The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has announced that the renovation of the Horta da Mitra wet market is slated to get off the ground in the first quarter of next year.
The renovation will include the installation of various new facilities such as an air-conditioning system. The project aims to make it more comfortable for stall owners and staff to work and for residents to shop there.
The bureau made the announcement during a press conference at its headquarters in Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (commonly known as San Ma Lou in Cantonese) on Friday.
The Cantonese name of the Horta da Mitra Municipal Market is transliterated as Jeuk Jai Yun, which is literally translated as Bird Garden.
The Horta da Mitra Municipal Market, built in 1939, is located near Rua do Campo.
IAM officials said during the press conference that the bureau expects to launch a public tender in the next quarter for the market’s renovation, after which the project can get off the ground in the first quarter of next year. The officials said that the project is slated to take around nine months, because of which the bureau expects the market to reopen in the fourth quarter of next year.
Having been used for over 80 years, the IAM officials said, the Horta da Mitra market’s equipment and facilities such as sewerage network, ventilation system and lighting facilities have become worn. Even though the bureau has carried out many repairs in recent years, the officials said, the market building’s dilapidated conditions have basically still not been solved.
The IAM officials said that the market’s stall owners and the neighbourhood’s residents and community associations have all been asking the government for many years to give the market a complete facelift.
After consulting the Horta da Mitra market’s stall owners, the neighbourhood’s community associations, and various professionals such as architects, urban planners and experts on historic building conservation, the IAM officials said, the bureau has drawn up a plan for the market’s renovation, according to which the market building’s architectural façade will be kept intact, the market’s internal layout will be restructured, and new equipment and facilities will be installed.
“The renovation aims to improve the Horta da Mitra market’s business environment and provide residents with a better shopping experience,” the IAM officials said.
Changes in ratio of male & female toilet cubicles
According to the IAM officials, the renovation will preserve the Horta da Mitra market’s architectural appearance, install an air-conditioning and ventilation system, and improve the lighting system. In addition, the project will also adjust the ratio of male and female toilet cubicles, i.e., increasing the number of female toilet cubicles in relation to male ones, according to the officials.
Moreover, the project will also improve the market’s sewage system and install barrier-free facilities there.
After the renovation is completed, there will be 18 stalls when the market reopens, a change from the 13 stalls currently, the IAM officials said.
The IAM officials also underlined that all stall owners have agreed to suspend their business operations so that the renovations can be carried out at full pace.
The IAM officials also said that separate entrances and exits will be installed for the market’s shopping area and the work area with the aim of separating shoppers from those delivering fresh and live food to the market.
With a fully-fledged air-conditioning and ventilation system and improved management of the Horta da Mitra market after it reopens, the IAM officials said, “The traditional wetness of a wet market will be improved, and a comfortable and neat image of a fresh food market will be created”.
Friday’s announcement of the project to renovate the Horta da Mitra market came after the bureau’s ongoing project to renovate the heritage-listed Red Market got off the ground in May.
The Red Market, which opened in 1936, is the only wet market building in Macau listed as a cultural heritage site.
The Red Market, officially known as Almirante Lacerda Municipal Market, is located on the corner of Avenida de Horta e Costa and Avenida do Almirante Lacerda.
These two undated handout photos provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) on Friday shows the Horta da Mitra Municipal Market’s current external and internal conditions.
This artist’s rendition provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau on Friday shows the design of stalls in the future revamped Horta da Mitra market.
