​Following is a question by the Hon Carmen Kan and a reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (July 8):
 
Question:
 
     Last month, the Chief Executive stated that the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT) would be developed into an integrated university town area covering 1 000 hectares or above (University Town Area). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as the Chief Executive has reportedly pointed out the five major common elements (five major elements) of a successful university town, namely "education, technology, talents, industries and urban development", and it is proposed in the public consultation document on Hong Kong's Five-Year Plan to position NMUT as a key engine for the Northern Metropolis development, how the Government will integrate the five major elements into the relevant planning;
 
(2) as other government officials and experts from outside the Government can be invited, on a need basis, to participate in the relevant work of the Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, whether the Government has adjusted the membership list of the working group having regard to the prevailing circumstances, such as including more Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux as well as actively engaging experts in respect of the five major elements, so as to foster consensus and secure support among the stakeholders, including the education sector; and
 
(3) with a view to keeping abreast of achieving legal empowerment under executive-led governance, how the Government will incorporate appropriate strategic vacancy into the dedicated legislation for the Northern Metropolis with regard to the development of the University Town Area, thereby providing a certain degree of flexibility for the construction of the University Town Area?

Reply:

President,

     Our reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Carmen Kan is as follows: 

(1) The National 15th Five-Year Plan expressed clear support for Hong Kong to further integrate into and serve the overall national development. The Government is currently working at full speed to formulate Hong Kong's first "Five-Year Plan", outlining Hong Kong's development vision, core objectives, priority areas and major initiatives for the next five years, so as to proactively align with national development strategies and seize the significant opportunities brought by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). These include accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis (NM), developing an international innovation and technology hub, building an international hub for high-calibre talent, and consolidating Hong Kong's position as an international education hub.

     The NM will be developed with the objectives of university town areas, innovation and technology, industry and environment suitable for living, working and travelling, with the aim of becoming a breakthrough point for Hong Kong's development. Amongst others, the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT) Area will adopt the concept of "One Town, Five Elements" to plan for the development, which means each university town area will include the five elements of education, technology, talent, industry and urban development, enabling core areas such as the campus area, technological area, industrial area and living community to mutually develop, with a view to gathering talent and creating high-quality university town areas that are suitable for education, research, innovation and living. It will also adopt the strategic positioning that integrates "talent cultivation, scientific research, transformation of outcomes, industrial development", and drives the synergistic development of "industry, academia, and research" as well as the integrated development of education, technology and talent. 

     We will significantly increase the original campus areas of the three university town areas in Hung Shui Kiu (HSK), Ngau Tam Mei (NTM) and the New Territories North (NTN) to 300 hectares. Together with areas such as the adjacent key industrial sites, unique conservation areas, sports, recreational and cultural facilities, as well as surrounding living communities, the spatial planning can be expanded to encompass an integrated layout with science and technological, industrial and urban spaces, forming a total area of over 1 000 hectares for the overall planning of the university town areas, enhance the quality and expand the capacity, thereby maximising the effect to gather high-calibre talent.

     As the first university town area to be rolled out, HSK will be positioned as a cultivation centre for smart manufacturing applied higher education and internationalised talent, and integrate with nearby high-end professional services and training of talent for joint development. The district will feature commercial floor space for high-end professional services, the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park for promoting smart production, a modern logistics park for high value-added logistics, versatile enterprise and technology sites, as well as the digital technology hub and eco-tourism nodes at Lau Fau Shan. It is also near the Microelectronics Centre at the Yuen Long InnoPark. Institutions can leverage the HSK University Town Area to advance campus development, focusing on cutting-edge interdisciplinary studies and addressing the relevant academic and technological needs of key industries in GBA, thereby driving overall regional development.

     The NTM University Town Area will provide a vital platform for the innovative development of advanced industries such as life sciences and health technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and microelectronics. The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone and San Tin Technopole will serve as key bases supporting the science and technology, industry and talent elements of the NTM University Town Area. Institutions can leverage the research and development platforms, pilot-scale testing bases and industrial resources within the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone and San Tin Technopole, along with the integrated medical teaching and research hospital and the third medical school to be situated in NTM. This will enable close alignment between basic research and applied transformation.

     The NTN University Town Area will integrate arts with technology, research and development, whilst supporting industrial development. It will bring together arts, cultural and recreational facilities to support emerging industries and the modern re-industrialisation development of the traditional industries, promoting the collaboration between institutions and industries in the area and accelerate the commercialisation of research outcomes. The Government will encourage institutions to actively promote the integration of industry and education, thereby providing talent support for emerging industries. In addition to institutional development, we will also reserve flexibility in the land use planning of the sites to accommodate future needs.

(2) The Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address has announced that the Government will accelerate the development of NM and establish the Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town (WG), which is led by the Chief Secretary for Administration (CS), to study the development mode for NMUT, and conduct field trips on the successful models of university towns elsewhere in seeking a broad spectrum of views. The WG will also explore the possible way forward to deeply integrate industry development with the academic sectors where Hong Kong has an edge, alongside the strategies for attracting leading universities or research institutes on the Chinese Mainland and in overseas to establish a base in Hong Kong. Under the leadership of CS, the WG has closely aligned with the goals of the nation's 15th Five-Year Plan and Hong Kong's first "Five-Year Plan". By accelerating progress and enhancing efficiency, the WG has actively promoted cross-departmental collaboration to advance the planning and construction of the NMUT Area in a highly effective manner. Throughout the process, whilst considering development factors such as the development positioning and financial model of the NMUT Area, the WG has upheld a spirit of recognising, adapting to and seeking change, and is committed to fully fulfilling its role in overall co-ordination.

     The WG comprises various relevant government departments, and will consult experts and scholars in relevant fields as necessary to look into the development mode of the NMUT Area, such as maintaining close communication with the post-secondary institutions, and extensively solicited and gathered valuable insights from different sectors (including community leaders and professionals from various fields) on the development of the NMUT Area through various platforms. These include consultation sessions for Hong Kong's "Five-Year Plan" which involved different sectors, as well as exchange meetings with the Panel of Advisors to the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents. The WG will continue to adopt a pragmatic approach to fully advance the development of the NMUT Area.

(3) At the strategic development level, the overall planning of NM (including the university town areas) must remain flexible to respond to changes brought about by rapid social and technological advancements. When formulating the Outline Zoning Plans, we will continue to reserve maximum flexibility for the sites of the university town areas, permitting various uses related to post-secondary education or uses supporting such development. As for the Northern Metropolis Development Bill, which will receive its First Reading later today, several measures are also included which can accelerate and enhance the efficiency of the construction for the university town areas. For instance, if there is a future need to expand the capacity of the university town areas and rezoning of the nearby lands is required, the streamlined town planning procedures can be applied, shortening the required time from at least nine months to two months. The development of the university town areas will also benefit from other legislative proposals, including streamlining the application procedures and requirements for Construction Noise Permits to expedite construction, as well as facilitating the introduction of innovative building designs and technologies.

Ends/Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Issued at HKT 17:10

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