STATE agencies, such as the National Heritage Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority, must execute their responsibilities to decide on the heritage value of a property ("Mr Lee's house a chance for due process"; yesterday).
However, if the property owners are against preservation, their wishes count towards the decision. Therefore, when contention arises, the decision of whether or not to preserve a building does not lie with the state agencies.
The next level of decision-making will, thus, escalate to the minister in charge. The minister should consider all sides of the debate in order to come up with a compromise.
Ng Kim Leong
