Built heritage has been the scene of renewed awareness but also passionate debate recently. Not only have events like the ?Week of Patrimony? last September met with great response from the population, but official measures, namely the adoption of the National Heritage Fund Act in 2003, and the recent nomination of the Aapravsi Ghat as part of Unesco?s ?World Human Heritage? have further encouraged effective conservation and establishment (in the Aapravasi Ghat area), of a management plan for a whole town perimeter carrying great historic value.

But, even with that legal and management frame, heritage is still an issue that has not always been very well considered. The example of Beaugeard School has testified that : though supporters of the patrimonial cause won a case against the authorities, which led to the stop of the building?s demolition two months ago, the structure of the school has been badly affected.

What is remarkable is that Beaugeard had already been included in national monuments. ?The non application of the law that protects our old buildings is being illustrated. And there is worse coming?. Jean-François Guimbeau, from ?SOS Patrimoine en péril?, a NGO engaged in the defense of built heritage, points to the threat that lies upon the fate of a wooden building at Edith Cavell Street in Port-Louis, which until very recently harboured the premises of the ministry of Education. According to various sources, its demolition had been planned months ago and was due for mid-March.

?It is a crime for such extraordinary structure. This is Port-Louis? biggest wooden building, as the Government House itself is not only made of wood but also of stone, and is clearly dating from the French period-200-250 years back. This exceptional place is in relatively good condition and housed before (under Governor Maupin) an hospital.?

But why should we keep such a building, which needs regular maintenance? ?Though there are fewer and fewer people who know how to work with that type of construction, the simple secret of an effective maintenance is to change a planks and shingles regularly. Some goodwill is required.?

?It has been built by people of all trades and origins, who exchanged their knowledge as they worked in teams. It is really common heritage?, adds Philippe La Hausse de La Louvière, director of another NGO, Friends of the environment. ?The perimeter between Ruisseau du Pouce and Line Barracks is particularly threatened. It is time to think about what we are leaving to the future generations. Saint-Georges Street, for example, has so much in terms of history.?

?Lost in architecture?

Now not only Beaugeard School, the education premises in Edith Cavell Street are endangered. On that list, we may find the house that once was the French consulate, at Saint-Georges Street as the French Embassy may sell it. Will the buyers be scrupulous enough to keep that building, which has witnessed so much, have a second life? Are we going to reply to child curiosity -?How was it ??- by showing them brand new parking lots?

Meanwhile, at Caudan Waterfront, the economic logic has produced an architecture that hides the ancient buildings, using the old structure as a base for a modern one, unaware of the conflict of styles. ?Place d?Armes, the green heart of the town, suffers from the same disrespect as huge advertisement billboards disfigure it?, deplores Philippe Lahausse. This affects people in their daily lives. ?Portlouisians should feel at home. And not be lost in architecture that does not appeal to them.? When people work, visit or live in Port-Louis, they do not necessarily want to come across characterless office premises that only strike as being new.

?There is the physical impression that we have of the old town, but also something intangible, which relates to our quality of life. What we have in Mauritius is quite unusual: a mix of European and Indian ways of living, which could be translated in a fondness for cafes and restaurants allied to a vivid street culture. So people should be encouraged to appreciate the quality of life that the local old urban setting can procure.?

Is that still possible? Jean-François Guimbeau has mixed feelings: ?There are still valuable pieces of old Port-Louis still standing. But much is being pulled down at a worrying pace. I am undertaking regular surveys of streets and neighbourhoods and I esteem that about 3 to 4 houses are being demolished each month.? The reason may be economical, as there is a growing market for old stones and portals that end in hotels and luxury houses. ?In that case, not even an old façade could be saved.?

Elsewhere there are streets that change completely in months, losing their charm and giving birth to a hideous landscape. As it happens, for practical reasons, most people who love their old houses prefer to build concrete ones that need less maintenance costs. Sometimes also the land is being split between heirs and the property sold.

Could they be supported if they wanted to do otherwise? In practice, those who choose to keep their traditional settings live precariously: ?When somebody lights a fire in a terrain vague in the neighborhood, we have to pray for our home?, says Sharmila, an old teacher who has lived there since her birth. Actually, it seems that there is not anyone even willing to preserve the old trades associated with traditional houses. Our built past surely deserves more respect.