Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn has announced that a new multi-purpose core exhibition gallery in Kwu Tung North is expected to be completed in the first half of next year.

She made the remarks on Thursday after visiting the Northern Metropolis with Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho, Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology Diane Wong and several Legislative Council members, including council president Starry Lee.

Linn said the new developments would provide residents with high-quality cultural and living experiences.

"Three exhibition galleries located in the Northern Metropolis have already opened one after another to introduce the development of the Northern Metropolis. The core exhibition gallery in Kwu Tung North is the largest one," she said.

"It will introduce the overall development of the Northern Metropolis, and we expect it to be completed in the first half of next year."

Linn added that land has been reserved for a museum showcasing national development and achievements, as well as for a swimming venue capable of hosting international competitions.

She also said the Kwu Tung North New Development Area is gradually taking shape.

The land earmarked for housing can accommodate 50,000 public and private housing units, with about 12,000 expected to be completed and occupied in phases over the next two years.

Kwu Tung Station on the East Rail Line will open next year, just as residents begin moving in.

Construction has also begun on a joint-user government complex and an integrated services building, which are expected to be completed in phases from the end of 2029, Linn said.

Ho said the Northern Metropolis could provide 150,000 public housing units over the next 10 years, with 30,000 in Kwu Tung alone.

Residents of the first phase of Kwu Chun Estate, the first public housing estate in the Northern Metropolis, she said, are expected to receive their keys by the end of this year.



Edited by Tony Sabine