Public consultation on legislative proposals for dedicated legislation to accelerate development of Northern Metropolis launched
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The DEVB issued a Legislative Council (LegCo) paper earlier proposing to introduce dedicated legislation to accelerate the development of the NM, with the objectives of further removing barriers in respect of planning and lands procedures in the NM, to expedite construction works and to facilitate industry operation. The proposed dedicated legislation is suggested to comprise a piece of primary legislation serving as the main framework, and to delegate to the Chief Executive in Council the power to further enact subsidiary legislation on six specified areas, as and when necessary, namely (i) streamlining town planning procedures; (ii) expediting compensation payment for land resumed; (iii) facilitating the adoption of innovative construction technology arrangements; (iv) streamlining the procedures and requirements for construction noise permit applications; (v) facilitating and regulating cross-boundary flow of elements; and (vi) establishing statutory corporations for designated areas. The target is to introduce the bill of the primary legislation to the LegCo for vetting in the middle of 2026, and to submit together the draft of the first batch of subsidiary legislation for preview. The DEVB will strive to have the primary legislation passed by the LegCo within this year, and then formally submit the first batch of subsidiary legislation under the primary legislation to the LegCo for vetting. For details, please refer to the LegCo discussion paper (www.legco.gov.hk/yr2026/english/panels/dev/papers/dev20260324cb1-245-3-e.pdf).
Members of the public and all sectors of the community are welcome to provide comments on the proposed dedicated legislation via email or post on or before May 22 this year. Relevant information is provided on the dedicated website for the NM under the DEVB (www.nm.gov.hk/en/about-nm/nm-dedicated-legislation).
Email address: nmlegislation@devb.gov.hk
Mail address: Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office, Development Bureau (Units 506-507, 5/F, Shui On Centre, 6-8 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong)
Ends/Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:45
Issued at HKT 16:45
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