Controversial Nam Van Lake proposals to be presented to Urban Planning Committee

Having received 138 comments in opposition to the planning conditions drafts for two Nam Van Lake land plot developments, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) has decided to present the drafts to the Urban Planning Committee tomorrow.
The DSSOPT released the two drafts for public consultation before the Christmas break. The drafts proposed that the height clearance be extended to between 34 and 50 meters.
Commentators, professionals and advocacy groups criticized the proposals for obstructing the views to and from the Penha Hill, as well as the “Hill-Sea-City” structure of Macau.
Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, recently replied to media interviews on the matter, saying that the height clearance has not been significantly extended “because the building heights proposed in the drafts are above sea level.”
“Four meters should be deducted from the proposed heights,” the Secretary said.
Local group, the New Macau Association (ANM), criticized the senior officials for playing with numbers.
Urban planner Lam Iek Chit made a similar comment to local Chinese newspaper Cheng Pou, adding that the response from Rosário “had not provided new information.”
“He only presented the drafts using another way,” Lam explained.
In addition, urban planner and member of the Urban Planning Committee, Chan Chio I, has asked the government to provide more information for public review, so as to avoid a public impression of “forcible governance.”
Chan is a member of pro-establishment entity, the Macao New Chinese Youth Association.
The ANM sent a letter yesterday to UNESCO to call for the organization to voice concerns over the matter. The group hopes the international body can urge the Macau government to compile a plan to protect historic landscapes and architecture as soon as possible.
Sharing a similar view is urban planner Lui Chak Keong, who is a Heritage Architect (Architecte du Patrimoine).
When interviewed by local Chinese newspaper the Macao Daily News, Lui thought the skyline of the city should be taken into account, “especially when maritime tours will be developed in the future.
The name of Penha Hill is “Western Sea-viewing Hill” in Chinese. Lui took this to explain the importance of seeing the sea from the hill.
The 50-meter clearance for the proposed new court building will generate an oppressive feeling because the building is situated on the lakeshore, according to Lui.