The Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) announced yesterday in a statement that it will hold separate auctions for two parcels of land in Taipa, namely “BT8” and “BT9a”, earmarked for residential projects, with a reserve price of 1.136 billion patacas and 777 million patacas, respectively, through sealed-envelope bidding.
The two plots, which were originally set aside for a temporary tyre park, will be auctioned off at 12 noon on September 26, according to the statement. The two winners will be announced on September 27, for “BT8” at 10 a.m. and for “BT9a” at 3 p.m.
The upcoming land auctions will be the first since the current Land Law came into force in 2014.
According to the statement, plot “BT8”, with an area of 3,509 square metres, is located on Avenida de Kwong Tung, while plot “BT9a”, with an area of 3,225 square metres, is on Rua de Chaves, Rua de San Tau and Rua de Kwai Lam.
Meanwhile, commenting on the upcoming tendering for the awarding of the two plots of land in Taipa, Ella Lei Cheng I, directly-elected lawmaker-cum-vice president of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (commonly known as Gung Luen), told reporters on the sidelines of a press conference in the Patane district yesterday she expected the government to have a more holistic vision for land planning in the area, urging it to “properly” respond to residents’ housing needs, while also balancing out the issue of traffic density in the area and making more use of the city’s land resources to create a more people-orientated community, complete with greening and leisure areas.
When asked whether the tender will affect Macau’s private property market, Lei urged the government to carefully assess the relaxation of the demand-side management measures implemented on the local private residential property market, adding that due to the impact of the three-year COVID-19 pandemic, Macau’s property market prices have been on a slight downward trend, but real-estate was “still not easily affordable” for most of residents.
Due to the economic downturn, according to Lei, Macau’s overall property prices have dropped slightly and residents’ salary levels and purchasing power have also been affected.
Speaking to The Macau Post Daily and the Chinese-language media Exmoo News in a phone interview yesterday, Leong Pou U, a member of the government-appointed Urban Planning Committee, said he believed the government’s launch of the two land auctions after a gap of more than 10 years would “effectively” echo its “five-rung housing ladder” policy, aimed at improving the city’s social and livelihood issues.
Macau has not held land auctions since 2008, according to previous news reports.
Ella Lei Cheng I, directly-elected lawmaker-cum-vice president of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions, talks to the media during yesterday’s press conference about the findings of the group’s survey on the local employment and labour legislation, at its headquarters in Patane. – Photo: Yuki Lei
