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A case for preserving our ‘Grand old dame’ Source:Sundaytimes Colombo, since its start as a colonial fort city, has evolved as the business capital of Sri Lanka over a period of five centuries. The growth and urban transformation of Colombo that has taken place during the decade from 2010 is significant as well as critical in the context of its built heritage. The awareness and consciousness which got built into society since the 1980s towards our built heritage has drastically deteriorated and, during the past, a number of significant architectural heritage buildings have been demolished to make way for a developer-led city. The issues such as conflictive decision-making process, inaccurate or biased judgments, weak performance and engagements by relevant professionals are some noticeable aspects of the existing urban development and heritage protection agencies. Moreover, the nonexistence of public agencies having adequate power to look after the urban built heritage is ...