Taipa wet market faces facelift and expansion

The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) has considered expanding the current wet market, located in the old district of Taipa. The Urban Planning Department from the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) has been seeking other possible locations  for another wet market to meet the fast-growing urban development in the island.
The authorities’ plan was revealed at the sixth meeting of the Urban Planning Committee, which was held this week. Most committee members agreed on the proposal, provided that the current two-storey building includes an additional floor and an underground two floors parking lot. Some other commission members criticized the reconstruction, labeling it as meaningless and the traffic in that area as inconvenient to the public. They suggested that the market should be relocated elsewhere.
Lao Iong, head of the Urban Planning Department, responded to their remarks, saying that the department has been investigating other possible locations at which to build a new wet market. The IACM representative also added that the bureau would collect public opinions to work out the final scheme.
After the meeting, Lao told media representatives that a majority of the total 661 opinions received earlier initially suggested a general acceptance of the controversial urban planning blueprint for Fisherman’s Wharf.  However, the authorities had no way of verifying the identities of those respondents. The department head stressed that the small number of responses could not influence the government’s decision. The more influential factors, he said, would be the either supporting or opposing opinions stated in the responses, which would later be classified accordingly.