The Hong Kong government and student pro-democracy leaders plan to meet early next week, following the protesters' fresh call for street occupation that sparked bitter conflicts in one of the protest main sites.

Negotiations will start on October 21, said Hong Kong's second highest official Carrie Lam. She added that significant progress has been made ahead of the talks.

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The announcement came a day after about 9,000 students swarmed the streets of Mong Kok district hours after authorities removed the metal barricades the students had set up there.

The resulting street melees and tense standoffs led to the arrest of over two dozen students and 15 injured police officers. Earlier reports said many were also hurt in the crowd, but official tallies are yet to be released.

One of the leading political activism groups, Hong Kong Federation of Students, confirmed their attendance in the negotiations.

Student leader Lester Shum told Bloomberg News that the continuing conflicts stem from two failures of the Hong Kong government: its decision to refuse representing the demands of the movement, particularly its demand for a democratic ballot on electing the city's next chief executive, and its use of violent measures to disperse the protesting crowds.

Shum expressed hope that through next week's talks, the government will start addressing these issues.

Last week, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said his government is seeking for ways to reopen negotiations with the protesters, following its decision to pull out from slated talks days before.

In a news conference, the students vowed to take to the streets again should the government continue to refuse their demand for electoral reforms.

The government has changed its tune since, saying that it is open to discuss universal suffrage despite Beijing's insistence to nominate the Hong Kong's choices of leader from its own roster of candidates.

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