Hong Kong authorities should designate the Northern Metropolis as a “special zone” with a separate approval mechanism to speed up development, the city’s sole delegate to the nation’s top legislative body has said.
In an interview televised on Sunday, Lee noted the slow pace of construction in the Northern Metropolis, especially the Hong Kong part of a new innovation hub co-developed with Shenzhen in Hetao.
“The Northern Metropolis should become a ‘special zone within the Special Administrative Region’ and have a special approval process,” said Lee, who recently returned from Beijing after attending the country’s key annual political meetings, known as the “two sessions”.
“For example, it usually takes 10 years to build a railway or three years to complete the bidding. Can we make it happen in one year if needed?”
The government’s Northern Metropolis blueprint aims to transform 30,000 hectares (74,130 acres) in the New Territories into a new economic growth centre and housing hub.
