with departmental giants like Robinsons ( where CIMB Bank is situated now ), Whiteaway Laidlaw ( now OCBC Bank ) and Gian Singh building ( now KFC ).
Upon the completion of the LRT line , the former FMS Survey Office completely lost its key views and also succumbed to noise pollution and disturbing vibrations from moving trains . As a result , the LRT line has seriously impacted the cultural resources of the street to the extent that the ascribed value of the heritage sites have been compromised . With the decline in living conditions , some heritage buildings have been vandalised , especially the former Survey Office which was a refuge for many homeless people until City Hall carried out a major clean-up following “ The River of Life ” beautification project . However , the adverse heritage and environmental impact remains irreversible .
Similarly , other infrastructural developments such as bridges and elevated highways , have impacted heritage resources irreversibly . An example is the 1959 double-decker steel Kota Bridge ( Jambatan Kota ) in Klang which lost a segment to accommodate urban infrastructure needs . The bridge was constructed by Dormon Long & Co Ltd of England , the company that built the Victoria Railway Bridge in Kuala Krai , Perak ,
Laws for Protecting the Heritage
The law that protects our country ’ s heritage resources is the National Heritage Act 2005 or NHA ( Act 645 ), an Act to provide for the conservation and preservation of National Heritage , natural sites , tangible and intangible cultural heritage , as well as underwater cultural heritage , which includes treasure trove and other related matters . The Act received Royal Assent on December 30 , 2005 and came into effect on March 1 , 2006 .
In addition , for special area conservation , local and structure plans , the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 ( Act 172 ) and Order , part III , IV and VA empowers the local authority to regulate and control land use , building use , development and preservation of trees which are part of the regulations to protect the registered cultural heritage and cultural landscape within its designated area .
As of October 2020 , there were 278 cultural heritage sites ( buildings and monuments ), 22 archaeological sites , 10 natural sites and 529 intangible heritage listings in the Registry of the National Heritage and Heritage . Malaysia is also proud to have several UNESCO World Heritage sites , namely Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak , Kinabalu Park in Sabah , Melaka and Georgetown , historic cities of the Straits of Malacca and the archaeological heritage site of the Lenggong Valley , Perak .
Protection of Heritage Resources through Heritage Impact Assessment
While many in the building and construction industry are familiar with Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA ) and Traffic Impact Assessment ( TIA ), not many have heard of the Heritage Impact Assessment ( HIA ), when considering development projects in a historic urban area or in an area where cultural and natural heritage sites are nearby .
As we all know , EIA studies are widely recognised as a suitable approach for assessing the impact of development projects on the environment ( Glasson et al ., 2012 ). Furthermore , internationally all countries have some form of legal or administrative requirement for EIA ( Morgan , 2012 ). However , while cultural significance and sustainability are multi-dimensional , current Environmental Assessment ( EA ) tools are mostly single-dimensional ( Ding , 2008 ). Therefore , where does HIA stand ? In countries where HIA forms a part of the EIA , it is found that there is a lack of objectivity and completeness in HIA ( Teller and Bond , 2002 ).
In Malaysia , heritage assessment is one of the measures taken to protect cultural and natural resources . Section 40 of the NHA 2005 - Application for planning permission for heritage site states that the heritage commissioner shall advise the local planning authority before a development order is granted to developments involving and / or within the 200m distance of a heritage site . In many development projects , the HIA will be required during the
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