IC to repair three sites considered of cultural value

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) will support the restoration works of three sites considered of cultural value, including one of the buildings which is part of the official residence of the Consul-General of Portugal to Macau and Hong Kong.

The restoration plans were approved yesterday during a plenary meeting of the Cultural Heritage Committee presided over by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Ao Ieong.

The IC plans to spend some 1.65 million patacas, with the larger slice used to repair a building which is part of the Portuguese consul’s official residence. According to the report, the repair cost is estimated at about 1.2 million patacas.

According to information provided after the meeting by the president of IC, Deland Leong, there are several issues involving the Portuguese consul’s official residence, located in the former Bela Vista Hotel building, as the ancillary buildings present numerous instances of damage. These include façade damage, roof leaks and cracked plaster, as well as in the linking of the building with the old city walls, where several stones have collapsed.

The IC will also repair two other sites, including the wall of the former Iec Long firecracker factory in Taipa and the ancient gateway house located at the Calçada do Amparo, in the surroundings of the Ruins of Saint Paul’s.

According to details provided by the director of the Department of Cultural Heritage of IC, parasitic plants have damaged the ancient gateway which has caused the wooden frame to fall, while the roof tiles are also leaking. The IC plans to spend some 350,000 patacas on repairs of this last site and another 100,000 patacas will be spent on repairs of the wall of the Iec Long site in Taipa.