The public consultation on the Lai Chi Vun old shipyards area will be launched during the first quarter of 2018, the head of the Heritage Department of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) and acting deputy president of the IC, Leong Vai Man, said on Saturday, at a public event.
According to TDM, Leong told the media that his bureau would try to have the first batch of public consultation regarding the old shipyard buildings and the area that comprises Lai Chi Vun completed “in the first quarter of this year.”
The measure was said by Leong to be included in the heritage assessment procedure “that we must finish within a 12-month period,” adding, “I’m confident that will not take too long to happen.”
The acting deputy president of the IC also noted that the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) will be in charge of the planning for the public consultation. He explained that “it is still at the research stage now,” and expressed his hopes that DSSOPT would successfully integrate the views of all others bureaus involved (including the IC) to articulate a “suitable plan.”
In 2017, the shipyards was one of the most crucial public disagreements between the offices of Secretaries Alexis Tam (Social Affairs and Culture) and Raimundo do Rosário (Transport and Public Works); the disagreement culminated with Rosario’s decision to proceed with demolitions of some of the shipyards based on “safety concern measures”. Tam had sought an evaluation of the site that would lead to a heritage classification.
The demolition was finally stopped and the DSSOPT changed their approach, performing structural reinforcement works on the shipyards that were still standing. In late August the works were halted by the passage of Typhoon Hato and the typhoon caused severe damage to the site.
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