A project to renovate the downtown area of Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, was completed on Sunday, an official with the publicity department of Lhasa city committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) confirmed with the Global Times.

The 1.5-billion-yuan ($245 million) renovation project involved upgrading the area's sewage systems, water supplies and electric power lines, eliminating safety hazards, installation of heating facilities and preservation of old-style buildings, said Che Zala, secretary of the CPC Lhasa committee.

"The project has enhanced protection of Tibetan culture, improved the old city's infrastructure and lifted the living conditions there," said Che Zala.

Covering an area of 1.33 square kilometers, Lhasa's historic downtown centers around the Barkhor area, known for its market and cultural sites, and the Jokhang Temple, one of the most important monasteries in Tibet and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

"After renovation, the areas are tidier," Jiang Ying, a tour guide in Lhasa, told the Global Times on Monday, adding that the ethnic characteristics of the buildings were emphasized in the process of renovation.

The project, which was launched in December 2012 after winning support from 96 percent of the residents, was aimed at solving complaints over poor infrastructure and protecting historical architecture in the area.

China Academy of Urban Planning and Design was entrusted by the Lhasa government to make plans for the renovation to ensure that the authenticity and traditional flavors in the area be preserved and that the residential lifestyle be maintained.

Scholars on Tibetan history and culture were also invited on June 21 to hear reports on the projects from local authorities and to provide advice after Web users protested on the Internet in May that the project might be too commercial and that the renovation might destroy the original architecture and hinder the preservation of the Tibetan culture.

The complaints were slammed by Ma Xinming, the head of the publicity department under the Lhasa Party committee. Ma said on June 19 that the renovation work was carried out strictly in accordance with Tibetan culture.

Xinhua contributed to this story