Heritage | Chui Sai On makes no comments on imposing building height limits

Macau’s work regarding the protection of the region’s cultural heritage adheres to guidelines from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and to advice from experts in the field, the Chief Executive said yesterday before departing to Beijing to attend the National People’s Congress’ closing ceremony.

During a public consultation regarding the Plan for Protection and Management of the Historic Centre of Macau, the government claims to have received a number of opinions regarding the proposed delineation of a visual corridor in order to preserve the view – as seen from the Macau peninsula – of the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha, at Penha Hill.  Chief Executive Chui Sai On said that “it would be difficult to comment on whether there should be height limits for buildings in relation to the proposed visual corridor,” as that topic is still under consultation procedures.

Commenting on other issues, Chui told reporters that the government is looking forward to exploring opportunities with Hebei Province regarding development of the latter’s Xiong’an New Area economic zone. This would be a subject for discussion during a meeting with the Secretary of the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee, Wang Dongfeng, and the Governor of Hebei, Xu Qin.

Chui has embarked on a four-day visit to Beijing. While in the capital, Chui will also meet with scholars from the Institute for Public Safety Research – a body based at Tsinghua University – as well as meet with representatives of China Central Television.

According to a statement issued yesterday, the visit to Tsinghua University “aims to provide the government with better insights on the Institute’s latest scientific and technological researches regarding public emergency management, and would help optimize Macau’s capabilities regarding the city’s response to any public emergency.”

Chui said the government is paying great attention to the development of Macau’s young people. The key policy objective for the government is “how to improve the upward mobility of young people, most of whom had the opportunity to receive an education in a tertiary educational institution,” he noted.