Development minister Bernadette Linn says one or two sizeable Northern Metropolis land parcels should to be put up for tender this year, while one in the San Tin Technopole will be tendered in 2026.

The government has received 22 submissions expressing interest to develop the three pilot areas of large-scale land disposal located in Hung Shui Kiu Ha Tsuen, Fanling North, and San Tin Technopole.

Speaking on a radio programme, Linn said the submissions were made by property developers, contractors, conglomerates and logistic companies. She said 60 percent were local companies, and the others were from the mainland.

"We expect to see some output in the next two years, including building or formation works. These can be rolled out gradually," she said.

"We normally give developers six to seven years in total, although there were opinions that the time was insufficient. We have to strike a balance because we want to speed up development."

Linn added that the government will not rule out using a "two-envelope approach" for the tenders, which means non-premium factors will be considered.

Meanwhile, the Development Bureau launched a two-year pilot scheme to relax the restrictions under land leases on public spaces of shopping malls, giving them more flexibility to host activities.

The minister said the scheme aims to boost the economy by encouraging shopping malls to make better use of their public spaces.