Price for land rented from Zhuhai for LRT still ‘a mystery’

The Secretary for Administration and Justice, André Cheong has failed, yet again, to provide the rent figure that will be paid to the authorities of Zhuhai for the 3,700 square meter land parcel close to the Border Gate that will be used in the construction of the East Line of the Light Rapid Transit (LRT).

At the Legislative Assembly (AL) where discussion, the first reading, and final vote on a bill for basic regulations under Macau laws governing the land and sea areas granted by the central government for such a purpose were held, Cheong was questioned by the lawmakers on the topic of the area, rental period and rental fee to be paid by Macau to the neighboring city of Zhuhai for the use of the plot.
In response, the Secretary said that the rental period will run until 2049 but the price is not yet known.

“As for the rent price, in the future, we will have an agreement between the two sides [Zhuhai and Macau]. For the time being, we don’t know for sure the price,” he said, saying also that the detailed area of the plot, to be defined by the State Council, is currently undergoing a final marking but should be approximately 3,700m2.

Cheong also noted that the agreement states clearly that during the whole rental period, ending December 19 2049, the plot cannot be used for any other purpose besides the construction of the East Line of the LRT to reach the Border Gate area.

He also said that the land must be used to benefit the local LRT, as well as for the interconnection with the transport network of the mainland side.

The decision to grant Macau the plot came from a decision of the Permanent Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), adopted on December 29 last year.

In the decision it is also noted that “at the end of the lease period, the lease may be renewed by decision of the Standing Committee of the NPC.”

When completed, the East Line of the LRT will connect the Pac On area in Taipa via an underwater tunnel to Zone A of the new landfills and continue as an underground tunnel until the Border Gate.

Previously, the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, suggested the line extending beyond the current plan might include one more station to serve the Qingmao border post but, in an interview with the Times last month, Rosário said that this potential extension is not a matter for the current agenda.  He hinted that such a project would be not part of the major construction of the line but instead a separate project for a later time.