PolyU backs Northern Metropolis university town bid
SingTao · 1 SOURCES1 day ago5 MIN
Summary
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University said it intends to strongly support the Northern Metropolis university town and hopes to establish a second campus there, according to President Teng Jin-guang (滕錦光). The government has put out the first three sites in the Hung Shui Kiu university town for application, with a deadline at the end of the year. Teng said PolyU is studying a bid, but the issues are complex, including financing, the order of entry, and whether to launch undergraduate or postgraduate programmes first. He added that the timetable is tight, yet the university still believes there is enough time to work through the proposal.
Key Points
- Teng said he had already raised the Northern Metropolis concept at a public forum in 2022 and urged the then chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to include university land.
- He said PolyU's land resources are tight, and that is why the university hopes the Northern Metropolis can host a second campus.
- The government has not increased the HK$10 billion loan pool reserved for the project, while some universities have already explored bond financing.
- Teng said PolyU has not decided its financing model because it depends on site size, initial development costs, and expected income to sustain operations.
- After amendments to the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance last year, PolyU said its College of Professional and Continuing Education could seek private university status without waiting for a Hung Shui Kiu site.
Why It Matters
If PolyU proceeds, the Northern Metropolis university town could become a major outlet for easing campus space constraints at publicly funded universities in Hong Kong. The unresolved questions over funding, academic positioning and rollout order also show that the project is moving from policy vision into difficult implementation choices for institutions and government alike.