A groundbreaking ceremony took place for the Cai Tang Yuan government-subsidised rental housing project in Hengqin on Monday. Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng officiated at the ceremony, along with senior officials Lei Wai Nong and Cheong Kok Kei.
Speaking at the event, Lei – Macao’s secretary for economy and finance and director of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone’s executive committee – said that the development would eventually provide more low cost housing options for eligible Macao residents, as well as facilitate livelihood and employment opportunities, TDM reports.
Cai Tang Yuan covers more than 33,000 square metres and is expected to consist of about 3,000 housing units when complete.
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Lei described the project’s commencement as “a concrete action to show the outside world” that Hengqin’s development “has entered a new phase.”
Cheong, the director of the zone’s Urban Planning and Construction Bureau, also spoke at the ceremony. He said that his bureau aimed to see Cai Tang Yuan set a benchmark for “national green building technology-based public housing” on the island.
Administratively part of the neighbouring mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai, Hengqin is seen playing a vital part in Macao’s expansion, by providing land for housing and businesses. Currently, Hengqin is home to around 16,000 people from Macao.
