特区政府昨日向立法会发展委员会提交文件，介绍为加快北部都会区发展订立专属法例的构思。从简化城规程序、加快工程进度，到便利跨境要素流动、吸引企业落户北都；从聚焦产业主导、重夺土地发展权，到激活产业多元、主动重塑市场空间，改革精神贯穿始终，展现了特区政府识变应变、积极有为的管治新思维，为香港加快高质量发展、更好融入和服务国家发展大局提供了制度保障。

北都幅员广阔，发展横跨十数年。特区政府为北都发展量身定做的这套“专属法例＋附属法例”立法架构，确保主体法律框架原则性，又有一定“留白”，让政府拥有因应未来的实际需要而灵活调整的弹性。概括而言，这份文件弥补了现有法例的不足，为北都建设提供全方位支持，为社会提供一个清晰、明确及具灵活操作性的立法架构，亦保障立法会继续担当把关角色。而在大幅提升企业参与北都建设兴趣的同时，亦有助凝聚社会共识，为北都发展提速提效注入强大动能。

创新制度机制，是此次立法的最鲜明特色。以土地发展审批为例，现时需经一系列冗长的程序，任何人若想改变土地规划用途和发展参数，均须向城规会申请修订图则。立法建议提出两招简化措施：一是以较快方式处理“规划许可”申请，二是延长“临时用途”年限至最多七年，让企业有更大信心作投资及规划。又譬如，过去政府支付被收回私人土地的补偿时，若为祖堂地，需获祖堂全体成员一致同意，若有一人反对，程序就被搁置；新建议下，毋须祖堂全体成员一致同意即可发放补偿，加快发展进度。另外，为鼓励企业采用创新建筑技术，政府将开绿灯：打破现时需证明“特殊情况”才能申请变通的僵化要求，改以“质素为本”的审批机制。

回望过去，政府对经济发展采取积极不干预政策，“大市场、小政府”被奉为金科玉律，也的确在特定的历史阶段缔造了香港的繁荣。然而，随着百年变局加速演进，科技革命风起云涌，全球政经格局加速重塑，以往以严谨程序为本、被动回应市场需求的治理逻辑，已越来越不合时宜。香港的产业结构日趋单一，金融和地产行业长期主导经济命脉，其他新兴产业难以获得足够的政府支持和发展空间，市场参与者在环境制约下缺乏大胆创新的诱因，整体经济活力受到抑制。这足以证明，过去香港赖以成功的制度优势，在缺乏与时俱进的动态调整之下，反而演变成制约结构转型的发展障碍。

时代变了，发展模式、管治思维也需要与时俱进，否则将错失宝贵的发展机遇。特区政府为加快北都发展而订立专属法例，以产业发展为主轴，重夺土地发展主导权，在城规程序、建筑技术、吸引人才产业等方面全链条“松绑”。这不仅是发展思路的调整，更是一次制度创新，是管治思维的进化，必将有力推动香港加快发展步伐，惠及广大市民的福祉。

节录自《大公报》

2026年3月18日社评

The SAR Government submitted a paper to the Legislative Council's (Legco) Panel on Development yesterday, proposing dedicated legislation to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis (NM). From streamlining urban planning procedures and expediting project progress to facilitating cross-boundary flow of factors of production and attracting enterprises to settle down in NM; from focusing on industry-driven development and [government] retaking control of land development to activating industrial diversification and proactively reshaping market space, the spirit of reform runs throughout the entire proposed legislation. This demonstrates the SAR Government's new governance thinking of identifying and adapting to changes and becoming proactive and enterprising, providing institutional guarantees for Hong Kong to speed up high-quality development and better integrate into and serve the nation's overall development.

NM is vast in territory, so its development will take more than a decade to complete. The legislative framework of "dedicated legislation + subsidiary legislation" tailored by the SAR Government for NM development preserves the principles of the main legal framework while leaving appropriate room for maneuver, allowing the government to make adaptable adjustments to meet actual needs in future. In a nutshell, this document addresses the shortcomings of existing laws, provides comprehensive support for the NM construction, offers society a clear, definite and flexibly operable legislative framework, and ensures that the Legco continues playing its oversight role. While significantly boosting enterprises' interest in participating in NM construction, it also helps build social consensus, injecting strong momentum into accelerating the NM development and enhancing efficiency.

Innovating institutional mechanisms is the most distinct feature of this legislation. Taking land development approval for example, the current process involves a series of lengthy procedures; anyone wishing to change land use zoning or development parameters must apply to the Town Planning Board for plan amendments. The proposal suggests two simplification measures: one is to process "planning permission" applications in a faster manner and the other is to extend the maximum duration of "temporary use" to seven years, so as to give enterprises greater confidence for investment and planning. Taking another example, at present, when the government pays compensation for private land resumption, if a piece of　　Tso/Tong land (ancestral land) is involved, unanimous consent from all members concerned is required; if even one member is against it, the process gets stalled. Under the new proposal, compensation can be disbursed without requiring unanimous consent from all members concerned. This will speed up develo　　pment progress. In addition, to encourage enterprises to adopt innovative construction technologies, the government will give the green light: replacing the existing rigid requirement, that "special circumstances" must be proven to apply for exemptions, with a "quality-oriented" approval mechanism.

Looking back, the government used to adopt a "positive non-intervention" policy towards economic development, regarding "big market, small government" as a golden rule, which indeed created Hong Kong's prosperity during a specific historical period. However, as great changes unseen in a century accelerate, a technological revolution surges and the global political and economic landscape reshapes rapidly, the previous governance logic - based on rigorous procedures and passively responding to market demands - has become increasingly outdated. Hong Kong's industrial structure has become increasingly homogeneous, with financial and property sectors long dominating the economic lifeline, making it difficult for other emerging industries to obtain sufficient government support and room for development. Market participants have lacked incentives for bold innovation under environmental constraints, overall economic vitality being suppressed. This sufficiently proves that the institutional advantages, upon which Hong Kong's past success relied, as lacking dynamic adjustments to keep pace with the times, have instead evolved into obstacles to structural transformation.

Times have changed, so development models and governance thinking must evolve with the times, or precious development opportunities will be missed. The SAR Government proposes dedicated legislation to accelerate the NM development, centering on industrial development, regaining control of land development, and comprehensively "easing restrictions" across the entire chain from urban planning procedures, construction technologies to luring talent and industries. This is not simply an adjustment in development thinking but a true institutional innovation and an evolution in governance philosophy. It will undoubtedly powerfully propel Hong Kong to accelerate its development pace and benefit citizens' well-being.

常用词汇

•Streamline（精简，优化简 v.）

To make simpler or more efficient.

例：1. Leading organizations use software to streamline their workflow.

2. Streamlining management could save at least 15 percent in costs.

•Oversight（监督，监管 n.）

Responsibility for a job or activity and for making sure it is being done correctly.

例：1. Who has oversight of genetic testing?

2. The industry needs more government oversight.

•Stall（停顿，拖延 v.）

To stop or delay.

例：1. Discussions have once again stalled.

2. While his career has stalled, hers has taken off.

•Homogeneous（同质的，相似的 adj.）

Consisting of things or people that are all the same or all of the same type.

例：1. Victorian Britain was a relatively homogeneous nation.

2. Old people are not a homogeneous group, as some people may think.

片　语

•Settle down（安顿下来，习惯新环境）

To become familiar with a place and to feel happy and confident in it.

例：1. They decided to settle down in this city.

2. She quickly settled down in her new house.

•Speed up（[使] 加速）

To (make something) happen or move faster.

例：1. This drug may have the effect of speeding up your heart rate.

2. Can the job be speeded up in some way?

•Look back（回忆，回想）

To think about something that happened in the past.

例：1. When I look back I can see where we went wrong.

2. It wasn't such a bad experience when I look back on it.

•Center on sth（以某事物为中心）

To have sth as the main subject or interest.

例：1. The discussion centered on how students develop reading comprehension.

2. Much of their work is centred on local development projects.

成　语

•Room for maneuver（回旋余地，调整空间）

Opportunity to make changes or to do things differently in order to produce a better result.

例：1. The strict requirements left us very little room for maneuver.

2. The government has very little room for maneuver.

•In a nutshell（简而言之，总之）

Stating the main facts about something in a short clear way.

例：1. "What went wrong?" "In a nutshell, everything."

2. She had summed up his task in a nutshell.

•Keep pace with (sth/sb)（跟上，与……同步）

To go or make progress at the same speed as (someone or something else).

例：1. Salaries have not always kept pace with inflation.

2. The company struggled to keep pace with its competitors.

英译知多啲

社评中所用“主导权”一词，英文中没有对应的单词，要根据其使用的语境来翻译。

这方面最常用的英文单词有：dominance（支配）initiative（主动）、control（控制）或 leadership（领导）。这些词表面上看不含有“权”的意思，但若有能力去支配、控制、领导或采取主动就意味着拥有这方面的权力。如：U.S. has military dominance in the region（美国在该区有军事支配地位）；We ask you to take leadership on these issues（我们要求你在这些事务上担当领导角色）。

而initiative常见于 take/seize the initiative（掌握／抓住主导权）这类词组，如：Leaders must take the initiative rather than following public opinion（领导者必须掌握主导权而非跟着舆论走）。

社评说特区政府要重夺土地主导权，按我们的理解主要是指政府要利用政策法规加强对土地开发的调控，因而英译采用take control of（取得……的控制权）这个短语。因为是“重夺”，所以在take前加上re-，变成retake control of land development了。