Districts under revitalization to see more events during Christmas

With the revitalization projects well-received, additional efforts will be made for Christmas, director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau Leong Wai Man said yesterday.

Yesterday marked the seventh meeting of the Committee this year, with Leong presiding over the meeting as acting president. She highlighted the discussion on the reception of revitalization projects and flow-on effects to the Christmas period at the post-
meeting press conference.

She said the meeting had discussed the revitalization projects of traditional districts.

Complimenting those projects for “bringing in innovative leisure activities and adding cultural tourism elements to the neighborhoods,” she revealed that the effects of these projects were presented to committee members during the meeting.

Committee members were also introduced to additional upcoming activities planned for the upcoming Christmas period, with further announcements to be made in due course.

She hoped cultural resources rooted in the neighborhoods could be better utilized to increase the vitality of the areas.

She said that during the Macau Grand Prix weekends, the Mount Fortress had seen over 14,000 visitors. Meanwhile, Rua de Felicidade saw nearly 60,000 visitors over the same weekends.

She saw these figures as proof that the projects were successful.

Asked about rentals increases in the neighborhoods after the revitalization projects, Leong suggested that market forces were at play, distancing her bureau from further intervention.

She questioned whether the public would like empty streets and shops in the areas with low rental levels, or crowded streets and thriving businesses with higher rental levels.

The government has previously confirmed the involvement of the casino operators in managing revitalization projects in traditional districts, referring to the projects as collaborations.

Galaxy is working on the former shipyard at Lai Chi Vun; MGM on the neighborhood of Barra District; Melco will revitalize Piers 23 and 25 at Inner Harbour as well as the Mount Fortress; Wynn Resorts Macau is focused on the pedestrianization of Rua de Felicidade (Happiness Street); Sands China on the former Iek Long Firecracker Factory, Pátio da Eterna Felicidade and Rua das Estalagens; SJM Resorts, S.A. will work on Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro and Piers 14 and 16.

Committee member Ieng Weng Fat said members were eager to see the conclusion of the revitalization of Piers 14 and 16, as well as the relocation of the former Macau Palace Casino to the Inner Harbour. The latter, which is a pontoon, is not berthed on the sea off from Fai Chi Kei.

Leong defends ‘no comment’ on Rua das Estalagens development

The director of Culture, Leong Wai Man, yesterday defended her bureau’s decision to withhold comment about an aged building on Rua das Estalagens, saying it is not necessary for the entire street to be preserved.

The Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSOP) has released a draft plan of the proposed development of the building for public discussion. The draft contained no opinion from Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), despite it being on a street that will be revitalized by a local casino operator.

Under law, the IC is entitled to issue binding opinions on the mode of development and parts that should be retained, among other details.

She believes that not preserving a handful of structures should not pose significant risks on the presentation of the overall atmosphere or scenery on the street as a whole.

In response to public concerns that the overall “agedness” of the street will not survive, Leong refrained from making assumptions about the future, adding that her bureau would consider each draft plan independently.