Building condition survey to begin in Q4 with 292-building pilot

[Photo: Lynzy Valles]

The government will launch a phased building condition survey across Macau in the fourth quarter (Q4), beginning with a pilot in the Rua dos Ervanários and Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo area – home to 292 buildings – to gather data and study commercial revitalization models used in mainland heritage districts.

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raymond Tam, said at a thematic exchange session on the Third Five-Year Plan on Friday that urban renewal would be advanced pragmatically through building renovations, old district revitalization, streetscape beautification, and area-based or single-building redevelopment.

This includes a comprehensive “mapping” of old buildings to accelerate their repair and renewal, while exploring more flexible and diversified urban renewal models suited to the city’s realities. The session was attended by representatives from nearly 30 associations.

The director of the Land and Urban Construction Bureau, Lai Weng Leong, revealed at the meeting that authorities plan to conduct a citywide building condition survey, starting with a pilot in the Rua dos Ervanários and Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo area – covering Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo, Rua da Tercena, Rua do Infante, Rua de Cinco de Outubro, and Rua das Estalagens, with a total of 292 buildings. The survey will involve data collection, on-site inspections, photography, and condition reporting.

According to him, authorities are also considering drawing on mainland heritage district models to introduce commercial operations and new business activities to revitalize the old district.

He further noted the government’s plan to conduct a study on the planning system for priority urban renewal areas, which will analyze building conditions, site development potential, and land use to establish planning principles for priority redevelopment zones and propose appropriate incentive measures, with the aim of providing a sound basis for future area-based and neighborhood renewal planning. He said the study is expected to be completed in the first half of next year.

Notably, the government also plans to select the area around the Ruins of St. Paul’s as a pilot heritage revitalization zone, where streets and building facades will be beautified and signage standards will be unified to align with the style of the historic city center.

Meanwhile, authorities are preparing a new round of reviews for land premium fees, with proposed revisions including differentiating premiums between ground-floor and upper-floor shops, setting interest rates for installment payments, and introducing a calculation model for urban renewal premiums, with a target of completing the review within this year.