The government has submitted a paper to the Legislative Council to propose dedicated legislation to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis, outlining six policy areas.
That included streamlining urban planning procedures; expediting land resumption compensation; facilitating the adoption of innovative building technologies; simplifying applications for Construction Noise Permits; facilitating and managing the cross-border flow of resources for transportation infrastructure projects in NM; and establishing statutory companies for designated areas within NM such as the industrial parks.
The Development Bureau pointed out in the legislative document that, considering that the industry-led Northern Metropolis has a more urgent development timeline and the area does not have a large residential population, it is recommended to simplify the permit application process and requirements while maintaining noise control standards.
The new approach requires applicants to formulate mitigation measures based on the actual environment, such as the distance from residential areas. Applicants can flexibly allocate the types, quantities, and usage times of different powered mechanical equipment, making it more "target-oriented" rather than rigidly controlling implementation details.
It is also suggested that the validity period of the permit be extended to one year to reduce the frequency of applications. The current validity period generally does not exceed six months.
The government also suggested facilitating the personnel flow in the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone. The current proposal is to regulate entry and exit personnel using a "whitelist" model.
It also proposed to use this legislative process to empower the Executive Council to establish statutory companies through subsidiary legislation if necessary. When such statutory companies are established in the future, if needed, they will apply to the Legislative Council for capital injection according to established mechanisms.
