Abandoned tire park project still causing controversy

Rendering of the tire park

The abandonment of the project to build in Taipa’s central district an amusement and leisure park using old tires is still causing controversy among the lawmakers of the Legislative Assembly.

Yesterday, during a Q&A session with government officials replying to lawmakers’ inquiries, several continued to raise the issue of the government’s U-turn and abandonment of the project, having allocated the land plot to the construction of residential buildings.

The discussion started via an inquiry from lawmaker Ma Io Fong who questioned the government on the current status of the urban planning of Taipa Island.

Ma’s inquiry had a background of criticism of government policies for this area.

Using official statistics, Ma described the area as one of the most densely populated in Macau.

Ma also said it is the area where a large portion of the younger generation lives and called on the government for better planning in terms of leisure and sports areas and requested they refrain from approving additional high-rise residential states.

Responding to one of the many questions from lawmaker Ma, the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, said the project to build and link more pedestrian flyovers is moving forward but will take some time as there are many high scale developments taking place at the moment.

At least for the present, the project to extend the same flyover to the Lake building, facilitating the connection to the Taipa Central area, is canceled. The decision was made due to the many concerns expressed by the population, including lawmakers, over the protection of 10 trees located at the Cheok Ka Village.

Taking as background the events related to the tire park many lawmakers, including Ron Lam, have called on the government to make better use of the unused land plots that are government-owned, putting them, even if temporarily, at the service of the community while they are waiting for a final destination or project.

Many lawmakers have suggested using some of these plots as green leisure areas, camping sites, places to hold flower markets during the lunar new year or just to watch the fireworks, several lawmakers said.

Some also suggested they could be used as temporary sports facilities which do not require a great investment to be operational for such purposes, instead of being just fenced and waiting, in some cases for decades, for a project or use from the government.

Rosário said the Secretary does not have the power to concede wishes and that he cannot on his own initiative establish such facilities, noting that such a policy would need to come from the government.

He also said the detailed plans for the Taipa Center District-2 will soon be undergoing public consultation, and he called on the members of the public to express their opinions at that time.