Macau (MNA) – With the public consultation of the classification procedure for the Lai Chi Wun shipyards to end on Thursday, the New Macau Association (NMA) has commented that the government’s assessment of the shipyards as either dangerous or ‘passable’ is unfair and misleading.
Sulu Sou Ka Hou, Vice-President of NMA, said during a press conference on Wednesday that the descriptions of the shipyards in the consultation document leads the public to merely focus on safety issues and whether those structures should be removed, resulting in an unbalanced discussion about the site.
He added that the Macau SAR Government is capable of preserving the shipyards.
In the press conference, NMA urged the government to include the surrounding wetlands, old villages and hills of the area in the temporary buffer zones.
Mr. Sou also called attention to the fact that three plots near the site that are not included in the buffer zone were recently the subject of urban planning consultation, arguing that the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) appears to have decided on the final usage of the plots before their potential inclusion in the buffer zone.
Asked about his opinion on suggestions to include commercial elements at the site, for instance a hotel, Mr. Sou said commercial elements should not divert attention away from the historical nature of the site.
Alan Lam, a member of the Council of NMA, on the other hand, indicated that the DSSOPT had abruptly removed the Lai Chi Wun area and the hills of Alto de Coloane from the protected areas in a detailed development plan of the Coloane District in 2009, which explained why the Cultural Affairs Bureau had not included the surrounding environment of Lai Chi Wun in the buffer zone.
The group is urging the DSSOPT to adhere to the original notion of preserving the countryside of Coloane as zones protected against overdevelopment.
