Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis near the border with mainland China will adopt laws to streamline land approval procedures from nine to two months in a move to speed up its development, the South China Morning Post has learned. Sources told the SCMP that details of the dedicated legislation for the Northern Metropolis would be announced…
Disabled residents and a former lawmaker have slammed Hong Kong’s town planning authorities for failing to consider accessibility needs and overlooking potential fire safety risks in an approved development plan for Wan Chai, calling for a review to make the area more barrier-free. Former social welfare sector lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen said on Thursday that the…
The Northern Metropolis is in the news almost every day. The big policy focus for the administration, it is determining a new future for Hong Kong. Part of the New Territories, which were dubbed “a land between” in the 1980s, the area was once little more than a rural leftover between urban Hong Kong and…
The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors has called on the government to introduce dedicated legislation and a new statutory body to fast-track the buy-back of Wang Fuk Court flats after the deadly fire, clearing the way for residents’ resettlement. Former president of the institute Chiu Kam-kuen, now chairman of its Housing Policy Panel, estimated that…
Hong Kong Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho attends press conference at the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong on Sept 19, 2025. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY) Hastening urban renewal is a major focus of land development initiatives in this year’s Policy Address, as it is moving relatively slowly in Hong Kong due to…
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and authorities have pushed back against Pok Fu Lam residents’ suggestion to build an innovation hub at an alternative site, saying it would take up more green belt area and overlap partly with a planned mortuary. HKU on Friday introduced a revised proposal for building its global innovation centre…
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has said that Pok Fu Lam is the best location for building its innovation hub compared with alternatives such as the Northern Metropolis, arguing the site could yield the fastest outcomes and see the first section open its doors as early as 2032. The university’s stance was shared in…
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) plans to reduce the size of a development project by 15 per cent following a public backlash, leaving most of a Pok Fu Lam green belt untouched, the Post has learned. A source said on Monday that the university was considering building on a residential plot nearby. The revised…
Hong Kong lawmakers have urged authorities to regulate university hostel rents as more office buildings and hotels are set to be converted into student accommodation, with the Post finding market rates for some are four times higher than for campus dormitories. The legislators made the call on Tuesday as they discussed a new government policy…
Hong Kong authorities have been urged to model the proposed Hung Hom waterfront project after Cannes and Monaco to help drive the city’s mega-event economy, as some town planning advisers have questioned plans for more commercial facilities amid a high vacancy rate. Members of the Town Planning Board raised their concerns at the statutory body’s…