
Education groups leased 49,050 square metres of commercial space in Hong Kong from January to August 2025, with analysts suggesting the Northern Metropolis infrastructure could influence whether institutions relocate administrative and teaching functions to the area, depending on premises, transport, costs and operational needs.
AI-generated summary
Education sector demand is contributing to Hong Kong's Grade A office leasing activity, with the Northern Metropolis infrastructure project seen as a potential factor in future institutional location decisions.
Education groups leased 49,050 square metres of commercial space in the city from January 2025 to August this year, according to CBRE
As education sector demand supports Hong Kong’s Grade A office leasing activity, analysts said infrastructure that will serve the Northern Metropolis could decide whether schools and universities move their administrative and other services to this potential new centre of the city.
“Over the medium to long term, the Northern Metropolis could be a viable option for institutions seeking to expand their teaching, research and administrative facilities,” said Kelvin Lee, director at property agency Midland Commercial.
“It may be particularly suitable for uses that require substantial space or close collaboration with technology companies and research organisations. Whether universities locate general office functions there will depend on the availability of suitable premises, transport links, costs and operational needs.”
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
More education institutions may consider relocating administrative or teaching functions to the Northern Metropolis as infrastructure develops
Possible · Within months

A total of 54,000 buildings were transferred in the third quarter in the six cities, an annual increase of 5%. In September, 17,900 buildings were transferred, a monthly increase of 14% and an annual increase of 12%. Market analysts believe that the housing market is slowly bottoming out and recovering, with buying sentiment better than last year. However, demand is still dominated by self-use, and will be affected by capital costs and policies in the future.
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Wuhan have recently issued opinions on the implementation of new regulations on the commercial housing sales system, using August 28, 2026 as the dividing point to promote the sales of existing homes, raise the pre-sale threshold, clarify the deposit limit, and implement full capital supervision to enhance the sense of security of home buyers.

The real estate market in Zhongli Sports Park has entered the project promotion period, and the first project "Zhaoyang Dafang" has a public price starting with 5. As construction continues to advance, four more projects will be launched in and around the area from the second half to next year, with the potential volume of projects estimated to exceed 25 billion yuan, forming an emerging supply cluster.

The transaction amount of the house is huge. If the third party’s right of first refusal is not confirmed before signing the contract, the transaction may be blocked during the transfer. An Xinjian Economics recommends using the performance guarantee mechanism of a third-party special account to control the cash flow and transaction process to ensure that the buyer obtains property rights and the seller safely collects payment.

As of early August this year, the Zhongtai World Plaza commercial construction project on Jingye 2nd Road in Bei City has been exposed to at least 6 real prices, with unit prices per square meter exceeding 1.3 million yuan. Two of the single transactions exceeded 900 million yuan, and one exceeded 1.3 billion yuan. The buyers include major semiconductor manufacturers, motorcycle parts and modification manufacturers, and the third generation of Evergreen Group.

Guangzhou City has issued a new policy for the property market, proposing the orderly implementation of existing commercial housing sales, implementing a host bank system to manage development loans and sales funds, and supporting the installment payment of land prices and the application of various project permits in installments, so as to promote the stable and healthy development of the real estate market.