Hong Kong’s education authorities are likely to miss the deadline for unveiling a concept plan for a proposed university town in the first half of this year, as the project must align with the city’s inaugural five-year plan, which is set to be released in the third quarter.
A source familiar with the development said on Friday that at least two higher education institutions tipped to be granted space in the first phase of the university town in the Northern Metropolis megaproject had been told they now had more time to polish their proposals.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his 2024 policy address that the government planned to publish a Northern Metropolis University Town Development Conceptual Framework in the first half of 2026, reiterating the timeline last year.
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Asked whether the framework would be announced by the end of this month, a spokeswoman for the Education Bureau said planning work for the university town was in “a highly dynamic state”.
She noted that the government was actively aligning with the nation’s 15th five-year plan and drafting the city’s inaugural version.
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“The university town in the Northern Metropolis is a core project in the 15th five-year plan and therefore we will consider and advance the project’s planning direction and position against that backdrop,” she said.