A Macao construction company has commenced construction in Hengqin New Area of 4,000 Macao New Neighborhood residences plus stores, schools, a health clinic, elderly service facility, community service center, and 4,000-stall parking lot to be completed in 2023.

Matching the criteria and standards of Macao communities, the finished apartments will be in 27 prefabricated buildings of 20 to 26 floors. Eighty percent are two-bedroom units with construction area of 90 sqm (969 sqft), while the rest have three bedrooms with construction area of 100 sqm (1,076 sqft) to 120 sqm (1,292 sqft).

Rendering of Macao New Neighborhood [Photo courtesy Guanhai App]

The community is located in the center of Hengqin Island: east of Zhongxin Avenue, south of Small Hengqin Mt, west of Tianyu Road, and north of Gang'ao Avenue. Macau Urban Renewal, the developer, says the apartment buildings are in front of mountains, face water, and will be widely separated to ensure ample ventilation and sunlight. Macau Urban Renewal is wholly owned by the Macau Special Administrative Region Government.

The project is six minutes' drive from Hengqin Checkpoint. Macao single-plate vehicle owners can apply for permits to exit/enter Hengqin, and, depending on need, shuttle buses may run between the residential community and Hengqin Checkpoint.

The February 2019 development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area supports such a jointly built comprehensive livelihood project in Hengqin. The neighborhood is to integrate elder care, residences, education, and medical treatment. It will also explore applying the Macao medical system and social insurance in Hengqin.

In response, the Hengqin New Area Administrative Committee contracted with Macau Urban Renewal in April 2020 to transfer use of a 190,000-sq-m (47-acre) land lot. Construction will take three years before the purchase application is processed.