Football pitch close to Lilau demolished to make way for car depot

The car depot as pictured on Sunday

A land plot in the Penha Hill area that was being used as a sports ground and included a football pitch has been transformed into a car depot, which began operating last month.

According to official documents, the land, which
was formerly known as “Mato do Bom Jesus” (Good Jesus Woods), was acquired by the Order of Discalced Carmelites around 1948 to build a convent.
Historical documents organized by journalist João Botas on his blog “Macau Antigo” (Old Macau) show that construction of the facility began in 1950 by Italian architect and building contractor Oseo Acconci. The convent was inaugurated about a year later. After more than 20 years of use by the Order of Discalced Carmelites, the building was eventually demolished in the 1970s.

Recently, the space has been largely abandoned, with the exception of the sports facilities built within the walls surrounding the land plot.

The sports facilities have now been demolished to make way for a car depot for a local car seller and importer, according to sources contacted by the Times.

Architect Francisco Vizeu Pinheiro told the times that the land plot is part of the Penha/Lilau heritage protection area, which carries limitations for its development, such as a height quota.

While he was uncertain if there were further restrictions, Vizeu Pinheiro said: “It is still a historical area, although the most significant part of it [the convent] was one of the special characteristics of Macau [and] is already gone, and the only similar structure that still stands is the Saint Joseph’s Seminary.”

In the architect’s opinion, the best use for such a space would be “something… open to the public, regarding [the] parking of vehicles. If these aren’t for public use, I’m not sure if that’s a good use.”

“Since it is a historical area, it could be used for a city park with a green and recreational area,” Vizeu Pinheiro continued.

“I believe that [a] car park or depot should be a temporary thing.”

He remarked that it “would also be important to give that space to the younger generations and the elderly. There are also at least two big educational institutions around that area that could make use of the space. It would be important not to use it just for a car park or even worse, for housing, because we need more city parks.”

The Times reached out to several government bureaus regarding the transformation of the space.

The Sports Bureau (ID) was contacted for its opinion on the demolished football field, which had been one of the few remaining in central Macau.

“We learnt that the area was a school equipped with [a] football field, and that the area has already been surrounded with residential buildings and other facilities, as well as other ongoing construction works,” the ID stated.

“As an entity to promote the development of sports in Macau, the Sports Bureau is always glad to see more and more sports facilities are being provided for public use. However, due to social development, [the] usage of land may also be changed to a certain extent.”

The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) stated that none of the activities fall under their jurisdiction except for the placement of publicity and information boards, which it said were “unlicensed, [and] the responsible department [is] already acting on the case.”

The Times also received information that the sports grounds might belong to or were recently being used by educational institutions operating under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau, and contacted the Bishop’s office for additional information about the land and development.

However, the Office responded that they were “not aware of anything regarding that land plot,” adding that “the Bishop has no information released regarding the [mentioned] land.”

The Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) also informed the Times that the area is in fact composed by two different land plots, but postponed the provision of further details to a later date.