KUALA LUMPUR: The destruction and demolition of heritage buildings were allowed in the past due to a dearth in consciousness over their significance to local history.
Conservationist Steven Thang said Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail penned this himself in Fraser's Hill Heritage Buildings, a coffee table book launched last year to mark the hill station's 100th anniversary celebration: "So often, we have been unaware of the buildings that hold the local history of the place and the people who had lived in them, as a result, we have allowed them to be demolished or destroyed over the passage of time."
Wan Rosdy has said heritage buildings are a link to the country's past, adding that the book has documented the aesthetics, architecture and design knowledge on how the buildings there are constructed to withstand the cool climate of the hill station.
Thang, who heads the Malaysian Institute of Architects' (PAM) Heritage and Conservation Committee, said these eloquent lines, however, rang hollow after the demolition of a colonial bungalow and an abandoned resort last month. It was reported that the buildings had been torn down to make way for the development of a 14-storey resort and spa.
"Needless to say, this is contradictory to his (Wan Rosdy's) statement. What is happening is deplorable since the buildings were old colonial bungalows."
Thang warned that if left unchecked, the situation could spiral into something more harmful to Fraser's Hill's timeless beauty, as it could set a dangerous precedent for other landowners in the area who are interested only in cashing in on their property.
"Unsustainable tourism and overcommercialisation will follow during the Covid-19 pandemic, where people cannot leave the country.
"In the end, Fraser's Hill will lose its charm when tacky structures start dominating the landscape."
Conservationist Elizabeth Cardosa said the local authorities owed the community an explanation on whether there was due diligence on the part of the private developer.
This, she said, included whether paperwork for planning permission was submitted and approved, and if the developers had conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
"If an EIA was carried out, then the community needs to know what the findings are."
She said the EIA was crucial as the development was near a lake.
"A resort of that scale needs proper access roads for its guests, workers and services. All these should be considered in the EIA," she said, referring to claims by a non-governmental organisation that no such assessment had taken place.
The hill station and its neighbouring hamlet of Kuala Kubu Baru are also destinations for birding besides being a water catchment area, she noted.
Moving forward, Cardosa said, the responsible thing to do was to get a social impact assessment in order to gauge the good or ill the project would bring the community.
She said the local authorities must engage the community on these projects and other development.
"You can't just walk into someone's home and then tear it down. It's like taking away its soul, and the buildings in Fraser's Hill are just that."
She reminded developers and the local community that the hill station was set in an ensemble setting, where all the buildings and structures were architecturally similar.
"Looking at the image of the building on the developer's website, the design of the high-rise took no consideration of the character of Fraser's Hill, where the building structures, despite being grand, are low rise.
"The building design appears insensitive to the identity of the place and is detached from the history and unique identity of the place. The whole setting of the over-100-year-old hill station that has survived from the colonial times will be chipped away as a result of this development."
Cardosa said the building need not be gazetted as a heritage or historical building to be preserved.
"The local councils can kickstart an inventory to ensure that buildings and areas such as Fraser's Hill are conserved in their unique settings. They can do this by engaging locals, the state and the Heritage Department."