Heritage Committee concerned with LRT impact on Praia Grande

IC’s president, Ung Vai Meng

In the latest plenary meeting of the Cultural Heritage Committee (CPC), members have voiced their concerns regarding the Light Rapid Transit (LRT)’s impact on the view of the area in the Praia Grande district facing the Government Headquarters. They have also expressed their support for the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) to initiate the evaluation procedure in order to preserve a partly demolished building on Rua da Barca.
In a press conference yesterday, IC’s president Ung Vai Meng revealed that the officials from the Transportation Infrastructure Office (GIT) have introduced the improved draft of the design for the LRT stations at Praia Grande and Sai Van Lake to members.
He said that some of them were especially concerned with the Praia Grande station because of its relatively close proximity to the Government Headquarters. They were also worried that the station may have an impact on the landscape of the area.
Members have suggested that the authorities should consider overall planning of the LRT facilities and the lakeside area opposite the Government Headquarters. They also advised the authorities to improve the environment of that area in different stages, which was agreed by the officials from the urban planning department at the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau.
Moreover, CPC members have drawn attention to the building on Rua da Barca that was partly demolished at the end of last year before halting due to public concern.
Ung Vai Meng said that the general consensus among the members is that they will support the IC’s decision to evaluate the building in accordance with article 19 of the Cultural Heritage Protection Law and to determine if it should be included in the cultural heritage list.
Although the top two stories of the building have been demolished, Ung Vai Meng said that his colleagues believe it can be repaired at this stage from a technical perspective. He also does not believe that the appeal launched by the building’s developer is in conflict with the launching of the evaluation procedure. The IC president reiterated that the law has already provided guidelines on how best to compensate the owners of cultural heritage-listed buildings.
Architect Carlos Marreiros, the CPC member responsible for external communication, attended yesterday’s press conference. He said that although the building in question is not within the Historic Centre, members still think that it has some special characteristics unique to 1960s architecture in Macau.
Since this is the first time such an evaluation procedure has been launched, some CPC members have given a positive response to the action.
Furthermore, they think that, if it is preserved in the future, it is crucial for the building to be integrated into the nearby neighborhood.
Mr Marreiros later suggested that there are only very few structures that have similar architectural characteristics to the said building on Rua da Barca. Therefore, he personally believes that it is worth preserving.
When asked about the time frame, Ung Vai Meng said that the evaluation procedure would involve a significant workload and will likely to take some time. He said that the procedure will officially begin in the first quarter next year and will last for no longer than 12 months.
The IC president also suggested that there are other buildings they found in this year during the bureau’s cultural heritage survey that are believed to have the potential to be included into the cultural heritage list. They will evaluate those structures alongside the Rua da Barca building.