What’s the plan?

The majority of Urban Planning Committee members expressed concern over whether the government has made a comprehensive consideration in its planning for the reclamation areas of Zone B and Zone E1, due to the lack of details on public transportation and facilities in its provisional master plan for the two areas.
A meeting was held by the Committee yesterday for the government to present its planning for the two reclamation zones.
According to the plan, a total of seven government office buildings and 2,000 housing units would be built on the east side of Zone B, that being opposite to MGM Macau on the Peninsula, which covers a total of 49 hectares.
Meanwhile, Zone E1, which is adjacent to the Taipa Ferry Terminal and covers 53 hectares, will be developed to a plot housing primarily commercial and residential units, according to the plan.
Committee member Wu Chou Kit, however, complained that the planning for Zones B and E1 does not contain sufficient details, suggesting the government cover more relevant information for the two areas, such as the use of public facilities, electricity supply and water drainage system.
“We have done three public consultations since 2011. The results for the latest consultation have not been finalized as I cannot see [the opinions] in this report. It does not outline the proposed use of space, sea and public facilities,” he pointed out.
The member also urged that the government set up a solid implementation timetable for the planning as soon as possible. “It is taking too much time to implement the plan. [We aim to] resolve the increasing [land] demands from the city’s development through the reclamation projects,” Mr. Wu said.
Another committee member, Leong Chong, also stressed during the meeting that the planning for Zone B does not take the city’s current public traffic issues into account.
“Due to the high demand on new roads, the government should consider introducing water transport to ease the public road traffic,” Mr. Leong opined.
The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, also admitted that the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) has not yet done a formal planning for the two zones due to the lack of information and data gathered from other relevant departments.
“I still don’t have sufficient information to answer the questions raised by committee members regarding public roads, pedestrian pathways and the design of a ventilation system,” the Secretary claimed. ‘Therefore, at this stage, the planning does not consist of many details.”
In addition, the government official admitted the planning was not done by the most scientific measures. “Due to the urgency in planning, many things need to be done at the same time,” he said.
But the Secretary has promised more information would be shared with the Committee as soon as his departments are able to gather further details from other parties.