ENG-2008 — Page 284

224 | Infrastructure Development and Heritage Conservation

adaptive re-use under the Revitalisation Scheme. Further public engagement exercises will be conducted for revitalisation projects in the coming year.

A dedicated website on heritage conservation (www.heritage.gov.hk) was launched in January to provide an effective platform for the dissemination of information. During the year, the website attracted more than 300 000 visitors. The bureau began publishing a bimonthly newsletter L@Heritage' in June 2008 to feature topics of public concern and the work of the Commissioner for Heritage's Office. The newsletters can be downloaded from the dedicated heritage website and are also available in public libraries, District Offices, tertiary educational institutions and professional bodies.

Commissioner for Heritage's Office

The Development Bureau set up the Commissioner for Heritage's Office on April 25, 2008 to provide dedicated support in implementing the policy on heritage conservation and keeping it under constant review, taking forward a series of new initiatives, as well as serving as a focal point of contact, both locally and overseas. The Office comprises professionals from the fields of architecture, engineering, estate surveying and historical research and others, and non-civil service contract staff specialising in property management and marketing.

Antiquities and Monuments Office

The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) continued its task of preserving Hong Kong's heritage and promoting public awareness of it through various educational and extension projects in 2008.

The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) has 26 appointed members. It advises the Government on sites and structures that merit protection by declaring monuments and on other matters related to antiquities and monuments. The AMO provides. secretariat support for the AAB.

In 2008, restoration and repair work on a number of historic buildings was carried out, including the Hau Ku Shek Ancestral Hall in Ho Sheung Heung, Fan Sin Temple in Sheung Wun Yiu, Yeung Hau Temple in Ha Tsuen, Tai Fu Tai in San Tin and the Helena May in Central. A conservation study and cartographic survey for Chik Kwai Study Hall in Pat Heung was also conducted. Full restoration of the Study Hall commenced in October 2008.

In April 2008, the remains of Longjin Bridge, which adjoined the main gate of the old Kowloon Walled City, were identified through the archaeological impact. assessment of the Kai Tak Development. Further investigation was conducted between November 2008 and March 2009 on in-situ preservation. To allow construction of two school projects, a large-scale rescue excavation at So Kwun Wat in Tuen Mun was launched in November 2008 with a completion target of June 2009. Experts from the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences were invited to recover the archaeological remains jointly with the Office. Archaeological investigations were also arranged at Sai Kung, Yuen Long, Lamma