MACAO, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The government of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) has decided not to develop its proposed areas reclaimed from the sea for casino projects, said the SAR's Secretary for Transport and Public Works Lau Si Io on Tuesday.
Under the new plan, around 60 percent of the proposed reclaimed lands will be used for non-property projects, such as roads, squares, parks and public facilities, in a bid to create more spaces for enhancing local residents' living quality, said Lau.
As the gaming hub of Asia, there are currently 31 casinos in Macao, the only place in China where gambling is legal, and a new mega casino resort is scheduled to open in June this year.
However, the SAR's Chief Executive Ho Hau Wah has announced last year a series of measures to freeze the development of Macao's gaming sector, which included not granting new lands for the use of casino projects.
According to the new reclamation plan, the reclaimed lands will take up a sea area of about 400 hectares, which is less than the originally-proposed 500 hectares, and the location of the five new reclamation sites will be more or less the same with the original ones.
Lau also said that the revised reclamation plan has been submitted to China's central government, and once given the green light, the SAR government will introduce the new plan to the public and seek different advices on it, so as to optimize the planning of the new districts.
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