Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man said yesterday that the government has decided to amend Macau’s urban master plan, which came into force in February 2022, adding that it is aiming to launch a public consultation in the second half of this year on the matter.
Tam made the remarks when replying to oral interpellations by lawmakers during a plenary session in the legislature’s hemicycle.
Tam’s remarks yesterday came after the government last year launched the first review of Macau’s urban master plan for possible amendments, in the wake of its planning of several future large-scale projects aiming to inject new impetus into Macau’s long-term development, which were first announced by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai in his 2025 Policy Address, which he delivered in April last year.
The Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) urban master plan for 2020 to 2040 is the city’s first-ever official urban master plan, which took effect on February 15, 2022 after its promulgation in the Official Gazette (BO) on the previous day.
Macau’s urban master plan is promulgated by an administrative regulation drawn up by the government because of which it does not require the legislature’s approval.
According to the Urban Planning Law, the government is required to launch its review of the urban master plan for possible amendments five years after it came into force, i.e., in 2027.
According to the law, the government is also required to launch its review of the urban master plan if the government decides to launch large-scale public projects which are expected to cause significant impacts on land uses and urban planning listed by the urban master plan, regardless of the length of time the urban master plan has been implemented.
The Lands and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) is the public entity tasked with the city’s urban planning.
According to an executive order published in the gazette in February this year, Sam decided that Macau’s urban master plan will be amended for the first time.
Sam decided to amend the urban master plan after assessing a report prepared by DSSCU officials, as well as opinions gathered from the Urban Planning Council (CPU), according to the executive order.
The government-appointed council is a consultative body tasked with advising the government on its urban planning policies.
According to the executive order, the Lands and Urban Construction Bureau concluded that the urban master plan will need to be amended, after completing its first review of the plan, with the aim of creating the necessary conditions for the government to push ahead with two large-scale public projects.
The executive order did not specifically identify the two projects, but observers have noted that they refer to the Macau International Integrated Tourism and Cultural Zone, and the Macau Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park, two of the four announced in Sam’s 2025 Policy Address.
During yesterday’s plenary session, Tam noted that Sam has formally approved the bureau’s decision to amend Macau’s urban master plan, while the government is now working on the drafting of the amendments in an orderly manner.
The policy secretary said that the government is now aiming to launch a public consultation in the second half of this year on the matter.
Tam underlined he is confident that the government could complete amending the urban master plan in line with its schedule.
Tam also noted that the urban master plan will never be set in stone after its promulgation, and instead the government needs to promptly review the master plan and make the necessary amendments in line with the city’s latest socioeconomic development.
Meanwhile, Tam also said that Macau’s sluggish property market is currently one of the biggest challenges making it difficult for the city to advance its urban renewal initiative, adding that the weak property market is discouraging condominium owners from having their buildings redeveloped.
Tam underlined that the government is studying the feasibility of rolling out fresh measures aiming to provide condominium owners with stronger incentives to redevelop their buildings, including tax incentives, and a reduction or exemption of the respective registration fees charged by the government.
Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man addresses yesterday’s plenary session in the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) hemicycle. – Photo courtesy of TDM
