In the 2021 Policy Address, the Hong Kong Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, propelling Hong Kong‘s integration into China’s overall national development as outlined in the 14th Five Year Plan and the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.
Based on the Hong Kong 2030+ framework, the government plans to establish the 30,000 hectare (ha) Northern Metropolis area in the northern New Territories, of which more than 3,000 ha will be new developable land, charting a new chapter for Hong Kong's long-term growth.
Subsequently, in the 2022 Policy Address the government emphasized the Northern Metropolis as a new economic growth engine for Hong Kong, with its development to be advanced through greater scale, speed, efficiency, and quality.
In the 2023 Policy Address the government further issued the Northern Metropolis Action Agenda, emphasizing that the area will be adopting an "industry led, infrastructure first“ development approach. The land planning and offering process will be industry driven to address the longstanding issue of land shortages that has limited overall industrial development. For example, half of the area in the San Tin Technopole will be allocated for innovation and technology (I&T) purposes. We believe that, by promoting the development of high value-added industries, Hong Kong will be able to unlock more opportunities and scale new economic growth heights.
In this report, we elaborate on the government‘s planning process for the prioritized industries, and discuss case studies and the key considerations while exploring the Northern Metropolis opportunities.
