The government has announced that it will convert four idle plots of land that are located next to each other covering an area of about 19,000 square metres in total in central Taipa into the city’s first-ever tyre park with a budget of 30 million patacas.
The government also said that it expects the project to get off the ground in the first quarter of next year and to be completed in the fourth quarter of the same year.
The government also said that it has decided to turn the four idle plots that it has repossessed into a tyre-themed park on a temporary basis as it still does not have a plan for their permanent use, and therefore it expects the park to operate for quite a long time.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced the tyre park project in a statement on Friday, according to which the park will abut Avenida de Kwong Tung, Rua de Bragança, Rua de Chaves and the Nam San residential estate.
The statement said that the bureau has decided to build a park on the four plots “with the use of tyres as the main element of its design that will be equipped with a large number of leisure, recreation and sports facilities and be suitable for men, women, children and the elderly”, in response to residents’ demand for the government to increase the city’s leisure spaces by making good use of idle plots of land.
The statement said that the bureau designed the tyre park in Taipa with the aim of advocating environmental protection, after referencing tyre-themed parks in many cities in Europe, the United States, Japan and mainland China, adding that the function of the new tyre park will complement the facilities of the nearby Taipa Central Park and Flower City Garden.
8 zones
The statement said that tyres will be used to connect the future park’s eight zones with each other, namely 1) Tyre Paradise, 2) Lawn for Parents and Children, 3) Hill of Joy, 4) World of Water and Sand, 5) Skateboard Area, 6) Field of Joy, 7) Running Track, and 8) Children’s Kick Scooter Track.
According to the statement, the Tyre Paradise will be located in the park’s centre, where tyres of different sizes and shapes will be used to create an “interesting, colourful and safe” playground for climbing activities.
Tyre swings and sculptures in the shape of animals will be installed in the Lawn for Parents and Children and the Hill of Joy, according to the statement.
According to the statement, the World of Water and Sand, aimed at children and teenagers, will be divided into two zones – the upper and lower zones – that will be built by making use of the difference of about two metres in height there. A sand pool with a spiral pyramid will be set up there, creating a 3D space of fun for children to train their “touch, creativity and imagination”.
The Skateboard Area intended for teenagers and young people will be suitable for beginners learning to skateboard and those with medium-level skills, the statement said.
The statement said that mini football fields, basketball courts, volleyball courts, badminton courts and gym facilities will be set up in the Field of Joy.
The Running Track and the Children’s Kick Scooter Track will be 660 metres and 655 metres long respectively, the statement said.
Recycled tyres to be punctured
According to the statement, the Municipal Affairs Bureau, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA), will sort recycled tyres that are intact and have not degraded for the future tyre park. The sorted tyres will be cleaned, disinfected, and polished. The statement said that the lower parts of the tyres will be have holes punched in them so as to prevent water accumulation, adding that IAM staff will carry out regular examinations and maintenance of the tyres in the future park and replace them if needed.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau also held a press conference on Friday to brief the media about the tyre park project, in which IAM officials said that the park that will be built on the four repossessed plots will be a temporary one, but they were quick to add that the bureau expects the park to operate for quite a while as the government still does not have a plan for the four plots’ permanent use. The IAM officials said they expected the park project to get off the ground in the first quarter of next year and be completed in the fourth quarter of the same year.
1,700 tyres
The IAM officials also said that the bureau expects 1,700 recycled tyres to be used for the tyre park project, adding that the government currently collects some 700 used tyres on average for recycling every week so that there would be enough recycled tyres for the ongoing replacement of the tyres in the park after it comes into service.
The government repossessed the four idle plots last year whose concessions had previously been annulled by the government. According to the Official Gazette (BO), the government announced the annulment of the four plots’ provisional land concessions in 2015, as the leaseholders had failed to develop the plots listed in the concession agreements within the contractual periods.
This artist’s rendition provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) on Friday shows the future tyre park in Taipa.
This photo taken yesterday shows the site of the future tyre park in Taipa. Photo: Monica Leong
