Lighthouse concern group calls on culture officials to offer greater protection

The Concern Group for the Protection of the Guia Lighthouse has pressed for further action to protect the views from and of the Guia Lighthouse during a meeting with officials from the social affairs and culture field on Wednesday.
In the hopes of better protecting the lighthouse, the concern group cited several entities that have given opinions, such as the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the People’s Republic of China and UNESCO, to argue that the local government should work harder to safeguard the lighthouse.
The concern group noted in its post-meeting statement: “The visual integrity and the principal sightlines of the Guia Lighthouse must be protected and decisive measures should be taken to reduce the height of buildings adjacent to the [lighthouse].”
Of particular concern to the group is the height clearance on Avenida do Doutor Rodrigo Rodrigues. Currently, pursuant to the Executive Order 83/2008, the clearance is set to 90 meters.
“The height limit of 90 meters for the buildings under construction and the buildings to be built along the Avenida do Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues is insufficient to maintain the visual integrity of the Guia Lighthouse,” the concern group said in the statement.
It also said that any new developments near the lighthouse should be evaluated in conformity with certain guidelines through Heritage Impacts Assessments.
Furthermore, the concern group questions the progress of the Macao Historic Centre Protection and Management Plan.
In 2005, the World Heritage Committee recommended that every effort to develop a management system should be made so as to retain the existing structural and visual integrity of the lighthouse, as well as to maintain the principal sightlines of the nominated area within its contemporary setting. A related master plan has not been made since then, the group pointed out.