Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário said yesterday that the government’s proposed increase of the city’s commercial land supply in its draft of the city’s official urban master plan aims to promote Macau’s economic diversification.
The policy secretary said that Macau lacks land for commercial facilities so the government proposes increasing the commercial land supply in its draft urban master plan, which is under public consultation, such as a long-undeveloped plot on the northern coast of Taipa originally earmarked for an “Ocean World” theme park project, an area in the Zone B land reclamation area, an area to the south of the Macau checkpoint zone of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB), and an area in central Cotai.
Rosário made the remarks while speaking to reporters after attending a session where he and a number of senior officials briefed Urban Planning Council (CPU) members about the government’s proposed draft of Macau’s official urban master plan, and its plan to build the “East” section of the Light Rail Transit (LRT). The session, which was open to the media, was held at the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT).
The Urban Planning Council is a government-appointed consultative body tasked with advising the government on its urban planning policies.
18 ‘subareas for planning’
The government launched a two-month public consultation last week on its draft of the city’s official urban master plan, according to which Macau will be divided into 18 “subareas for planning”, according to the draft urban master plan’s Chinese version. In the Portuguese version the term is called “operational units for planning and management”.
Currently, most of Macau’s office buildings are located in Nam Van and Nape.
The draft urban master plan proposes a raft of new commercial areas, such as around the Barrier Gate border checkpoint, the site where the now-defunct Lotus Flower checkpoint in Cotai is located and its surrounding areas, the original “Ocean World” plot, an area in Zone B in front of the MGM casino-hotel resort in Nape, and an area to the south of the Macau checkpoint zone of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
The plan also proposes to gradually convert the various industrial buildings along Avenida de Venceslau de Morais into office buildings, with the aim of reducing the adverse impact of industrial activities on residents living in the area so as to increase their quality of life.
Rosário underlined that the ongoing public consultation is merely about the city’s urban master plan, adding that specifically how the proposed 18 subareas will be planned will only be regulated by their respective detailed urban development plans, which will only be drafted after the urban master plan takes effect in the future.
During yesterday’s briefing session, DSSOPT officials noted that the draft urban master plan proposes that residential areas will account for 22 percent of Macau’s total land area, an increase from the current 17 percent, while the ratio of commercial areas out of the city’s total land area will increase from the current one percent to four percent.
The draft urban master plan proposes that Macau’s land will be divided into eight designated zones, namely residential (22 percent of Macau’s total land area), commercial (four percent), industrial (two percent), tourism and entertainment (13 percent), public facilities (10 percent), ecological conservation (18 percent), green areas (eight percent), and public infrastructure (23 percent).
The DSSOPT officials pointed out yesterday that the government proposes in its draft urban master plan that the ratio of tourism-cum-entertainment and industrial zones in relation to the city’s total land area will remain unchanged from now.
In its draft urban master plan, the government proposes to transfer the various industrial buildings scattered across the city to the proposed four major existing industrial zones, namely the Zhuhai Macau Cross-border Industrial Zone in Ilha Verde, the northern section of Pac On in Taipa, Coloane’s Concórdia Industrial Park, and Ka Ho in Coloane, the DSSOPT officials noted.
Flanked by senior officials under his portfolio, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário (centre) speaks during yesterday’s briefing session for Urban Planning Council (CPU) members about the government’s draft of Macau’s official urban master plan and its Light Rail Transit (LRT) “East” section project. Photo: DSSOPT
