Group sees overall development of Coloane shipyard necessary

The neighborhood and auxiliary facilities of the Coloane shipyard should be developed in a supplementary fashion, the head of a local group and lawmaker has told a local newspaper.

This kind of development will help attract people residing in Coloane and other districts in Macau to visit the recently refurbished location, Nick Lei, executive director of Macau United Citizens Association and lawmaker, said in an interview with local media outlet Macao Daily News.

He believes that his suggestions will help improve visitors’ experience at the location, which will eventually promote better local locations with historic and cultural values as community resources. Ultimately, it will empower the implementation of the “1+4” development strategy, he added.

It has been proposed by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) that special markets would be held at the Coloane shipyard on weekends from the end of June.

Despite supporting the proposal, Lei additionally suggests that IC install sufficient cooling equipment at the location to cope with the intensifying heat as summer approaches. Furthermore, as summer also means irregular and sometimes heavy rainfalls, contingencies must be made in case there are strong winds and heavy rainfall.

He pointed out that should weather preparations be inadequate, people will feel less keen to visit the location, which in the end will discourage stall tenants from operating there.

In addition, pedestrian facilities from the location to the closest parking lots should also be refined. Lei even suggested that shuttle bus services be provided during market periods to move people between the location and parking lots.

Another tactic to draw people to the location is the resumption of the intra-city marine tour from A-Ma Temple to Coloane Pier and back. The pier is a stone’s throw away from the shipyard, which Lei considers very appealing to visitors setting off from Macau Peninsula. AL