Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn on Sunday said dedicated legislation for the Northern Metropolis development would be tabled at the Legislative Council in late March. The law would loosen restrictions and allow flexibility for development, she said. Speaking on Commercial Radio, Linn said 40 percent of the 800-hectare development would be made available in the coming five years. She added authorities would look for companies that are able to carry out construction at these sites to accelerate the Northern Metropolis' development. Linn also said the government would coordinate development priorities among the different areas of the Northern Metropolis. “For example, the Hetao Park will obviously focus on cutting-edge, high-tech research and development. As for the San Tin Technopole, it will involve pilot production and manufacturing, which is still heavily related to innovation and technology,” she said. “But at Hung Shui Kiu, with more than 20 hectares of land, the focus shifts away from innovation; it's more about diversified advanced manufacturing, construction and logistics industries. They all have different divisions of labour.” Linn said some developers have already expressed interest in developing education, convention and innovation facilities at the Northern Metropolis. Edited by Tony Sabine