Committee concerned Taipa project will be a ‘Seac Pai Van 2.0’

The land reclaimed by the government from the former “La Scala” development in Taipa next to Avenida Wai Long was the highlight of the meeting of the Urban Planning Committee (CPU) held yesterday at the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT). The meeting marked the debut of Li Canfeng as president of the council, replacing the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, who was absent.

The land plot, which is expected to be used to build 8,000 units of public housing, was a topic of debate at the CPU for the second time.

Several council members stated that they feared that this new project would be a “Seac Pai Van version 2.0.” Some even claimed that the plot suffers from “a lot of pollution” and is “unsuitable for public housing.”

In the initial presentation it was remarked that the land plot was divided into two parcels with a construction quota in terms of height categories (Parcel 1 maximum of 155m tall; Parcel 2 maximum of 90m tall).

The representative of the DSSOPT, Cheong Ion Man, noted that the bureau “hopes that, through this meeting, we can reach a consensus taking note the opinions expressed by the society.”

He also explained that, according to the government plan, Taipa Hill will not be targeted with any further digging.

According to Cheong, there is an area of 5,000 square meters that will be reserved for the future development of the Taipa Hill tunnel, and for now will be used as a green area.

In addition, the DSSOPT also noted that it is part of the plan for the public housing development to have a reserved area of 25,000 square meters for social and sports equipment that will include a sports ground, a library and a market as well as services to support the elderly and young children.

“We can fulfill all the needs in those areas with this reserved space,” he said, noting that the ratio between housing units and social and sports equipment established for the development is 3:2 (in which housing takes the bigger share).

Cheong noted by comparison that in the Seac Pai Van social housing, the ratio is about 70 percent for housing and only 30 percent for social infrastructure.

Lawmaker and member of the CPU, Mak Soi Kun noted the “concerns of society” over this project, “especially after what happened with Seac Pai Van where [the residents are] lacking one market and other services,” noting that is “necessary to take in good note the previous problems and experiences,” asking for more concrete data.

Mak also noted that the location is “very far” and lacks transportation and support services.

The lawyer Neto Valente, also a member of the CPU, added to the words of Mak, calling for the need to “take lessons from the past and not to repeat the mistakes done at Seac Pai Van.” Valente added that it is unclear how the topics of pollution and parking in the area would be addressed.

To the questions, Cheong replied that the topic was already being considered by the government and offered the promise that the parking lot will occupy the podium of the building in the first floors.

“We can guarantee that the parking lots will be located on the podium of the building,” said Cheong.

If some members questioned on some specific points, others showed themselves to be completely against the project. Opponents included Wu and Zheng Dehua, among others, who are totally against the height (155m) and disagree with the use of the land plot for public housing.

Landscape and material quality were also under discussion with member Lam Lon Wai noting that such a “block” would cover all the hill and take the view from the trails, urging the government to consider that even 90 meters is “too high” for the area.

In his opinion, the government should also change the target market for the development to the younger generation instead of the lower socio-economic class, noting that the location is also not suitable for elderly residents as it is “too far from the city center.”

Gov’t takes back four plots

The Government has declared the reversion of four land plots with a total area of almost 13,000 square meters. According to a notice published yesterday in the Official Gazette, three of the land plots are located in Coloane’s Seac Pai Van industrial zone. The largest of those plots was ceded to Cheong Kong company to build a tarmac facility. The concession ended in June 2016 and the plot remains unused. The other land plots were destined to evolve into a 10-storey parking lot and a kennel. In Macau, the reverted plot had been granted to Engineering and Industrial Guangdong (Macau) Company and their plan is to build a parking lot.