Hong Kong lawmakers raise concerns about fresh HK$27 billion funding for tech hub

Hong Kong lawmakers have raised concerns about the hefty cost of developing a flagship tech hub and a neighbouring wetland park near the city’s border with mainland China, as the government seeks to secure a fresh HK$27 billion for the second round of works.

During a Legislative Council development panel meeting on Tuesday, government officials explained the HK$27.2 billion proposal. It covers forming 175 hectares (432 acres) of land at the San Tin Technopole, establishing more than one-third of the 348-hectare Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park and building an effluent polishing plant.

The funding request comes less than two years after the legislature’s finance committee approved HK$27.3 billion in December 2024 to commence the first stage of works at the 540-hectare technopole and design the first phase of the wetland park.

With the government grappling with a fiscal deficit, several panel members flagged concerns over potential cost overruns and pressed officials on strategies to accelerate revenue recovery.

“Regarding the massive development project at the Northern Metropolis, does the government have any new measures to strengthen supervision?” lawmaker Lam Chun-sing asked.

Permanent Secretary for Development Doris Ho Pui-ling said that the works would take around six years to complete, but the government would release sites in phases to speed up cash recovery.

“Under this funding application, the first batch of innovation and technology land will be ready in 2028-29. Afterwards, we will have dozens of land parcels ready annually,” she said.

“With such sites ready, we will pass them to the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau for luring investment and businesses.”

Joyce Lau Yiu-yan, project manager at the North Development Office of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), said the government would also adopt a new contract framework for developing the technopole capping its liability for cost overruns at 5 per cent, with contractors bearing any additional excess.

Lau also said the government would manage the project digitally to accelerate works and monitor progress so problems could be resolved early.

San Tin Technopole is considered a flagship project at the 30,000-hectare Northern Metropolis close to the city’s border with the mainland, which is envisioned to become an economic powerhouse and housing hub.

As the project involves filling ponds covering about 89 hectares, the environmental authorities earlier only granted conditional approval to the technopole project. Among the requirements, the government cannot fill any ponds before construction begins on ecologically enhanced fish ponds at the Sam Po Shue Wetland Park.

The CEDD earlier told the environmental authorities that the pace of pond filling would be aligned with the progress of the construction of the wetland park.

The latest funding application includes the first round of pond-filling works, involving 79 hectares, as part of the efforts to form 175 hectares of land, including 145 hectares for innovation and technology purposes.

Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, lawmaker Augustine Wong Ho-ming questioned whether the government had fulfilled the environmental conditions set by the environmental authorities to press ahead with the technopole.

Permanent Secretary Ho confirmed the compliance, as ecological enhancement works had begun across four fish ponds in the park in June this year.

Lau said the four fish ponds were about 10 hectares and the government would continue the remaining enhancement works once it secured funding from the legislature.

She added that the government would also monitor the ecology in the enhanced fish ponds and use artificial intelligence to collect data for necessary additional measures. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

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香港立法会议员对在香港与中国大陆接壤的边境地区开发旗舰科技中心和邻近湿地公园的高昂成本表示担忧，因为政府正在寻求为第二轮工程筹集新的 270 亿港元资金。

周二，在立法会发展委员会会议上，政府官员解释了这项耗资272亿港元的提案。该提案包括在新田科技园开发175公顷（432英亩）土地，建立占地348公顷的三埔树湿地保育公园超过三分之一的面积，以及建造一座污水处理厂。

此次拨款申请距离立法会财务委员会于2024年12月批准273亿港元拨款不到两年，该拨款用于启动占地540公顷的科技园区的第一阶段工程以及湿地公园第一阶段的设计。

由于政府面临财政赤字，几位小组成员对潜在的成本超支表示担忧，并敦促官员们制定加快收入恢复的策略。

“关于北部都会区的大型发展项目，政府是否有任何新的措施来加强监管？”立法会议员林振声问道。

发展部常任秘书何佩玲表示，这项工程大约需要六年时间才能完成，但政府会分阶段释放地块，以加快资金回收。

“根据这项资金申请，首批创新科技用地将于 2028-2029 年准备就绪。之后，我们每年都将有数十块土地准备就绪，”她说道。

“这些地块准备就绪后，我们将移交给创新、科技及产业局，以吸引投资和企业入驻。”

土木工程拓展署北部发展办公室项目经理刘耀欣表示，政府还将采用新的合约框架来开发科技园，将成本超支的责任上限设定为5%，超出部分由承包商承担。

刘先生还表示，政府将以数字化方式管理该项目，以加快工程进度并监控进展情况，以便及早解决问题。

圣廷科技园被认为是位于城市与大陆交界处、占地 30,000 公顷的北部大都会区的旗舰项目，该地区被设想成为经济强区和住房中心。

由于该项目涉及填埋约89公顷的池塘，环保部门此前仅对该科技园区项目给予了有条件批准。其中一项要求是，在三埔树湿地公园生态改良型鱼塘开工建设之前，政府不得填埋任何池塘。

土木工程署早前告诉环保部门，池塘填埋速度将与湿地公园的建设进度保持一致。

最新的资金申请包括第一轮池塘填埋工程，涉及 79 公顷土地，这是形成 175 公顷土地（包括 145 公顷用于创新和技术用途）努力的一部分。

在周二的会议上，立法会议员黄浩铭质疑政府是否已满足环保部门设定的环境条件，以推进科技园区的建设。

常任秘书何先生证实了这一情况，因为公园内的四个鱼塘的生态改善工程已于今年6月开始。

刘先生表示，这四个鱼塘占地约10公顷，政府一旦从立法机构获得拨款，将继续进行剩余的改善工程。

她补充说，政府还将监测改良鱼塘的生态状况，并利用人工智能收集数据，以便采取必要的补充措施。——《南华早报》

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