IC president Leong Wai Man
No extra restrictions can be placed on the Guia Hill suspended construction project as UNESCO has approved the altered design, president Leong Wai Man of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) said yesterday.
She was asked on the sidelines of a press event about any possible further actions that the government would take on the real estate development that was suspended in 2008 after the sudden introduction of a height cap. The height cap was significantly lower than the originally approved height as well as the current height of the project.
Its current height is 81.32 meters above sea level, while it was originally allowed to reach a height of 126.12 meters above sea level. Meanwhile, the height cap for that area was set at 50 meters above sea level.
According to Leong, the IC has continually informed UNESCO, through the National Cultural Heritage Administration, about the condition and development of the private real estate project.
The bureau has followed a topical resolution made during the last UNESCO plenary session, according to Leong. It was earlier revealed at a press event that UNESCO had given a green light to the project, provided that the exterior ornaments and decorations were trimmed down. This has allowed the building to retain its current height.
Leong suggested the press make an inquiry with the Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) to discuss the progress of the project. She stressed that her bureau had approved the adjustments that the project developer proposed in response to the UNESCO resolution.
When questioned on the Chief Executive Dispatch, issued in 2008, which restricts the height of structures built within a radius of the Guia Lighthouse to 50 meters, the IC president hinted that the authority of a dispatch is usually not retrospective, unless otherwise or specifically stated.
She was also asked how this exemption would not lead to further loopholes in the future that would eventually nullify the authority of the 2008 Chief Executive Dispatch.
She refrained from giving a definitive answer, but again suggested that the press approach the construction bureau. However, she added that the approval for the project had been granted before the 2008 dispatch had been issued. “The approved height was even taller,” she said. “The construction stopped right after the issuance of the Chief Executive Dispatch 83/2008.”
About the virtual reality (VR) experience to be rolled out at the Ruins of St Paul’s, which the IC earlier revealed, Leong said that the project will likely be ready at the end of the year. The experience will be located behind the façade of the Ruins.
VR goggles will be arranged for participants who will be brought back to the days when the Ruins were still a church. Both the exterior and the interior of the burnt church will be visualized and presented with VR technologies.
The IC president did not mention whether real-life experience sensors will be arranged so that participants will be able to feel the touch of materials of the destroyed church. Haptic suits are critical pieces of equipment in VR technologies.
On the artillery shell that was found at the Galaxy Macau resort construction site, Leong disclosed that the object is now held at the Macao Museum for further inspection. Afterwards, restoration or handling procedures will be determined based on the results of the inspection.
Judging from the diameter of the shell, its likely relation to the cannons found at the same site was slim, she added.
Leong also discussed the countdown show, which she believed would be possible this year. Although no definite details were available yesterday, she hinted that the bureau is reaching out to pop entertainers in mainland China and Hong Kong.
