Plan for our past: Secretary for Home Affairs Dr Patrick Ho says it is time to take a critical look at the Antiquities & Monuments Ordinance.

The Home Affairs Bureau today launched a three-month public consultation on Hong Kong's heritage conservation policy.

The document sets out key areas on broad policy objectives, principles and strategies on heritage conservation.

Secretary for Home Affairs Dr Patrick Ho said as the Antiquities & Monuments Ordinance has been in use for almost 30 years, it is time to take a critical look at our past work and consider future directions.

"We need a clear policy to set out how to select heritage items for conservation," he said. "There is also a need to formulate a holistic and systematic approach to pick out meritorious historical buildings and to give them protection."

Key policy issues for review

The consultation document outlines a number of key policy issues for review. These include:

* What should we conserve? Should we just conserve "bricks and mortar" or something more, for example, collective memory? In what ways can the community participate in the conservation process?

* How do we conserve our built heritage? Should we adopt different methods of conservation to suit different circumstances? Should we conserve entire streets or areas with special character? In what ways should we improve the ways in which we adapt our built heritage for reuse?

* How much are we as a community willing to pay, given our other priorities? Can we afford the cost of not conserving our built heritage? How can we strike a balance between the costs and benefits? Who should pay? Who should decide?

Strengthened conservation efforts needed

Mr Ho said Hong Kong has undergone urbanisation at an unprecedented rate, adding that this has rendered conservation work on built heritage particularly difficult.

"We need to strengthen our conservation efforts to ensure that public expectations are met in a way that Hong Kong can afford," he said, calling on the community for advice and support.

"The consultation document will provide a basis for the community to discuss this important subject. We welcome your views."

Copies of the consultation document are now available at District Offices and Leisure & Cultural Services Department venues.