Av. Wai Long land to see multiple public facilities

A plot of land on Avenida Wai Long retrieved by the government will be turned into a public parking lot, a bus transit terminus, and some social facilities.

In response to lawmaker Ella Lei’s written inquiry, Acting Director Sam Weng Chon of public works cited his counterparts at the Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU).

The DSSCU was cited as disclosing that the use of the land plot has been changed, with a significantly reduced number of apartments planned. Responsible bureaus will decide the requirements of basic supplementary facilities, while the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) will conduct further design on the project. The social facilities will at least meet the provisions as set out in the Planning Draft.

In her inquiry, Lei pointed out that only 1,500 square meters of social facilities were said to remain under the new development plan for the project. She was unhappy with this, as she believes sufficient social facilities must be available to cater to the basic needs of future residents.

She even pointed to the Seac Pai Van public housing district as evidence of her views, saying that when the first group of residents moved into the residential district, few to no social facilities were available.

Her second question focused on standards and guidelines governing the proportion of social facilities to an overall project, because they are absent in Macau, but have been in place in Hong Kong. She wondered if the government would establish such guiding tools.

While citing the DSSCU, Sam said that the government should make overall considerations of the proportion of social facilities in each district, taking into account the population structure, development status and other indicators. AL