Development Bureau introduces new measures to expedite major project approval

The Development Bureau has formulated new measures for key approval procedures in development workflows, aiming to ensure timely senior officials’ intervention and expedite the approval of major projects, including those within the Northern Metropolis. 

Writing in her blog on Sunday, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said that the measures align with the Policy Address, which highlighted the need to eliminate barriers and ease restrictions to streamline administrative workflows.

Rolling out jointly with the bureau’s subordinate departments and other relevant government bodies, the new internal monitoring and senior management intervention mechanism covers three critical approval stages: planning, land administration and construction works. 

Under Secretary for Development David Lam Chi-man noted that these measures apply to large residential projects with 500 or more units, commercial developments with a gross floor area of 100,000 square meters or above, as well as industrial projects in innovation and technology, education, and healthcare, along with any other strategically significant projects requiring prompt approval. 

As part of the new measures, the Planning Department, Lands Department and Buildings Department will establish a three-tier oversight and intervention mechanism for their respective approval processes. 

The Development Bureau will also require other departments, including the Transport Department, Fire Services Department, and Environmental Protection Department, to provide feedback, resolve discrepancies, and request senior management intervention within designated timelines. 

Cases that remain unresolved will be referred to the bureau-led dedicated project supervision office under the Working Group on Planning and Development of the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis and the Steering Group on Streamlining Development Control for further handling. Both groups will hold regular meetings to address cases and track performance.