Two iconic buildings in Colombo to be refurbished

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

St. John's fish market

Under the current Urban Regeneration Program of the Urban Development Authority two iconic buildings of the Colombo city will be renovated and refurbished. According to a spokesperson from the UDA media unit the former St. John's fish market building and Gafoor building in Colombo Fort area will be renovated and refurbished making them high tech economic centres of the Colombo Metropolitan area.

The former St. John's Fish market will be upgraded to a Gem and Jewellery trading centre with 83 shops, banks, restaurants and many other modern facilities.

The building will also include a branch of the Gem and Jewellery Authority for the benefit of the businessmen to certify the quality of the goods they buy.

The Gafoor building, constructed during the colonial era, will be renovated to accommodate several super markets and a hotel. The ground floor will be reconstructed to accommodate six supermarkets.

A hotel belonging to the City Hotels Group will be built from the first floor to the third. The hotel is to have sixty rooms.

"We believe that this building will be a great tourist attraction considering its architectural value and location," the spokesperson added.

Sri Lanka Army's Fourth Engineers battalion will be taking over the construction works under the guidance of the Urban Development Authority. Reconstruction works of the Gafoor building is taken over by the Navy under the instructions of the UDA.