Save our heritage buildings
The Kompannaveediya Castle Hotel, a building which is more than 140 years old, has been pulled down to make way for a mixed development project implemented by an international company. In June 2016, the Archaeology Department wrote to the Urban Development Authority stating that the edifice was of historical value and must be preserved. But it neglected to gazette the building as a historical monument and in May 2017 granted permission to the developer to have it razed to the ground.
In its latter stages, the Castle Hotel had been a working class bar. The descendants of Charles Henry de Soysa, who held ownership, were repeatedly denied permission to carry out alterations or have it cleared from that space on the premise that it was a heritage building. But the might of an international developer was too much for the authorities to bear and the Castle Hotel paid the price. What, now, will become of similar edifices in Kompannaveediya, Fort and other areas? Studies, we are told, have been done and buildings earmarked for preservation. But there was much confusion over how the Castle Hotel had slipped through the cracks.
With Colombo due to be converted into a modern megapolis, there are legitimate questions over what policymakers and implementers have planned for monuments that stand in the way of their lofty plans. Countless cities around the world have made an example of the old cohabiting with the new. Unless structurally unsafe, there is no longer any reason why heritage buildings--their worth cannot be measured in pure economic terms--must be pulled down.
Led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the then Secretary to the Defence Ministry, the former administration set about actively preserving historical architecture while transforming the city into a modern metropolis. Fort was identified as an area that had tremendous historical depth. The plan was to put these buildings to use after renovation, restoration and rehabilitation.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has himself expressed a wish to conserve old edifices within a framework of urban redevelopment. On a visit to Singapore last year, he saw how old courtrooms and office spaces were turned into galleries that housed world-class art. But somewhere along the line, the message seems to be getting lost. It is time to put in place and carry out a clear policy as regards Sri Lanka’s irreplaceable heritage buildings. No. 08, Hunupitiya Cross Road, Colombo 02. P.O. Box 1136, Colombo editor@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2331276 news@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479332, 2328889, 2331276 features@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479312, 2328889,2331276 pictures@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479323, 2479315 sports@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479311 bt@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479319 funtimes@sundaytimes.wnl.lk - 2479337, 2331276 2479540, 2479579, 2479725 2479629, 2477628, 2459725