Land originally for car tire park returns to public works bureau

The Land and Public Works Bureau (DSOP) will decide how the land originally reserved for a provisional car tire park will be used, Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong said last Friday.

Cheong believes the eventual decision will comply with relevant urban planning laws and procedures.

Several weeks ago, the government suddenly announced that plans for the car tire park – which was always intended to only be temporary – had been scrapped.

Instead, the entire land plot – formerly the location of cotton mills – will be divided into three smaller plots of land, which will be used for commercial and residential purposes.

Although the plan has sparked public debate and objections, the government has insisted it will demolish the former cotton mills.

The plan’s opponents have stressed the cotton mills’ cultural value, because it captures Macau’s manufacturing heyday and architectural wisdom and aesthetics. The government, in contrast, has said the presence of asbestos is the core reason for demolishing the structures.

Due to Covid-19 border restrictions, workers from Hong Kong did not want to come to Macau for the demolition, which is why the structure partially remains.

The land plot, diagonally opposite the southwestern tip of the Nova Mall in Taipa, has an area of about 19,000 square meters. AL