Accelerating Northern Metropolis considered priority by Hongkongers: John Lee

The accelerated development of the Northern Metropolis megaproject through novel approaches is a matter of key community consensus, Hong Kong’s leader has said as he rounded up a 1½-month-long public consultation exercise for his annual policy address in September.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Sunday that government policies had to consider macroeconomic development and local-level livelihood concerns to ensure that residents felt included.

“When formulating policies, we have to care about the details and do better communication with our residents about the aims of these policies so they feel acknowledged and have something to gain,” he said.

Lee spoke to the media after concluding his second town hall this year on Sunday morning, where he and his principal officials met about 120 residents at a secondary school in Yuen Long to gauge public views ahead of his next policy address.

The first such event was held on Sunday last week and was also attended by about 120 people.

Since June, the government has held more than 40 consultation sessions and received over 5,500 submissions online and via a hotline, a 10 per cent increase from the same period last year.