Macau’s Catholic diocese has applied to the government for permission to launch a project to redevelop its funeral parlour, the urban condition draft plan for which was discussed in a regular meeting of the Urban Planning Council (CPU) yesterday.
The city has two funeral parlours, Kiang Wu Funeral Parlour and Diocesan Funeral Parlour. They are located next to each other, on the northernmost section of Avenida do Almirante Lacerda (罅些喇提督大馬路), i.e., opposite the east side of the former greyhound racetrack (Yat Yuen Canidrome).
Kiang Wu Funeral Parlour, the city’s main one, is owned by Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association. It was redeveloped several years ago.
Yesterday’s meeting was chaired by Lands and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) Director Lai Weng Leong, where the urban condition draft plans for several plots were discussed. The meeting, held on the DSSCU premises, which lasted 45 minutes, was open to the media.
Urban condition draft plans for particular plots, for both public and private projects, are drawn up by DSSCU officials.
Urban condition draft plans must be discussed and approved by the government-appointed Urban Planning Council, a consultative body tasked with advising the government on its urban planning policies, to become formally valid, after which the respective plots must be developed in compliance with the terms listed in their urban condition plans.
After DSSCU officials have drawn up urban condition draft plans, they will be uploaded onto the DSSCU website for individuals or entities concerned as well as members of the public to submit their opinions and suggestions first, after which the draft plans together with the collected opinions will be discussed in a regular CPU meeting.
As the diocese plans to redevelop its Diocesan Funeral Parlour, DSSCU officials have drawn up the urban condition draft plan for the plot on which the funeral parlour is located, which was uploaded onto the DSSCU last month for opinion collection and was discussed during yesterday’s CPU meeting.
The Diocesan Funeral Parlour on the plot, covering 1,225 square metres in total, currently comprises three buildings, one of which is used for a columbarium.
According to the plot’s urban condition draft plan discussed and approved during yesterday’s meeting, the Diocesan Funeral Parlour redevelopment project will be subject to a construction height limit of 20.5 metres.
According to the draft plan, the land concessionaire will be required to relinquish a two metre wide area along the rectangular plot’s entire side facing the road, to be used for widening the pavement outside the parlour.
However, the government-proposed relinquished area will cover a part of the current columbarium, in response to which the diocese has submitted its opinion for the draft plan, saying that over 90 percent of the places for holding urns in the columbarium have been used so that it would be very difficult to relocate the urns elsewhere.
In its submitted opinion, the diocese said that, consequently, its redevelopment plan for the funeral parlour would not include the current columbarium, requesting that the government exempt the redevelopment project from the land relinquishment.
In addition, the diocese said that the redevelopment also plans to keep some part of the boundary wall on the plot facing the pavement, but the wall is on the government-proposed relinquished area. The diocese said that the boundary wall features architectural characteristics.
The land concession, the duration of which is not mentioned in the draft plan, granted by the government to the diocese is free of charge.
During yesterday’s meeting, a number of councillors asked about the government’s proposed requirement for the land concessionaire to relinquish the two-metre-wide area in its redevelopment project.
In reply, Leong Io Hong, who heads the DSSCU Urban Planning Department and attended the meeting, noted that floral tributes are placed outside the parlour along the pavement while funerals are held, adding that the land relinquishment aims to widen the pavement making it easier for pedestrians to walk.
This photo taken yesterday shows part of the Diocesan Funeral Parlour, including its columbarium (left), on Avenida do Almirante Lacerda. – Photo: Tony Wong
