Comments on Ngau Tam Mei, New Territories North New Town and Ma Tso Lung Development Proposals -關於牛潭尾、新界北新市鎮及馬草壟發展建議的意見書

Comments on Ngau Tam Mei, New Territories North New Town and Ma Tso Lung Development Proposals


The Hong Kong Institute of Planners (HKIP) supports the development of the Northern Metropolis as the engine for innovation and technological advancement. We emphasize the need to strike a balance between economic development and environmental conservation, addressing present needs without compromising the sustainability of future generations, and fostering global connectivity in capital, resources and information while respecting the unique local character of the region.

To ensure the successful development of the Northern Metropolis, the following overarching principles are the key: 

  • Maintaining flexibility in development proposals is crucial to adapt to evolving circumstances and opportunities.

  • Clear priorities should be established for implementation, with a focus on prudent cost management to ensure fiscal sustainability.

In response to the recently released development proposals of Ngau Tam Mei, New Territories North New Town and Ma Tso Lung, we have the following comments:

 1.      Ngau Tam Mei (NTM)

Forming part of the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT), we support the proposed positioning of NTM as the UniTown with integration of a medical teaching and research hospital alongside the establishment of Hong Kong’s third medical school. This initiative will not only provide “research, academic and industry” collaboration, but will also bolster Hong Kong’s life and health technology research clusters, creating a robust ecosystem to serve as a hub for the Greater Bay Area (GBA), Mainland China, and Asian markets.

To maximize the potential of the UniTown, we recommend the following:

  • Expedite the Education Framework: Since the UniTown in NTM only forms part of the NMUT, the development of a comprehensive education framework for NMUT should be prioritized and expedited to inform land use, urban design, and implementation strategies to take forward development of the UniTown.

  • Integrated Development Model: The UniTown should be supported by a mixed-use model that incorporates education, office, retail, and residential components. This approach will foster synergy between industry, startups, academia and research, while creating a vibrant environment for living, working, and learning.

  • Transportation Connectivity: Given that UniTown is not located in close proximity to Ngau Tam Mei Station, dedicated transport feeder services must be planned from the outset. Additionally, seamless transport connections within NMUT and among the urban campuses of selected universities and universities in the GBA should be properly assessed upon the release of the education framework.

2.      New Territories North New Town (NTN)

With its close proximity to the three boundary control points, we support the development of NTN into an emerging industrial base with a cultural, educational, and sports hub not only to strengthen the collaboration and integration with GBA cities but also transform the areas into quality living space for our future generations. Given the large scale of NTN, we also support the proposal to prioritize its development with designation of the Priority Development Area (PDA).

To ensure the success of this initiative, we propose the following:

  • Emerging Industries: Diverse industries are proposed in NTN to promote economic development and cross-boundary collaboration. The responsible bureaux/departments or organizations should be identified to expedite or take the lead to implement the proposed industries (e.g. food industries etc.) or to support other potential industries to be identified in the future. Appropriate flexibility should be considered in the planning/zoning mechanism to accommodate the development of different emerging industries.

  • Infrastructure and Supporting Facilities: Adequate infrastructure and supporting community facilities etc must be in place before the first batch of residents moves in. This is particularly important for the PDA.

  • Innovative Transport Solutions: A dedicated corridor for smart public transport system should be considered, alongside exploring the potential of low-altitude economy applications in NTN.

  • Cross-Border Integration: A comprehensive study should be conducted to explore how the redevelopment of Lo Wu on the Shenzhen side would synergize with the development on the Hong Kong side.

  • Environmental Impact: Details of the environmental and ecological impacts (e.g. whether any endangered species or species of high ecological value would be affected by the developments) arising from the development of NTN in such a large scale are not provided in the public document, which should be properly assessed, and avoid, mitigate or compensate during the implementation of NTN or the PDA.        

  • Recreation and Eco-Tourism Development: NTN has rich heritage, cultural and tourism resources. It is also located close to the newly designated Robin’s Nest Country Park. Together with the proposed Central River Valley, considerations should be given to utilize all the above resources with provision of sufficient supporting facilities to enhance the appeal and sustainability of NTN so as to attract people of all ages or visitors to stay, live, work and travel in this new development area.

  • Public Engagement: NTN involves a vast piece of land and its development would unavoidably affect various stakeholders including both indigenous and non-indigenous villagers, brownfield operators, operators of rural businesses and industries, operators of social welfare facilities (e.g. elderly facilities etc.), farmers or even minority groups or operators of charity organizations etc. A comprehensive public engagement strategy should be formulated and implemented to ensure a thorough understanding of the needs of these stakeholders. Apart from financial compensation or subsidy, appropriate measures (e.g. rehousing arrangement etc.) to address the needs of these stakeholders should be devised or even implemented before the commencement of the development works of NTN.

  • Renaming NTN New Town: To avoid confusion and ensure coherence with the Northern Metropolis development, the naming of NTN New Town should be revisited. As the concept of Northern Metropolis has evolved, the current naming may be misleading. We propose renaming it to better reflect its identity and role within the broader development, such as Heung Yuen Wai New Town.

 3.      Ma Tso Lung (MTL)
While we generally support the development of MTL, we urge careful consideration of the implementation timeline and associated costs to ensure feasibility and alignment with broader regional goals.

HKIP urges the government to carefully consider the above recommendations in the planning and implementation of the Northern Metropolis and its associated development proposals. By striking a balance between economic growth, environmental conservation, and social needs, we can create a sustainable and vibrant future for Hong Kong.


Public Affairs Committee
The Hong Kong Institute of Planners 
14 Mar 2025


關於牛潭尾、新界北新市鎮及馬草壟發展建議的意見書

香港規劃師學會支持將北部都會區發展成為創新與科技的引擎。我們強調需要在經濟發展與環境保護之間取得平衡，滿足當前需求的同時不損害未來的持續發展機會，並在尊重地區特色的前提下，促進資本、資源和信息的全球連通性。


為確保北部都會區的成功發展，以下總體原則至關重要：

  • 保持發展建議的靈活性，以適應不斷變化的情況和機遇。

  • 明確實施優先次序，重點關注審慎的成本管理，以確保財政可持續性。

 
針對近期發布的牛潭尾、新界北新市鎮及馬草壟發展建議，我們提出以下意見：

 1. 牛潭尾
作為北部都會區大學城（NMUT）的重要組成部分，我們支持將牛潭尾定位為大學城（UniTown），並整合醫療教學與研究醫院，以及建立香港第三所醫學院。此舉不僅將促進“研究、學術與產業”的協同合作，還將強化香港的生命科技研究能力，打造一個強大的生態系統，服務中國內地包括大灣區以及亞洲市場。

為充分發揮牛潭尾的潛力，我們建議： 

  • 加快教育框架制定：由於位於牛潭尾的大學城（UniTown）僅為北部都會區大學城（NMUT）的一部分，因此應優先並加快制定北部都會區大學城（NMUT）的綜合教育框架，作土地使用、城市設計及實施策略的基礎，從而推動牛潭尾的大學城（UniTown）的發展。 

  • 綜合發展模式：大學城（UniTown）應以混合用途模式發展，結合教育、辦公、零售及住宅元素。這種方式將促進與相關行業、初創企業及學術及研究機構的協同效應，同時創造一個充滿活力的生活、工作與學習環境。 

  • 交通連接：由於大學城（UniTown）並非毗鄰牛潭尾站，必須從早期開始規劃專用的交通接駁服務。此外，應在教育框架發布後，建立北部都會區大學城（NMUT）各地區之間的交通連接，以及與選定大學市區校園和大灣區大學之間的無縫交通連接。

2. 新界北新市鎮
鑑於新界北新市鎮鄰近三個邊境管制站，我們支持將其發展為新興產業基地，並設立文化、教育及體育樞紐，不僅能加強與大灣區城市的合作與融合，亦可將該地區轉型為優質生活區，為我們的下一代提供更理想的居住環境。考慮到新界北新市鎮發展規模龐大，我們亦支持劃定優先發展區，分階段推動該區的發展。

為確保新界北新市鎮的成功，我們建議：

  • 新興產業發展：由於新界北新市鎮被定位為發展多元化產業，以促進經濟發展及跨境合作，政府應確定負責的部門或機構，以加快或主導所建議的產業發展（例如食品產業等），並支持未來可能發展的其他新興產業。在規劃及土地用途分區機制上，應保持適當的靈活性，以適應不同新興產業的發展需求。 

  • 基礎與配套設施：必須確保足夠的基礎設施及社區配套（如學校、醫療設施、交通配套等）在首批居民遷入前已經準備就緒，特別是在優先發展區內。 

  • 創新交通方案：建議規劃專用走廊，用於智慧公共交通系統，提升交通效率，同時，應探索低空經濟的應用潛力。 

  • 跨境整合：應進行全面研究，探討深圳羅湖重建如何與香港方面的發展產生協同效應。 

  • 環境與生態影響：目前的公眾文件未有詳細說明新界北新市鎮大規模發展對環境及生態（例如是否影響瀕危物種或具高生態價值的物種）的影響。發展過程中，應進行全面環境影響評估，並採取避免、緩解或補償措施，確保生態可持續發展。 

  • 康樂及生態旅遊發展：新界北新市鎮擁有豐富的歷史文化及旅遊資源，並鄰近新劃定的紅花嶺郊野公園。應充分利用這些資源，提供足夠的配套設施，並結合規劃中的中央河谷，提升新界北新市鎮的旅遊吸引力及可持續發展性，使其成為適合各年齡層居民及遊客居住、生活、工作和旅遊的地區。

  • 公眾參與與持份者支援：新界北新市鎮覆蓋廣闊土地，其發展將不可避免地影響眾多持份者，包括原居民及非原居民、棕地經營者、鄉郊企業及產業經營者、社會福利機構（例如長者設施）、農民、少數族裔及慈善機構經營者等。當局應制定並落實全面的公眾參與策略，確保充分了解各方需求。除了財務補償或津貼外，應考慮適當措施（如安置安排等），並在發展工程啟動前落實執行，以回應受影響人士的需要。 

  • 重新命名新界北新市鎮：為避免混淆並確保與北部都會區發展的一致性，應重新審視新界北新市鎮的命名。隨著北部都會區的成熟，現有名稱可能引起誤解。我們建議重新命名，以更好地反映其在整體發展中的身份和角色，例如「香園圍新市鎮」。

 

3. 馬草壟
雖然我們原則上支持馬草壟的發展，但我們敦促政府仔細考慮實施時間表及相關成本，以確保可行性並與更廣泛的區域目標保持一致。

香港規劃師學會建議政府在規劃和實施北部都會區及其相關發展建議時，仔細考慮上述意見。通過平衡經濟增長、環境保護及社會需求，我們可以為香港創造一個可持續且充滿活力的未來。


香港規劃師學會公共事務委員會
2025年3月14日

 

 

HKIP