Latest news with #BernadetteLinn
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong developers eyeing border project urged to link up with mainland firms
Hong Kong's development minister has suggested that local developers join hands with their mainland Chinese counterparts to take part in the Northern Metropolis border town megaproject using a new approach. Advertisement Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Saturday that the government was studying proposals submitted by various developers and aimed to put one or two large land parcels in the Northern Metropolis project up for tender in the second half of the year. Linn stressed that the government was prioritising the 300 sq km project near the border with mainland China and was willing to be flexible to facilitate developers in speeding up work. In March, the government received 22 expressions of interest in the pilot scheme to develop three large land parcels in the Northern Metropolis, including from Henderson Land Development, New World Development, Sino Land and CK Asset Holdings. According to Linn, about 60 per cent of the expressions of interest came from local enterprises and the remaining 40 per cent from mainland companies. Advertisement 'We are now analysing and preparing detailed terms of the tender. Our goal is to start the bidding process for at least one or two land parcels in the second half of the year,' Linn said on a radio programme.
RTHK
11 hours ago
- Business
- RTHK
Northern Metropolis tender details in progress: Linn
Northern Metropolis tender details in progress: Linn Development chief Bernadette Linn says the focus is on developing the Northern Metropolis. File photo: RTHK Authorities are hammering out details before putting one or two sizeable land parcels in the Northern Metropolis project up for tender in the second half of 2025, development chief Bernadette Linn said on Saturday. The minister said officials are prioritising development in the northern New Territories, while brushing aside calls to shelve the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands project. "The economy is growing steadily, and the government hopes that all sectors will focus on development in the Northern Metropolis. We have made it clear that we don't have a specific timetable for the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands plan, and we are slowing down," Linn told a Commercial Radio programme. "In terms of the word 'shelve', if it means we will never continue with it, I think the government should have the lead in land development and we should not casually say we will never do something in the future." The administration had earlier received submissions from both local and mainland firms expressing an interest in developing the three large-scale land parcels in the Northern Metropolis project. "We are now analysing and preparing detailed terms of the tender, with the goal of starting the bidding process for at least one or two land parcels in the latter half of the year," she said. On plans to develop three major ecotourism projects in outlying islands and coastal areas, Linn said the plan to transform the ex-Lamma Quarry site might be the first on the list. Authorities aim to complete the area's land use planning in the first half of next year, before starting the tendering process, she said. The other two plans include developing a new Eco-Recreation Corridor in South Lantau, and creating ecotourism nodes at Tsim Bei Tsui and Pak Nai.
HKFP
5 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
‘Soft resistance' may arise during Hong Kong development, official warns
Hong Kong needs to guard against 'soft resistance,' which may emerge during the city's development process, a government official has warned. 'Soft resistance' may arise in areas such as land development, compensation for resettlement, and reclamation projects, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn told Beijing-backed newspaper Wen Wei Po in an interview published on Sunday. The development chief was among high-ranking officials who gave media interviews addressing 'soft resistance' and national security concerns in recent days, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law on Monday next week. Linn said the Development Bureau must 'think from the national security perspective' in its work and make 'timely clarifications' when misunderstandings about the government's development plans arise. She cited the San Tin Technopole development plan, which has drawn concerns from environmental groups over its impact on what they described as the largest remaining intact coastal wetland ecosystem in the Greater Bay Area. The tech hub's planning zone, which was expanded in May 2023 to over 600 hectares, involves wetlands, and thus the project would 'easily provoke opposition' from environmentalists, Linn said. 'The process of development may easily stir up different emotions and opposition. Some objections are reasonable, some arise from misunderstandings, and some are deliberately manufactured with ill intent. We have to handle it carefully,' the minister said. Linn went on to say that reclamation development in the city was often met with 'soft resistance,' citing the amendment to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, which was passed by the city's opposition-free legislature last month. The new law made it easier for the government to create new land through reclamation in the city's famed Victoria Harbour despite objections from environmental activists. Without naming a group, Linn said in Sunday's interview that some organisations had spread 'false images' online claiming that the government planned large-scale reclamation in Victoria Harbour. She said the government had issued a 'timely rebuttal,' adding that the claims were not misunderstandings but rather 'deliberate provocation.' In January, the Development Bureau issued a statement on social media to 'seriously refute misleading remarks by the Society for Protection of the Harbour.' The statement came hours after the environmental group held a press conference expressing opposition to the ordinance amendment. Its representatives, including harbour protection advocate Paul Zimmerman, questioned whether the legal amendment paved the way for large-scale reclamation and raised concerns that Victoria Harbour could become 'Victoria River.' The bureau rejected the group's claims, saying they were 'factually incorrect.' The bureau also accused the group of using 'fictitious images' to support its claims. In a press release issued by the Society for Protection of the Harbour in July, the group included an image of Victoria Harbour alongside the slogan 'Save Our Harbour' and the phrases 'Stop Reclamation' and 'Danger.' The same image was shown at the group's press conference in January. Since 2021, government officials have cited 'soft resistance' as a threat to national security, although they have not provided a clear definition of the term. The phrase was repeatedly used by government officials in their recent media interviews leading up to the national security law anniversary. Last week, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said the government will strictly vet applications for event subsidies and performance venues, as well as exhibition content and library collections, to prevent 'soft resistance.' Monday, June 30, marks five years since the national security law came into effect. The legislation was inserted directly into the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, in 2020 following months-long pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
South China Morning Post
18-06-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Bitumen-lined water pipe in Hong Kong to be replaced by early July: minister
The water pipe believed to have introduced black particles of bitumen into the freshwater supply at two public housing estates last month will be replaced by early July, the development minister has pledged. Advertisement Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho also said on Wednesday that they had completed more than 1,500 requests from residents at Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling to flush their water meters within one to two days, and most people reported improvements in water quality and did not require follow-up. The 400-metre (1,312-foot) section of the pipe lined with bitumen, located outside the estates and connected to their freshwater pipes, would be permanently decommissioned from early July and replaced by a temporary pipe. She said the Water Supplies Department last week 'adopted an unconventional mindset' and explored the use of exposed temporary pipe to replace the pipe in question, and formulated traffic arrangements near the construction site with various departments. 'Even though the relevant locations are busy with traffic and the construction site has limited space, the Water Supplies Department will immediately commence the construction after concerted efforts,' she told the Legislative Council. Advertisement 'The department will conduct the construction around the clock. It is expected that the temporary pipe will be completed by early July, meaning that the bitumen-lined pipe will be decommissioned permanently from early July.'
South China Morning Post
16-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's Aggressive Construction appeals against rejection of licence renewal
A Hong Kong construction company has filed an appeal against the government's decision to reject its licence renewal due to safety violations linked to five deaths in three accidents, including a 2022 crane collapse that killed three workers. Authorities said on Monday that Aggressive Construction Company had lodged an appeal with the Court of First Instance against the Buildings Department's move to refuse the renewal application. 'As the case is now undergoing judicial proceedings, the Buildings Department is not in a position to make any comments,' a department spokesman said. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said late last month that Aggressive would be removed from the government's registered list of contractors on June 20, making it ineligible to carry out works under the Buildings Ordinance. A day later, the company said that it would file an appeal as it had stepped up safety checks since the fatal 2022 accident. It also warned that the government's move would slow the progress of public housing flats and affect the livelihoods of thousands of workers. The firm, a subsidiary of Great Harvest Group, came under intense scrutiny when a 65-tonne tower crane collapsed at a site on Anderson Road in Kwun Tong in September 2022. Three workers died and six others were injured.
