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Hong Kong aims to earmark 300 hectares of land in proposed technopole near mainland China border for innovation and technology uses
- Development Bureau says government will consider providing direct land grants in 627-hectare San Tin Technopole, a major project in the planned Northern Metropolis
- Site will also provide between 50,000 and 54,000 homes, 70 per cent of which will be public flats, and accommodate up to 159,000 people
Fiona Sunand Edith Lin
Published: 9:35pm, 18 May, 2023
Hong Kong authorities want to earmark half of a planned 627-hectare “technopole” near the border with mainland China for innovation and technology purposes – an area equivalent to Shenzhen’s tech hub or 17 science parks – while creating more than 50,000 homes.
The Development Bureau on Thursday said the government would consider adopting land grant methods other than open tendering in the San Tin Technopole, a major development project in the planned Northern Metropolis, including providing sites directly to organisations.
The technopole, first proposed by former city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in 2021 and projected to become a Hong Kong version of Silicon Valley, will provide 300 hectares of land for uses related to innovation and technology (I&T). It includes 87 hectares in the Lok Ma Chau Loop for the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park.
That area is equivalent to 17 Hong Kong Science Parks or the 300-hectare Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Zone across the border.
“The San Tin Technopole covers a large area and is located in the heart of the Northern Metropolis,” a bureau spokesman said on Thursday. “It is the top priority of the Northern Metropolis.”
The spokesman said direct land grants were a new model in the I&T sector. The government had explored diverse land grant methods, aiming to attract leading businesses in the industry to the new tech hub, he added.
“A direct land grant has its advantages, but we also have things to watch out for as land resources are precious in Hong Kong,” he said.
“We will see what substantial benefits the businesses that we want to attract will bring to Hong Kong, including the number of jobs created and the contribution to local gross domestic product,” the spokesman said, adding the authorities would only resort to this method in justified circumstances.
According to authorities, the new tech hub will create at least 165,000 jobs, including 120,000 or more related to I&T uses.
The site will also provide between 50,000 and 54,000 homes, 70 per cent of which will be public flats, and accommodate up to 159,000 people.
To provide greater flexibility, the government has also reserved plots ranging in size from under 10 hectares to 70 hectares in the innovation and technology park to accommodate facilities of different scales and uses.
The government said it would also accommodate a wider range of land uses for different stages of I&T, including building flats to house talent, with about 6,400 such homes to be built on the site.
The government plans to begin land formation work in the last quarter of 2024, and sites could be supplied as early as 2026.
The first batch of residents are expected to move in from 2031, with most there from 2034, according to the government.
Located in the heart of the Northern Metropolis, the San Tin Technopole is targeted to become the hub of the I&T development cluster.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced in his first policy address last October that the government would expedite the development of the technopole.
Professor William Wong Kam-fai, a lawmaker and associate dean of the engineering faculty at Chinese University, said the land grant method could accelerate development of the industry.
“The most important thing is to start the project as soon as possible to compete for innovation and technology corporations. If we adopt the usual open tender practice, it will be too slow,” Wong said.
He also said the government could offer more tax concessions to attract leading businesses, while stipulating that they had to hire a certain number of local staff.
Lawmaker Tony Tse Wai-chuen, who represents the architectural, surveying, planning and landscape sector, said land planning procedures should be more flexible to accommodate the fast-changing needs of tech companies but the mechanism should not be abused.
Apart from granting land directly to companies, Tse said, the government could also consider launching restricted tenders, such as limiting the scope to companies with investment plans.
Fiona Sun
Fiona Sun joined the Hong Kong desk of the Post in 2019. She writes on issues that matter to the city’s residents, including geographic communities, ethnic minorities or those brought together by common causes and interests. She has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong.
Edith Lin
Edith joined the Post as a reporter in 2022 and covers Hong Kong's housing, land and development. Prior to joining the Post, she was a reporter at Radio Television Hong Kong.
This will provide affordable accommodation to young people. 
will be ‘surplus’ to estimated demand, planning official says
Officials have noted the club will still have 140 hectares left after the land is handed back, with two complete 18-hole courses and 10 holes for a third course.
