Gov’t unveils plan for temporary use of 30 idle land plots

[Photo: Renato Marques]

The government has unveiled a plan to temporarily use 30 idle land plots. The plan was announced at yesterday’s meeting of the Legislative Assembly (AL) Follow-up Committee for Land and Public Concessions Affairs.

The plan was first announced by the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raymond Tam, during a recent visit to the AL, which noted that following the nine idle land plots released for temporary use in 2025, the government would soon release another 30 plots for the same purpose.

Further details were announced, including that 13 parcels will be used for recreational areas; 12 for outdoor light- and heavy-duty vehicle parking; one for sports facilities; one for environmental protection-related work; and three for other mixed-use facilities.

These temporary land parcels are located in different districts, including the area around Saint Anthony Parish, where parking demand is high and space is limited.

The government added that some of these 30 temporary land plots are ready for design and construction, while others may require additional time to clear materials, debris, and other equipment before proceeding with the revamp.

According to the AL Committee, the government will proceed with the projects sequentially, starting with the lands already ready for development.

The use of idle land plots has been a recurring request from the public and lawmakers, who see adding land plots to reserves as wasteful when the government has no plans for their use for more than five or even ten years.

Lawmakers and the public have urged the government to use some of these land plots to improve sports and leisure facilities, parking infrastructure, and other purposes.

One of the major requests has been to build sports facilities, although the government has been reluctant to proceed, fearing public backlash if these facilities are later removed once the land plots are repurposed.

Recently, lawmaker Chan Hao Weng said at the AL that Macau is missing opportunities to secure investment in sports facilities from international sports federations due to the lack of defined purposes for idle land plots.

Chan’s statement came while addressing questions on the matter to Secretary Tam during a Q&A session at the AL earlier this month.

For the lawmaker, it would be best if the government designated specific sports facilities and transferred them to the associations so they can develop them independently.

According to the AL Committee, the 39 land plots to be put to temporary use total more than 100,000 square meters, with the majority (32) located in the Peninsula’s Central and Southern Districts.