Macao’s 85-year-old Red Market is set to get a major facelift starting early in 2022 and likely to last more than two years.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has launched a public tender for the renovation of the heritage-listed market.
Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon, whose portfolio also oversees the city’s municipal affairs, has previously indicated that the government expects the project to get off the ground early next year.
Red Market, officially known as Almirante Lacerda Municipal Market, stands at the junction of Avenida de Horta e Costa and Avenida do Almirante Lacerda and is a cornerstone of the local community as it deals chiefly in fresh foodstuffs.
The market, which opened in 1936, was listed as a heritage site under the category of “buildings of architectural interest” in the 1990s. It is the only wet market building in Macao listed as a cultural heritage site.
The government has said that once the renovation starts, the stalls will be temporarily moved to the Provisional Patane Market – which has not been in use since March 2018 when the nearby Patane Market Municipal Complex came into service.
IAM officials have said that the structure and facilities of Red Market have aged and are in need of major renovation. These will include the installation of additional electrical facilities, air conditioning, lifts and barrier-free facilities so as to improve its shopping and business environment.
The IAM initially put forward the idea of renovating the market in 2017, but the project has been repeatedly delayed, first by the need to ensure the smooth transfer of traders to the Provisional Patane Market building, and then because the bureau had to come up with a design that preserved the existing architectural features of the building while strengthening its internal main structure.
Potential bidders are required to submit their quotations by 24 November, which will be unsealed the next day.
The bureau has set a maximum period of 820 days for the winning bidder to complete the project, reported The Macau Post Daily.
