The government has published a revised version of its urban development plan for Ilha Verde district, according to which the neighbourhood on the peninsula’s north-western tip is earmarked to have a smaller population and to be covered by larger green areas, compared to the previous version published in 2010.
The new version also aims to ensure stronger protection of Ilha Verde Hill in the central part of the district compared to the old version.
Lands and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) officials briefed members of the Urban Planning Council (CPU) about the Ilha Verde urban development plan’s new version during a regular meeting of the government-appointed council on Wednesday. After the meeting, the newly revised plan was uploaded onto the DSSCU website.
In the newly revised plan’s introduction, the government says that in compliance with new urban planning requirements listed in Macau’s official urban master plan, which took effect in February 2022, it decided to draft its Ilha Verde urban development plan’s new version with the aim of meeting the desire of residents living there for the district’s urban improvements such as stronger protection of the 54.5-metre Ilha Verde Hill as well as the relocation of the district’s current fuel distribution depot, abattoir and dredging dock.
The total area covered by the Ilha Verde urban development plan amounts to 238,800 square metres, unchanged from the previous version.
According to the new version, the protected area of the heritage-listed Ilha Verde Hill amounts to 40,871 square metres, accounting for 17.1 percent of the total area, more than double the 17,800 square metres listed in the previous version.
According to the plan, Ilha Verde district is earmarked for residential buildings, commercial and office spaces, government buildings, and infrastructure, as well as tourism, social service, municipal, education, recreational, and cultural facilities.
According to the plan’s new version, the gross construction areas of the various buildings and facilities will amount to 611,780 square metres, 41 percent down from the 1,032,500 square metres listed in the previous version.
The new version of the plan earmarks a population of 13,000 in Ilha Verde district, 52 percent down from the 27,200 residents there envisaged in the 2010 version.
The Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) urban master plan for 2020 to 2040 divides the city into 18 “subareas for planning”.
After the urban master plan took effect in February 2022, the government drew up its first urban development plan for a subarea for planning, i.e., Eastern District 2, which covers the Zone A land reclamation area. The government’s Eastern District 2 urban development plan took effect in March this year.
The Eastern District 2 urban development plan is the first and so-far the only one currently in force for a subarea for planning listed by the urban master plan. The government is still working on drafting urban development plans for several other subareas required by its urban master plan.
According to the urban master plan, Ilha Verde district is covered by the Northern District 1 urban development plan, which the government is currently still drafting, and on which a public consultation is scheduled to be launched next year.
In addition to Ilha Verde, Northern District 1 also covers Fai Chi Kei and Lam Mau Tong in the north-west peninsula.
This undated aerial photo in the revised version of the government’s urban development plan for Ilha Verde released on Wednesday shows part of the district.
An artist’s rendition for the Ilha Verde urban development plan.
