Speaking at a press conference Monday, Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho said the government is deeply touched by the recent spate of public concern and heated discussions on heritage conservation in the community, particularly on people's yearning for collective memory, which has reflected a greater public demand for heritage protection with more vehement and concrete discussions.

"We are delighted to see increasing awareness of the importance of heritage conservation. Built heritage conservation should not be limited to protecting the historic architectural features of buildings. Collective memory in association with the buildings should also be preserved," he said.

In order to do a better work on antiquity conservation, the government is considering devising a comprehensive assessment mechanism and protection measures; setting up trust funds to revitalize built heritage; introducing economic incentives to encourage private property owners to protect built heritage; and enhancing education and publicity.

Concrete measures will be announced in the middle of the year for public discussion. The government will collect views on how to extend the current built heritage assessment criteria and incorporate the "collective memory" element.

The Home Affairs Bureau will hold two large regional forums, three open forums, and focus group discussions with professional sectors between the middle of this month and early next month. The public will be invited to assess the heritage values of historic buildings, which will enhance the transparency of the current heritage conservation mechanism.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive has appointed 28 members to a new term of the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB), while 13 are re-appointed, 15 are new members. They are professionals coming from various sectors of the community. Many of them are closely involved in heritage protection work and public policies over the years. Many are also young opinion leaders.

To make the professional work of AAB more acceptable to the community, the government plans to form three sub-committees under the board. One on the protection and revitalization of heritage buildings, the second one on research, standardization and legislation matters, and the last one on community involvement, education and publicity. The public will also be invited to become members of these sub-committees.