Central Library to be concluded in 2022

The Central Library is one of the projects outlined in the government’s five-year plan and set to be initiated before 2020, to be concluded in 2022.
This matter provoked questioning from the press, due to the recently discovered facts regarding the status of the project, as well as criticism of its proposed location and expected budget of MOP900 million.
The CE responded to the questioning by explaining that the five-year plan draws general guidelines and goals that are possible to reach and that are independent of mandates or government positions. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, said, “the project isn’t a new one. It’s in fact a project that was already targeted with a study over a long period of time [last 10 years],” he said, reaffirming that the main idea behind converting the old courthouse into a central library is due to the limited size and conditions of the Tap Seac facility.
Tam said, “now is the right time to advance with the project after the relocation of the Judiciary Police,” a fact that, in the secretary’s opinion, has created an opportunity to improve the proposal.
Tam dismissed claims of moving the library to a new location, saying that the Old Court Building is appropriate. “The location is good: Easy access and located in the city center,” Tam said. “At this moment we are not seeing any other possibility in terms of location that is more convenient,” he concluded, adding: “Ten years ago the idea was already quite good, now it is better!”