'Northern Metropolis May Have Three Big Hospitals'

Development Secretary Michael Wong said on Thursday that there may be three large hospitals in the future Northern Metropolis, each of them potentially having more than 2,000 beds.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has proposed building a 300-square-kilometre metropolis in the New Territories that would house some 2.5 million people.

In an interview with RTHK, Wong said the government has already reserved land near the future Kwu Tung MTR station for a new hospital. He said authorities are also looking into building a large hospital in Hung Shui Kiu and expanding North District Hospital in Sheung Shui.

The official also said that different construction projects will be completed in stages and people will gradually see the completion of some new housing units and facilities within the next decade.

He said the Northern Metropolis will see around 200,000 new units in the next 10 years, with some in the new development areas of Kwu Tung North and Fanling North beginning to take in residents as soon as 2024.

Wong noted that the Kwu Tung MTR station is expected to be completed in 2027, while the Hung Shui Kiu station is scheduled to be completed in 2030.