To revamp or to preserve

The government should consider the historical value of the Hotel Estoril and properly inform the public of its plans before discussing a possible demolition of the building, New Macau Association leader Scott Chiang has insisted.
Before yesterday’s Urban Planning Committee meeting discussing the future of the Hotel Estoril, Chiang delivered a letter to the Committee at the Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) opposing the demolition of the historical building at Avenida de Sidónio Pais.
Chiang said: “We see a lot of unreasonable conduct in the consultation and the planning of this case.” He explained that the association was very sad to witness that “the conduct from the administration totally disregards the proper governance that public opinion should be respected, and we should have a proper consultation before the decision.” The bulldozer
The renewal of the Hotel Estoril building, abandoned since the 1990s, and its eventual patrimonial and historical value, has been debated for a long time, with the Macau government having launched a public consultation process last year.
Two previous surveys conducted by a third-party organization have shown the majority of respondents support the government rebuilding the site, with 82.7 per cent of the 818 collected opinions in favour of a renewal.
The results showed most responders considered it unnecessary to keep the façade of the hotel property, and supported a plan to turn the space into a centre for cultural and recreational activities for young people.
On March 15 of this year, the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s (IC) Cultural Heritage Council decided that the building would not be considered as cultural heritage.
However the New Macau Association leader believes the government hasn’t provided the necessary information for the public. Mr.Chiang stated: “They asked the public what they want to do with the site, giving out an appearance of openness but it lacks substance.”
Mr. Chiang considered the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng gave a “rosy picture” of what the development could be, while “conning people” into supporting a redevelopment that is “essentially the demolition of the site”.
Last year Alexis Tam claimed that most of the opinions that the government had received agreed to rebuilding the hotel for the use of the Macau Conservatory, local teenagers and residents, and that the government had not yet made a decision on retaining the façade of the hotel.
According to the New Macau Association leader the Secretary was not just ignoring the public opinion, but also the opinions of professionals who saw the hotel as a historic site, comparing the Secretary to a “bulldozer” pushing aside any challenge to the government agenda.
“We always talk about the balance between value and preservation but this case totally lacks balance. It’s a total demolition,” added Mr.
Chiang. “The facade preservation doesn’t cause any effect to the building renovation. We hope our opinions make the committee members reconsider the demolition of the building.” Hotel heritage
Development plans for the 6,864 square meter Hotel Estoril site, presented by the Urban Planning Committee, do not yet include an architectural plan for the building – the committee could only state that any future construction would not surpass current height limits and that nearby trees would be preserved.
During the meeting, some members of the Committee seemed to reflect Mr.
Chiang’s views on the building, considering the Hotel Estoril had historical and architectural value, especially its facade, and asked for further discussion on how to execute the building renewal.
“The building has been a target of controversy for a long time. I have no objections to the renovation inside the hotel, but I want to at least suggest the facade is to be preserved,” urban planner Lam Iek Chit said during the meeting.
Lam considered total demolition of the building as an “extremist” and “ridiculous” position and he did not understand why the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) previously considered that the hotel had unique western architecture elements, but later contradicted this view.
“The building and its swimming pool are 1960’s minimalistic constructions. In Oslo, Norway, they have similar buildings, and after an explosion the city’s residents still decided to keep them. However in Macau people want to remove the hotel because they consider it ugly, maybe now we have different beauty standards but thinking of demolishing it completely will lead to future regret” added Lam.
Echoing Lam’s views, Committee member Manuel Iok Pui Ferreira suggested the destiny of the Hotel Estoril should be further discussed with the city’s population, suggesting the building could be a new central library.
“The Hotel Estoril tiles and painting have cultural importance, so why not keep it, even with a new use of the building? In Macau we have copies of Eiffel towers and palaces, is that how we want to attract tourists? No, we want to offer something original and the hotel is original” insisted Ferreira.