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The public consultation on the proposed gradings of the 1,444 historic buildings will end on July 31.
A spokesman for the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) today (July 10) urged people to take this opportunity to submit their views on the proposed gradings or provide additional information in relation to any of the historic buildings.
The public consultation started when the list of 1,444 historic buildings was announced on March 19. Consultation sessions with the 18 District Councils organised by the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) started in June and the AAB has so far met 12 District Councils to collect their views. Another two consultation sessions for the remaining six District Councils will be held in the coming two weeks.
The Antiquities and Monuments Office has received about 250 public submissions on the 1,444 buildings.
"After a preliminary vetting of the submissions and enquiries collected, the Antiquities and Monuments Office will have the information referred to the Expert Panel, which was formed in 2005 to undertake an in-depth assessment of the heritage value of the historic buildings, for review. There is the possibility that grading adjustments and addition of new buildings to the list will be made," the spokesman said.
He said the AAB expected to finalise the grading exercise by the end of this year.
The list of the 1,444 historic buildings along with their photos, brief introductions and assessments are now available on AMO's website at www.amo.gov.hk for public access. Those who wish to access detailed information of these buildings are welcome to approach the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre by calling 2208 4400 to make their requests.
Ends/Friday, July 10, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:04
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