Two land plots occupying some 8,356 square metres will revert to the government unless the companies involved submits a contention to the claim within 30 days, according to information published in the Official Gazette yesterday. The two separate plots, one rented on December 29, 1988 and the second rented on December 30, 1988, were both subject to 25-year contracts, which expired in December of 2014. Two for one The first concession, occupying 3,754 square metres is located at lot Q2 in Pak On, in Taipa, and was given to the bus company Transportes Urbanos de Macau (Transmac) at the end of the year that the company, according to its website, obtained its 20-year franchise for bus operations in Macau. This was the same year that the company re-branded from its former name of Companhia de Autocarros de Macau – Fok Lei. The second concession, occupying 4,081 square metres and located on the Estrada Marginal da Ilha Verde in Macau, was granted to Companhia de Auto-carros de Macau – Fok Lei, a company originally established in 1952, which operated under that name until 1988. Don’t use it, lose it Both concessions were originally granted on condition that certain infrastructure be built upon them; namely, for the Taipa property, a three-storey bus terminal to act as a bus collection point, and for the Macau property a six-storey building to act as a bus terminal and car park as well as being available for industrial use. If within the 25-year concession period the terms were met by the companies (or, following restructuring, company) then the concessions would become permanent. According to the publication in yesterday’s Official Gazette, if the companies don’t apply to win back the land, the plots revert ‘free of any charge or charges’, complete with any improvements incorporated on the property to the Macau Government, ‘without any right to compensation’ for the relevant transport companies. The companies have a 15-day grace period in which to appeal directly to the Chief Executive. Deputy General Manager of Transmac, Kwan Wing Kai, said the two plots of land has always been used as used as parking for buses and vehicle maintenance venue and has never been vacant, according to public broadcaster TDM Chinese radio. Mr. Kwan said that the companies had filed for an alignment plan to build factories but the government responded back then that they had renewal plans for the two plots of land and needed to wait for the whole proposal to be finished to provide an alignment plan to the company but such a plan was never issued. When asked if the lands are to be taken away how the company was going to park its buses, Mr. Kwan said that as public transport service provider he believes the government would consider setting up a suitable venue. Not the only one The rental concession of another plot, located in the NAPE district of Macau, also expired on June 27 of last year. The plot, occupying 6,480 square metres, was destined for residential, commercial, hotel and covered parking use. The land was to be divided between two towers – one of 19 storeys and the other of 13 storeys, set atop a four-storey dais. Primary use of the plot was to be for hotel use, given the allocation of 42,178 square metres specifically for this purpose. A further 4,854 square metres was reserved for commercial use and the residential area was set for 17,624 square metres, according to the Official Gazette of November 10, 1999. The covered parking area was set to occupy 7,350 square metres. The same publication stated that the overall utilisation of the space was to be completed by October 29, 2005.
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