Horta da Mitra Market reopens tomorrow

The Horta da Mitra Market will reopen Tuesday after being closed almost a year for a major revamp, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has said.

The market, in Rua do Campo, closed last March for renovation and reorganization works that were completed at the end of 2023.

Late last year, the IAM held a meeting to help tenants return and resume business in an orderly manner.

The IAM’s meeting explained the arrangements for business resumption and gave details about the stalls’ facilities, safe power use as well as other information about the revamp.

The market will resume operations on Jan. 9. with the 13 original stall tenants who are ready to resume business.

Among the changes is a new stall layout that separates dry and wet zones to improve the market’s hygiene and image.

The IAM said the Horta da Mitra Market, built in 1939, had needed a comprehensive revamp of its sewerage network, heat dissipation and ventilation, lighting, and other facilities.

The revamp involved preservation of the market’s architectural appearance, the installation of air-conditioning and ventilation systems, improvement of the lighting system, changes to the location of public toilets and the ratio of male and female toilet cubicles, an upgrade of the sewerage equipment and the addition of barrier-free facilities.

The new layout comprises 18 stalls, 13 of which have been allocated to the original market stall tenants.

Seven are free meat stalls, four fish stalls, one chilled and frozen meat stall, and one vegetable stall. The five remaining stalls were put out for public tender in October 2023.

Hawkers are already back to business

The revamp also included the hawker area at the sides of the main building which was also closed in August last year.

Currently, 14 hawker stalls have resumed operation after the replacement of the insulation panels, the retractable awnings, the backboards and the separation wire mesh between stalls.

This area also saw an improvement of the drainage facilities and the renovation of the structural supports, among other works.