis is expected to yield about 900 hectares of ready-to-use land, including 300 hectares of industrial land, which is expected to provide around 70,000 housing units and approximately 1 million square meters of economic floor space. In terms of industrial development, the Northern Metropolis plans to encompass a diversified layout: the San Tin Technological City, the He Tau Hong Kong Innovation Park, the Lau Fau Shan Digital Technology Hub, and the Sha Ling Data Park collectively plan over 340 hectares of innovation and technology land, creating a cross-border innovation and technology corridor; Hung Shui Kiu/Xa Tsuen will provide at least 60 hectares of industrial land, of which about 27.5 hectares will be constructed and operated by the Hung Shui Kiu Industrial Park Company; three university towns will be established to promote the integration of "industry, academia, and research"; and areas like Tin Shui Wai, Pak Nai, and Sha Tau Kok will develop ecological tourism and recreational tourism circuits. Ning Hanhao emphasized that the Development Bureau is employing several innovative policy measures to accelerate the construction of the Northern Metropolis, including establishing exclusive legislation for the Northern Metropolis, introducing a "district development" model, implementing site exchange convenience measures, and establishing industrial park companies. Among these, the draft bill has entered the stage of line-by-line review and is expected to be passed by the end of this year; the "district" of Hung Shui Kiu has recently been successfully tendered, and this year the government has also successively established wholly-owned park companies for the Hung Shui Kiu Industrial Park and San Tin Technological City to expedite land production, infrastructure, and industrial introduction.