The Macau government has announced that Avenida Almeida Ribeiro will be revitalized by SJM Resorts, with a focus on three buildings, namely Pier 16, Pier 14 and the Kam Pek Community Centre. SJM will berth its famous “floating casino”, the Macau Palace, outside of Pier 14.
SJM’s Managing Director, Daisy Ho, said that SJM has been in business for more than 60 years and its head office has always been rooted in the Avenida Almeida Ribeiro area.
“We fully support the government’s efforts to revitalize the old districts and we hope to bring people from the Lisboa and Grand Lisboa areas to Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro,” she said.
Ms Ho added that Pier 16, Pier 14 and Kam Pek Community Centre will be the focus of the revitalization plan, and that Pier 16 and Pier 14 would be the key targets. Pier 14 will be transformed into a riverside leisure area with the theme of “land and water blending”, and the revitalized Macau Palace will be moored there.
“Subject to the government’s approval, a plaza will be built in the vicinity of Pier 16 and Pier 14, which will become a leisure attraction,” Ms Ho explained. “The development of Pier 14 will also create the conditions for marine tourism in the future.”
As for Macau Palace, currently berthed near Fai Chi Kei, “SJM has invited experts from the mainland to carry out conservation and restoration work on the boat. We are now actively studying the future use of Macau Palace to attract more tourists.
“We know that the Macau Palace is the collective memory of Macau residents, so we are bringing the ship back to them.”
Ms Ho also mentioned that Macau Palace will be open to the public in the future, although the full use plan of the ship is still under development.
Pier 16 will be updated with new tourism facilities, and Kam Pek Community Centre will introduce trendy and special products. For the revitalization of the Avenida Nouveau area, a renowned creative company has been engaged to work with teams from the mainland and Macau to produce special lighting installations.
“We will develop the Praça de Ponte e Horta and the Hong Kung Miu Temple into a bazaar that combines food and culture,” Ms Ho said, revealing that plans for Piers 14 and 16 were submitted to the Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) early this year.
“The project will take more than two years to complete and the program will be launched in 2025 or 2026.”
Ms Ho noted that the Pier 16 project will be carried out in conjunction with Success Universe Group, which operates integrated resort Ponte 16.
It has also been confirmed that Sands China will revitalize the Iec Long Firecracker Factory and Galaxy Entertainment Group the Lai Chi Vun Shipyard, but Macau’s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ao Ieong U said, “These two companies are not limited to revitalizing one place. We’ll make another announcement later.”
