Antiquities Advisory Board chairman Bernard Chan did a U-turn yesterday and withdrew his resignation, saying he wanted to unite the board and stop members from leaving over the Government Hill saga.
His decision came a week after he said he would quit to protect the board's credibility after being accused of colluding with the government when he cast the deciding vote to rate the west wing of the former government headquarters in Central as a grade two heritage building instead of grade one.
'All of the 22 board members wrote to me urging me to stay and three of them said they would quit as well,' Chan said. 'If they leave, the board's operation will be affected and its reliability will be questioned.'
He plans to serve out the rest of his term, which ends in December.
He said he would then leave even if the next administration invited him to renew his term.
At next month's meeting, the board will make a final decision on the historic grading for the three wings of the building following a public consultation.
'To address concerns [about impartiality], I will abstain from voting and expressing personal views in the next meeting,' Chan said.