In order to strengthen the Hong Kong government's leading role and speed up the establishment of industries in the Northern Metropolis, the Development Bureau (DEVB) announced that the government had decided to halt the tendering process for two sites in Yuen Long and Hung Shui Kiu.

The decision aims to enable faster and more concrete arrangements for the two industrial sites. Specifically, the site in Yuen Long with tender reference of Yuen Long Town Lot No. 545 will be handed over to Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation to build a microelectronics ecosystem in the Yuen Long InnoPark and promote high value-added new industrialization.

Meanwhile, the site at Areas 39A and 39B, Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen, with tender reference of Hung Shui Kiu Town Lot No. 10, will be included in a policy study (involving a larger area of land) set to be completed by the DEVB within this year. The goal is for a government-established company to manage and operate the industrial land in the area in the form of an industrial park.

A spokesperson for the DEVB stressed that the government has decided to halt the tendering process for the two sites after factoring in the views of the innovation and technology as well as logistics sectors on the industrial layout in the area, and the government's industrial strategy for the Northern Metropolis. Instead, the sites will be utilized in a more proactive and guided manner in line with the government's development strategy, so that they can play a greater role in driving industrial development.