Statutory procedures for Ngau Tam Mei New Development Area to commence progressively; Environmental Impact Assessment Report available for public inspection
The Government announced today (October 6) that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for the Ngau Tam Mei (NTM) New Development Area (NDA) is available for public inspection under the EIA Ordinance starting from today.
The Government conducted a two-month public engagement (PE) exercise in November 2024 to solicit public views on the land use proposals of NTM. Overall, members of the public supported the overall positioning of the NTM NDA (measuring about 130 hectares) as an Academic and Research District, which will include the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT, including the third medical school) and an integrated medical teaching and research hospital (Integrated Hospital) as its key components. Taking into account the public views collected, the Government has formulated the Recommended Outline Development Plan (RODP) for the NTM NDA. The PE Report containing the Government's responses to major public views has been uploaded onto the project website (www.nm-ntm.hk/en/) today for the public's reference.
Adopting the RODP as its basis, the Civil Engineering and Development Department has conducted the EIA according to the EIA Ordinance, the Technical Memorandum on EIA Process and the EIA Study Brief for the works project for the development of the NTM NDA. Appropriate mitigation measures have been proposed to ensure the project complies with the EIA Ordinance requirements. The relevant EIA Report has been uploaded onto the EIA Ordinance website (www.epd.gov.hk/eia/en) for public inspection in accordance with the EIA Ordinance from today to November 4, 2025.
Upon the commissioning of the proposed Northern Link Main Line in 2034, the NTM NDA will only be one station away from the San Tin Technopole (STT). As much as about 40 per cent of the land in the eastern part of the NTM NDA has been reserved for the development of the UniTown. The UniTown will focus on scientific research to complement the innovation and technology development in the STT, promoting "research, academic and industry" collaboration. An Integrated Hospital is planned at the central part of the NDA to provide comprehensive healthcare services for the existing and planned population in the Northern Metropolis, which can also serve as a teaching hospital in support of the third medical school. In the western part of the NDA, a residential neighbourhood with predominant private housing, alongside a Dedicated Rehousing Estate added in response to public demand, is proposed around the planned NTM Station, providing about 13 000 residential units in total. The NTM drainage channel running along the NDA will be revitalised to enhance flood resilience in the area and create an engaging public realm for leisure and water-friendly activities.
The statutory town planning procedure for the NTM NDA will commence later this year. Planning details and subsequent site formation and infrastructural works will fully complement the works of the Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, which has been set up to formulate the development strategy of the NMUT, with the aim of forming the first batch of UniTown sites at NTM by 2028 to enable superstructure works.
Members of the public can visit the website of the NTM NDA for the latest information about the project.
Source: AI-found images
Secretary for Health attends 20th Joint Meeting of Senior Health Officials of Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in Macao
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, led a delegation to attend the 20th Joint Meeting of Senior Health Officials of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao hosted by the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government in Macao today (January 15).
The annual Joint Meeting has long been a platform for senior medical and health officials as well as experts from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to exchange views and share experiences on present-day medical and public health issues, as well as to promote healthcare service development. The Joint Meeting is hosted by the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in rotation.
The Minister of the National Health Commission, Mr Lei Haichao, and the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Ms O Lam, led senior health officials from the Mainland and the Macao SAR Government respectively to participate in the meeting. Members of the delegations of the three places today engaged in sharing and discussions over three major topics, namely nurturing interdisciplinary and composite talent in clinical management, disease prevention and control, and medical administration; strengthening primary healthcare services to safeguard community health, and the application of smart healthcare in the health sector.
Professor Lo said, "The Recommendations of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, features the term 'reform' 23 times, unequivocally underscoring the nation's steadfast commitment to deepening reforms. Hong Kong has consistently been playing an active role in the course of the country's reform and opening up. Serving as a 'super connector' between the Mainland and the world, Hong Kong also functions as an indispensable 'super value-adder', facilitating the nation's effort in going global while attracting foreign investment to the Mainland market.
"The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has consistently emphasised in the Policy Addresses of the past three years the HKSAR Government's full commitment to developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, and to vigorously foster new quality productive forces. To achieve this significant objective, the HKSAR Government is actively advancing various initiatives, including the setting up of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation within this year, with a view to establishing the Centre as an internationally recognised regulatory authority for medical products as soon as possible; the official launch of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform last month, enabling pharmaceutical companies to conduct trials simultaneously in Hong Kong and Shenzhen; as well as the commissioning of the Real-World Study and Application Centre to promote the standardisation of clinical data across the GBA."
The Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Libby Lee, and the Director of Cluster Services of the HA, Dr Wong Yiu-chung, moderated a discussion and gave a presentation on the application of smart healthcare in the health sector respectively. Meanwhile, the acting Deputy Director of Health, Dr Jackie Leung, and the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dr Pang Fei-chau, delivered presentations on the topic of nurturing interdisciplinary and composite talent in clinical management, disease prevention and control, and medical administration; as well as on the topic of strengthening primary healthcare services to safeguard community health respectively.
Members of the HKSAR Government delegation included the Chairman of the HA, Mr Henry Fan, and the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, who concluded the discussion at the meeting.
Professor Lo will return to Hong Kong in the evening. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan, is the Acting Secretary for Health.
Secretary for Health attends 20th Joint Meeting of Senior Health Officials of Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in Macao Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Secretary for Health attends 20th Joint Meeting of Senior Health Officials of Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in Macao Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
