The government said yesterday that it is now aiming to promulgate its urban development plan for “Eastern District 2”, which covers the Zone A land reclamation area, before the end of this year.
The local government also said that the central government was still assessing its request for permission to further reclaim land in the waters between the north-eastern coast of the peninsula and the north-western coast of Zone A.
Lands and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) Deputy Director Mak Tat Io made the remarks during a regular meeting of the government-appointed Urban Planning Council (CPU) yesterday where members voiced their opinions and suggestions on the government’s draft urban development plan for Eastern District 2.
Yesterday’s meeting was chaired by DSSCU Director Lai Weng Leong. The meeting, which was open to the media, was also attended by officials from several other bureaus.
The government carried out a public consultation on its draft urban development plan for Eastern District 2 between October 7 and December 5 last year, after which the government published a report at the end of May summarising the opinions and suggestions gathered from members of the public during the public consultation period.
The government is required to consult the Urban Planning Council on a draft urban development plan within 60 days after the publication of its report summarising the opinions from the respective public consultation.
The Urban Planning Council held a meeting early last month where members raised their opinions on the Eastern District 2 draft urban development plan, after which the council held another meeting yesterday enabling more members to voice their opinions.
After assessing opinions from the public consultation and CPU members, DSSCU officials will prepare and submit the final draft of the urban development plan for Eastern District 2 to Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng for review. If Ho green-lights the final version, it will be promulgated in the Official Gazette (BO), after which it will take legal effect the next day.
Macau’s official urban master plan took effect in February last year when it was promulgated in the Official Gazette.
The Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) urban master plan for 2020 to 2040 divides the city into 18 “subareas for planning”.
Only after the urban master plan takes effect, can the government draft the respective detailed urban development plans for the 18 subareas.
The Zone A land reclamation area is covered by Eastern District 2, one of the 18 subareas listed by the urban master plan.
Eastern District 2 is the government’s first draft of a detailed urban development plan for a subarea.
Zone A is primarily being developed for public housing projects. A total of 12 public housing projects, as well as the construction of a building earmarked for a wet market and other municipal facilities, are currently being carried out there. In addition, a number of infrastructure projects are also being carried out in Zone A, including roads and utility tunnels.
The several CPU members who voiced opinions during yesterday’s meeting focused on topics such as road facilities and school campus facilities in Zone A.
This handout photo taken from the Public Works Bureau’s (DSOP) website yesterday shows an ongoing public housing project on Plot B10 in the Zone A land reclamation area in May this year, which is now scheduled to be completed in May next year.
