The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, said the Government expected there would be some 24,000 units of public housing and Home-Ownership Scheme housing available in the New Urban Zone Area A by the end of his administration’s current term, in 2024.

The Chief Executive shared more of his insights on public housing policy during a question-and-answer session on Tuesday (17 November) concerning the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2021 at the Legislative Assembly.

Mr Ho had delivered the 2021 Policy Address, titled “Strengthening the foundation for consolidation, tackling challenges head on”, on Monday (16 November).

When answering questions from Assembly members, Mr Ho stressed the Government’s determination to fulfil the public’s need for living space. To expedite the process, the Government mulled using a “design and build” model in the construction-tendering process, to enable more construction businesses to be involved in public housing projects.

He disclosed the Government had proposed 24,000 public housing units in the New Urban Zone Area A, from an aggregate of 28,000 planned accommodation units there. Of the 24,000 public ones, 5 percent would be with one bedroom; 85 percent would be two-bedroom units; while the remaining 10 percent would be three-bedroom units, said Mr Ho. The Government would still be able to make adjustments to the proportion public units in New Urban Zone Area A, by taking some allocation from the remaining 4,000 planned units, if the number of public units of either one-bedroom or three-bedroom accommodation fell short of public demand, he added.

Piling work had been initiated at three land plots in the New Urban Zone Area A, Mr Ho said. The Government would soon submit relevant planning proposals for discussion at the Urban Planning Committee, in order to expedite next-phase work, he added.

The Chief Executive pointed out that the Government would be able to start a fresh round of application for Home-Ownership Scheme housing, only when the overall planning and the proportion of housing categories has been finalised.

Regarding a pilot scheme for housing for the elderly, Mr Ho said the Government planned to construct a total of 1,800 units allocated in two buildings at Lot P in Areia Preta. Under the plan, the units would be provided to senior citizens on a rental basis, and those currently living in walk-up flats would be given priority.

Housing for the elderly had encompassed suitable design elements, including widened doorways to allow easier wheelchair access. In the estate building at Lot P, there would be service centres, restaurants and medical facilities for services such as haemodialysis. All these services were aimed at helping senior citizens to enjoy their twilight years in housing for the elderly, Mr Ho added.

To speed up construction work, the two buildings with housing for the elderly would be commissioned by direct tender, and developed using a relatively high-cost method, i.e., modular integrated construction. It was expected it would take three years to three and a half year to finish the projects, Mr Ho said.

During the question-and-answer session, the Chief Executive also said a more detailed planning of the city’s transport system for the next decade would be complemented by the Macao Urban Development Master Plan, which had recently completed a phase of public consultation. Under the Master Plan, New Urban Zone Area A would feature a link to the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system, with flyovers and tunnels for road transport. In addition, New Urban Zone Area A would have a large zone for schools, in order to ease traffic congestion elsewhere in the city, linked to children being either dropped off or picked up in vehicles.

Mr Ho additionally said an information-based system might be helpful in diverting the traffic: the Government would consider using more smart transport systems in New Urban Zone Areas.

Regarding the city’s development of a 5G network, Mr Ho said a bill regarding convergence of telecom networks and services, which was currently under revision, would be a fundamental step for further development in that field. He also mentioned more discussion was needed regarding whether input of relevant 5G infrastructure – estimated to cost 3 billion patacas – should be borne by telecom operators or by the Government, Mr Ho said.