A two-month public consultation on the protection and management plan of Macau’s Historic Centre commenced on 10^th October.

The consultation paper lists several suggestions including regulating commercial billboards erected near heritage sites to ensure they neither detract from the beauty of the sites nor obstruct the views from the side streets. It also suggests restricting the construction of new buildings in the ‘buffer zones’ of the Historic Centre. In addition, guidelines concerning the restoration of heritage buildings will be introduced.

At the press conference announcing the consultation, Cultural Affairs Bureau President Ung Vai Meng stressed that this preliminary round seeks to raise residents’ awareness of the protection of the Historic Centre of Macau and genuinely sought to collect their opinions. The works of this stage will translate into an administrative regulation with legal effect, while a more detailed guideline for practices is expected to be released next year following another round of public consultations.

The Historic Centre of Macau is a collection of over twenty sites comprising two separate core areas - each surrounded by a buffer zone – in the city centre on the Macau Peninsula. In 2005, the Historic Centre of Macau was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it the 31^st designated World Heritage site in China.

For details please visit the Chinese/ Portuguese website: 
www.macauheritage.net/survey/manage2014 or dial (853) 2836 6866 for enquiries.