New law, plan, and zoning of maritime areas under consultation

The government announced yesterday in a press conference that it is today launching a public consultation on a new law to regulate the maritime areas as well as a plan for the usage of these areas and their classification in different zones according to their purpose.

At the press conference organized by the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA), the DSAMA director, Susana Wong, said the main purpose of the new law is to ensure that the maritime areas comprising 85 square kilometers are part of the public domain and cannot be alienated or moved to the private domain.

Wong also noted the new law will also establish a clearer evaluation and approval system for the use of those areas by private entities, standardizing these rules and providing broader access to the public of this information and requirements for those interested in making use of them.

With the regime also comes a supervision and sanctioning system for those who fail to comply. It will also stipulate the price to pay for each use, although this information will only be added at a later stage via an administrative regulation.

Questioned by the media on the timeline for the addressing of these topics and when the law will reach the Legislative Assembly, Wong said there is not a confirmed timeline yet as the documents will now undergo a period of 50 days of public consultation (from Dec. 29, 2023 until Feb. 16, 2024). There will then be a period for the compilation and analysis of all opinions collected, the elaboration of the final report as well as the necessary adjustments of the documents to take into account public opinions and the production and delivery of the final draft to the Executive Council (ExCo).

“I believe this entire process can take a few months and then we don’t know how long [ExCo] will need to analyze the bill and the final draft is ready to be sent to the Legislative Assembly,” the DSAMA director said.

Concurrently with the law, the plan and zoning of the maritime areas will define the purpose of each section including the coastal areas, and will take into account the provisions already considered in the Urban Master Plan.

As the DSAMA officials explained, in reality, all the areas have already been assigned a purpose and “there is not much free space that allows other kinds of development.”

The plan is valid until 2040 and already includes developments such as the fourth bridge Macau-Taipa as well as the new developments related to the East Line of the Light Rapid Transit and the airport expansion.

The plan also considers the construction of the “Ecological Island” that has long been on the government’s agenda and that will be located south of Coloane.

This facility will come as an alternative for the deposition of construction residues as the current landfill in Coloane is already reaching capacity.

According to the plan, the island will be beautified and put to public use as a coastal facility, garden and multifunction venue.

Opinions on the law, plan and zoning of the maritime areas can be submitted to DSAMA through the usual means including online, in person, by mail, electronic mail, fax, and also via the public sessions that DSAMA will hold in January next year.

The first session will be held on Jan. 5 and will be dedicated to the associations and sectors. It will be followed by two sessions on Jan. 7 and 10 dedicated to the public in general.

For more information, interested parties should consult leaflets available in most public services or the DSAMA’s website (www.marine.gov.mo).