Local universities and commercial companies are focusing on the university town in Hung Shui Kiu/Hak Tsuen, as its three plots will be put up for tender on Monday, according to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Monday.

Secretary for Education of the HKSAR government Christine Choi Yuk-lin said on Monday that the three plots cover 12.7 hectares, 5.3 hectares, and 4.4 hectares, adding that the largest plot will be developed in phases. About five hectares in the first phase are expected to be leveled by the end of the year and then handed over to the winning bidders for initial development.

The government’s consultation document for the first Five-Year Plan issued last month says it will “position the Northern Metropolis university town as a key engine for the metropolis’ development”.

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Choi said that bidding universities, whether applying individually or jointly, must promote the transformation of research and development into practical applications, aligning with the city’s key development areas such as life sciences and artificial intelligence.

After the first plot is leveled by the end of the year, the government will arrange on-site inspections, according to Choi. Given the disparate nature of the Hung Shui Kiu/Hak Tsuen site and the tight timeframe, local universities will be prime candidates, Choi said.

The government is also encouraging universities to cooperate with enterprises for development and has set aside a HK$10 billion ($1.27 billion) loan facility mainly to support the development of the above-ground works in the area, she said.

Besides the non-profit university town, tendering for a separate commercial development site in the Hung Shui Kiu/Hak Tsuen closed on July 4, according to Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho.

The bureau received two tenders and aims to approve them by the end of August, Lin said.

The project covers residential and industrial land uses. The bids received were not from a single entity, but rather from diverse groups of companies, including developers and operators, she said.

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Among real estate developers, New World Development Co Ltd currently has a hand in the other districts of the Northern Metropolis.

Its two large-scale residential projects, Ma Sik Road in Fanling and Yuen Long South, are planned to launch in the 2027 financial year.

The Ma Sik Road project, a large-scale commercial-cum-residential development jointly developed with China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings Co Ltd, will provide approximately 2,300 residential units, with a gross floor area of over 1.1 million square feet, and will feature the largest shopping mall in the district.

The Yuen Long South project, a residential development jointly developed with China Resources Land (Overseas) Limited, commenced construction last year, with completion expected in 2029. The second phase site secured relevant planning approval in June this year and is slated for completion in 2030. Across both phases, the Yuen Long South project will provide approximately 1,900 homes, with a combined gross floor area of over 720,000 square feet.

In addition, the Wing Ning Tsuen Land Sharing Pilot Scheme, in which the New World Development is participating, completed its pre-planning procedures in the second quarter of this year. The project will be developed into a small community offering approximately 5,800 public and private housing units.

Contact the writer at thor_wu@chinadailyhk.com