MUR visits District Development Promotion Association

Source: District Development Promotion Association

Macau Urban Renewal Limited (MUR) Chairperson of the Board of Director Peter Lam Kam Seng and Vice-Chairpersons Leong Keng Seng and Lau Veng Seng visited the District Development Promotion Association, and was welcomed by the association’s chairperson Sio Chong Meng, vice-chairperson Lei Wai Chong and president Chan Tak Seng.

During the meeting, they exchanged views and discussed about urban renewal.

Sio acknowledged MUR’s effort in promoting community revitalisation, suggesting that preparation work on communication needs to be handled well, such as listening to the opinions of residents and professionals in the field and reaching a consensus, in order to avoid any misunderstanding or dispute.

Lei said that the implementation of urban renewal requires the support of a legal system. As the association puts effort into district development, Lei said that she hopes to be able to discuss about some of the legal issues with MUR in the near future.

Chan said that many residents have told the association about the poor environmental hygiene around the estate, how their buildings are falling apart, how some of the power supply equipment is outdated and overloaded, and were worried that these could lead to safety hazards. In addition, there is a shortage of sitting-out areas and facilities for the public to use, which is one of the factors that hinder the healthy development of the community.

Regarding Iao Hon Estate, the discussion was particularly focused on the provision of natural lighting and breezeway for ventilation between buildings, greened areas as well as sitting-out areas and facilities when the estate gets redeveloped.

When designing the layout plan, the association said it hopes that more consideration be put into the use of space and the inclusion of revitalisation elements. The layout plan should also set aside public space that residents can use for leisure activities and homeowners’ association meetings, so to turn Iao Hon into a multi-functional community that is in line with the city’s revitalisation.

Lam said that since MUR was established, it has been actively promoting urban renewal projects with the launch of a research study to gauge public opinion and also started a face-to-face household interview survey with residents of Iao Hon Estate. Some of the property owners have also contacted the company to discuss about the redevelopment plan and their responses have been positive.

Lam added that the company has consulted related government entities regarding the conditions of the area for the layout planning. MUR hopes to use a more flexible and efficient approach to redevelopment.