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posted on 2 April 2012

The 6^th International Spring Festival will take place at the Manoel Theatre from the 10 to the 14^th April. This has now become a yearly event. In his introduction to the programme the Artistic Director Karl Fiorini notes that the Festival “brings together musicians who despite their diversity, effortlessly unite through their love of music, an international language that knows no bounds, which they re eager to impart to each and every one of us.” An event not to be missed by all music lovers.

European Capital of Culture in 2018?

from The Malta Independent on Sunday , 1 April 2012

In this opinion piece, Pamela Hansen analyses various Valletta projects and initiatives and expresses doubt as to whether ECOC 2018 will eventually be successful.

Restoring fortifications:

An anthropological perspective

from The Sunday Times, 1 April 2012

Inglorious bulwarks: Mark Anthony Falzon offers an interesting perspective of fortifications and their restoration. “Restoration is fine but it wouldn’t do to strip the walls of their mundane history and to ‘elevate’ them to some abstract notion of heritage. They may soon be a uniform colour but without the circuses and shady characters and stories they’d be, I dare say, quite colourless.”

Sustainability and Fort St. Elmo

from The Times, 31 March 2012

Adoption of sustainable development principles: (see post below) In his letter to the Editor and referring to the SPED, Godwin Cassar states: “In determining applications for development permission it must be made absolutely clear that new issues will have to be taken into account such as energy use and conservation, air quality, CO2 emissions, biodiversity, health indicators, water conservation, etc.”

If this were to happen, the development control process will grind to a halt. Processing a development application will become far too complex resulting in endless delays.

There are not enough personnel within MEPA with adequate planning expertise (as opposed to experts on biodiversity, conservation, air quality or whatever). Instead of taking a holistic view, some MEPA officers seek the refusal of an application on one particular aspect, blissful ignoring all beneficial aspects of the project.

I will use the development applications for the restoration of Fort St. Elmo and Carafa Enceinte to illustrate the point. (My involvement in the project is obo the applicant). The applications were approved recently. During processing, MEPA officers tried to torpedo the project ( by putting up all sorts of obstacles and hurdles) on the pretext that the use of the area as a museum and ramparts walk might (and I emphasize might) increase traffic and pollution along Marsamxett Road. These same MEPA officers ignored the significant benefits that the restoration of this important historical monument will bring. (Incidentally, they also ignored the fact that the relocation of the police academy out of Fort St. Elmo will decrease traffic.)

In the name of sustainability, MEPA was inches away from doing the most unsustainable thing possible – obstructing the investment of 15 million euros in restoration and reuse of Fort St. Elmo and Carafa Enceinte.

(comment by John Ebejer)

Dealing with Derelict Areas

from The Times, 31 March 2012

Adoption of sustainable development principles: Referring to the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED), Godwin Cassar states in this letter to the editor , “The SPED should also require identification of areas that are derelict, having a high percentage of vacancy, having low space standards, in multiple ownership and do not provide decent accommodation, where the intervention of the government is required to acquire the property for redevelopment with the participation of the private sector and the involvement of the current owners who would benefit from a return on their holding. It is only through this measure that one can hope to arrest the decline of population numbers in places like Valletta and the Three Cities.”

Valletta 2018

Candidate European Capital of Culture

By now most people know that Valletta is Candidate City for European Capital of Culture (2018). But what does it involve? What preparations are being carried out? How can each one of use get involved when year 2018 comes around?

Karsten Xuereb - Valletta 2018 Project Coordinator will be giving a presentation on the V.18 bid for the European Capital of Culture (2018). This will be on next Thursday 29March 2012 at 7.15 pm at the Exchange Buildings, Republic Street Valletta. Everyone is invited to attend.

The presentation will be the introduction to the Annual General Meeting of the Valletta Alive Foundation.

Restoration works at Grandmasters’ Palace

from timesonline.com, 27 March 2012

Restoration works on Valletta Palace facades underway: The main façade of the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta has been extensively restored and work is currently going on the remaining facades.

Church of Our Lady of Victory

from The Malta Independent on Sunday , 25 March 2012

Contributors thanked… but much more needed for Our Lady of Victory Church restoration: Noel Grima reports on a fund raising event organised by Din l-Art Ħelwa in aid of the restoration of Our Lady of Victory Church. He gives a brief overview of the historical relevance of the Church. The following is an excerpt: “OLV is not just the first church to be built in Valletta in thanksgiving for the 1565 Great Siege victory over the invading Turk armada. It was also the first parish of Valletta, the first burial place (its crypt was the first burial place of Grand Master de Valette), also the first meeting hall for the Order’s Council, and also the first court of the city. Even more than that, while St John’s Co-Cathedral is a wonderful monument to all that the multinational Order brought to Malta, OLV is the church that highlights the signal contributions made by Maltese to Malta’s cultural legacy. A Maltese, Ġlormu Cassar, built it and its paintings are by Maltese artists Stefano Erardi and Francesco Zahra. It is a place that encapsulates the Maltese identity, that which differentiates Malta from the other islands of the Mediterranean because only Malta is a people, a state, a nation.”

Art Museum proposed for the Valletta Market

from The Malta Independent on Sunday , 25 March 2012

Idea brightens up cold spring night: Architect Chris Briffa proposes an arts museum for the Valletta market. The proposal is described as follows; “he proposes first of all to bring the building back to the Merchants Street line of buildings by digging a series of steps down to what today is the basement of the building and turning that basement into the first level of the museum. On top, he proposes a cantilevered extension of the building jutting out to reach the Merchants Street line of buildings. This could be an extension of the museum itself but it could also house the administration offices. It could also provide shelter for open-air activities such as the showing of films, concerts and the like underneath it while people sit on the steps. With access at the lower level, the side ditches of the building can become artistic venues where artists can showcase their creations. The clerestory roof should be restored and the escalator fixed so that the upper levels of the museum can be opened up to the visiting public.”

Valletta 2018 logo on Air Malta aircraft

from The Times, 23 March 2012

Air Malta's Airbus A320 9H-AEO has been rebranded with the Valletta 2018 logo to promote Valletta’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2018. The aircraft returned to Malta after getting its brand new look, sporting Valletta's iconic skyline.

Awards for Valletta Cruise Port

from The Times, 21 March 2012

Valletta Cruise Port has won Cruise Insight's awards for the Most Responsive Port and Best Turnaround Port Operations for 2011. Cruise Insight described Valletta Cruise Port as a "high quality port facility with senior leadership that are constantly soliciting feedback on how to improve".

Peter Serracino Inglott

posted on 17 march 2012

Fr. Peter was born in Valletta and often made reference to his Valletta roots. Valletta Alive Foundation pays tribute to a man who has given so much to Maltese society. Condolences to his family.

City Gate – a diary of demolition

posted on 17 march 2012

The showings of the documentary ‘City Gate – a diary of demolition’ have been extended to Friday 23 March 2012. Bettina Hutschek’s experimental documentary shows, from various angles, the successive removal of the gate, and provides a subjective approach to city memory and oblivion that establishes a historic link between Valletta’s past and future. ‘City Gate – a diary of demolition’ is being screened at 4, Sappers Street, Valletta (Tue-Thu. 10am-4pm, Fri. 10am-1pm).

City Gate bridge

from The Malta Independent , 17 March 2012

Work began last Friday on the City Gate bridge, the next stage in the construction of the new entrance to Valletta.

Restoring the guardian of our harbours

from The Malta Independent , 17 March 2012

The Mepa board on Thursday approved two of three applications regarding the restoration of Fort St Elmo in lower Valletta – that regarding the fort itself and that regarding its enceinte (the surrounding battlements). The government had submitted an application for ERDF funds and this application, amounting to €15.3 million, has been accepted. Work will begin as early as next month and the restoration should be completed by 2014 following which the fort and enceinte will be passed on to Heritage Malta which then will create a Museum of the Military History of Malta inside the fort.

Fort St Elmo Project approved

from The Times, 16 March 2012

The MEPA Board approves the project for Fort St. Elmo. The €15.3 million EU-funded project will restore and regenerate the 16th century Fort St Elmo. It is being implemented by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation.

Parliament building at Fort St. Elmo?

posted on 16 march 2012

Comments posted under a Times report on St. Elmo claim that the best location for a new parliament building would have been Fort St. Elmo. Clearly, the people who hold this view are not sufficiently familiar with the Fort and the Enceinte. None of the internal spaces within this system of fortifications is large enough to hold the parliamentary chamber. This means that a new building would have had to be constructed something which would most certainly not have been allowed because of the Grade 1 listing of the site. Similarly a single building housing all the offices of the parliamentarians would have been required and this building would have had to be connected to the parliamentary chamber. The advantage of new build, as has happened at the City Gate site, is that the building can be designed to meet requirements. The disadvantage of adapting existing historic buildings/s would have been that significant COMPROMISES would have had to be made with the conservation value of the building/s OR the functionality of the parliament use OR both. (comment by John Ebejer)

Valletta cultural capital

from The Times, 15 March 2012

Capitalising on culture: Here is an interesting read from Ranier Fsadni. Well worth reading. The following is an excerpt: “Valletta as cultural capital, if it is to be successful, would have to serve both functions. It would have to represent a form of creative, cosmopolitan conviviality. But it would also have to serve as a place where one learns how to participate in such creativity, not least by reflecting on the future. A real creative centre is one that takes and gives its energy by stimulating its visitors to consider what is possible and what one can become.”

Valletta Alive Foundation

The Annual General Meeting of the VAF will be held on Thursday the 29th March 2012 at the Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise at 7.15pm. The meeting is also open to non-members, although they would not be entitled to vote. If you want to know more about the VAF browse this website or come to the AGM.

Auditorium for orchestral performances (2)

The argument is being made that it is possible to have an auditorium for orchestral performances on the opera house site. The logic seems to be: if it can be done, then it must be done. Whether or not it is doable should not be the only consideration. Even if no details are available, it is safe to say that an auditorium would fall far short from a proper national theatre. A national theatre requires, for example, a wide flexible stage, something that cannot be provided on the opera house site. There are also limitations on backstage facilities and auditorium seating. In terms of facilities, an auditorium on the opera house site would only be marginally better than the Manoel Theatre (except of course for the acoustics which would be properly designed for in a new auditorium). Its use would be for orchestral performances and little else. How sensible is it to provide limited facilities, when the priority was and still is a national theatre? (Comment by John Ebejer)

from The Times, 12 March 2012

Of politics and culture: In this letter to the editor, Karl Consiglio supports calls for the development of an auditorium for orchestral performances on the opera house site.

Barrakka lift

from The Times, 9 March 2012

Barrakka lift fast taking shape: “The core of the new Barrakka lift has risen more than half way up from Lascaris Ditch to the Upper Barrakka, and a spokesman for the Infrastructure Ministry said the project is on time and on budget. … The work started in the second half of last year and the structure has now risen to 38 metres with 20 metres to go.”

New carpet for Cathedral

from The Times, 8 March 2012

Cathedral gets new carpet: A new, tailor-made carpet has just joined the cluster of priceless works of art at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

Auditorium for orchestral performances

from The Times, 6 March 2012

Damascene U-turns: In this opinion piece Kenneth Zammit Tabona reiterates his call for the construction of an auditorium for orchestral performances on the opera house site.

Mr. Zammit Tabona makes reference to an article by Lou Bondi three years back. It is useful to quote an excerpt from this earlier article by Mr. Bondi as follows:

Rocking the opera house “Certain niche art forms, including opera, do deserve some sort of public support. But this should be granted only after certain questions are prudently and unequivocally answered. What exactly is the capital and recurrent expenditure presently being demanded by opera fans as of right? Is the amount socially just, given that the maximum number of beneficiaries is 700 people? If it is allotted, will equity with respect to other specialised art forms be honoured?”

Tunnel for Valletta access

from The Times, 5 March 2012

Light at end of tunnel for Valletta access: “The 75-metre tunnel, which links the Marsamxett end of South Street to the ditch below City Gate, will be given a new lease of life through a €1 million government project to restore the area and create a new access point.”

The Importance of Public Spaces

posted on 4 March 2012

On 8 March, a lecture by the anthropologist Elise Billiard will employ the City Gate project to expand upon the idea of public spaces - their use and relevance in a contemporary society which seems to have lost a sense of community. Billiard's lecture will ask: "Where space is mostly private or restricted, is there a place where a sense of community can proliferate within a framework of public space?" The lecture will take place at Europa House, 254 St Paul's Street, Valletta at 6pm. It will further expand on the role of urbanists and architects in designing public spaces which would "encourage local democracy and a sense of common good".

Attendance to the lecture is by reservation only, through info@davidpisani.com.

A shabby entrance to Valletta

from The Malta Independent on Sunday, 4 March 2012

A shabby entrance to Valletta: Stephen Calleja about Valletta’s entrance and says amongst others : “

Many times I wish I had that long wooden stick too, because I cannot stand the way the entrance to our capital city looks. As long as I can remember, long before the work started to rebuild City Gate, the entrance was not fit for a city which is said to have been built by gentlemen for gentlemen. Now, with all the makeshift boards, narrow passageway and construction work going on, the situation is as bad as it could get. ……. ….. I hope that, when the construction work is completed – on the new entrance as well as the Parliament building – it will serve as a new starting point for the capital city, which deserves much better. I hope that it will be taken as a chance to give Valletta a new look and that what is now a haphazard collection of stalls is eliminated once and for all.”

A site for the national theatre away from Valletta

from The Times, 4 March 2012

A national theatre foundation: In a letter to the editor, Anthony Saliba writes “I think we all agree that the site of the old opera house in Valletta was inadequate to build a theatre catering for today’s operatic productions. So why should we not move out of Valletta and seek a proper site (ideally facing a green park and providing underground parking), ….” He proposes the establishment of a Committee to raise funds.

Boutique hotels for Valletta

from The Times, 1 March 2012

Diversified niche markets are future for tourism: The editorial of the Times comments on niche tourism markets. It states: “One such growth area could result from the encouragement for owners of old grand palazzi in Valletta to consider converting them into boutique guesthouses that appeal to cultural tourists who appreciate the beauty of the capital city. Dr de Marco was right in insisting that, whatever upgrading developments in this and other areas are undertaken, this should not be done at the expense of preserving the environment. This idea needs to be followed up with the introduction of a scheme to help the financing of such upgrades, …… …. The acknowledgement that Malta’s and Gozo’s competitive advantage lies mainly in the rich historical heritage should be the cornerstone of a tourism strategy for the next five years and beyond. The embellishment of Valletta and the older cities will continue to be a top priority for the improvement of the tourism infrastructure. Opening up more of the country’s historical buildings for longer hours will help to give tourists a unique experience of the cultural wealth that the locals seem to take for granted but that amaze visitors.”

No access to Valletta

from The Times, 1 March 2012

No access to Valletta: In a letter to the editor, Sandra Davis congratulates organisers and participants of the Malta Marathon. She notes, however, that access to Valletta is restricted when such events are held to the detriment of people who wish to visit Valletta and to Valletta residents and businesses.

Valletta 2018: Proposal for projects opens

posted on 28^th February 2012

The V18 Foundation welcomes proposals for the development of the Cultural Programme. This will be presented as part of its final bid to the final selection in October for Valletta to obtain the title of European Capital of Culture 2018.

A Parliament for a Maltese democracy

The Times editorial ‘Financing the new Parliament building’ repeats the claim made by some that another Valletta building could have been found to house the new parliament. The two buildings which were often suggested were the Main Guard and Auberge de Castille. The former is far too small even if additional storeys were to be allowed. Any overlying structure on the Main Guard would completely alter the character, not only of the building itself, but of Pjazza San Gorg. The latter option, Auberge de Castille, would have resulted in countless difficulties to find an appropriate alternative for the Prime Minister’s Office and innumerable logistical difficulties to carry out the move. For both options, even the slightest interventions would have resulted in countless objections. Housing a modern-day parliament within a historic building would necessitate countless comprises resulting in a hotch potch.

Another consideration is that a parliament building is replete with meaning. A Parliament building is not just a functional building but is a symbol of a democracy. The new Parliament building is one of just twenty seven national parliaments across the EU and therefor symbolises the role that Malta plays in Europe. In my opinion, it was a conscious decision against adapting an existing building built by past foreign occupiers. A Parliament for a Maltese democracy merits a building built by a Maltese government. (comment from John Ebejer)

from The Times, 28 February 2012

Financing the new Parliament building: The Times editorial comments on the financial mechanism for the City Gate Project; namely a company would raise money for the project and then lease it to the government over a number of years.

Valletta and Malta’s Tourism Policy

posted on 27^th February 2012

Valletta features prominently in the Tourism Plan which has been published recently for public consultation. The most important references to Valletta are given below. The Plan as proposed is a reflection of the shift of tourism to an industry more oriented towards culture. Because of Valletta’s immense historical and cultural heritage, as well as the important cultural venues located in Valletta, it is inevitable that Valletta will play a central role in Malta’s tourism in the coming years. (Comment from Valletta Alive Foundation.)

Extracts from the Historical & Cultural Segment section of the draft Tourism Policy for the Maltese islands: “Malta’s rich cultural heritage, which includes six World Heritage Sites together with our cultural scene is becoming increasingly well known abroad. During the lifespan of this policy, Malta will have a unique opportunity to showcase its heritage and culture in 2018 when it will be hosting the European Capital of Culture. While sites such as St John’s Co Cathedral and the Grand Master’s Palace still manage to attract large visitor numbers, other heritage sites are not living up to their potential. There is certainly scope for increasing visitor numbers in certain sites and in re-visiting the kind of experience that is being offered. The projects underway together with those being proposed in the cultural heritage sector present a strong marketing opportunity that could serve to attract more cultural tourists to Malta.

Policy Responses: We will promote Valletta and the Harbour Area as a short-break cultural destination by:

Creating a dedicated Valletta Website;
Producing a special Valletta Harbour Area brochure;
Promoting sea transport between Valletta and the Three Cities;
Promoting the Renzo Piano projects in Valletta;
Promoting the restoration of 6 kms of Fortifications; and,
Promoting Valletta as the European Cultural Capital 2018.

We will promote Malta’s Cultural Events and Activities by:

Further developing the MTA website to promote Malta as a vibrant cultural destination offering a varied calendar of events all year round;
Promoting the traditional and contemporary versatile cultural productions – theatre, festivals, performance and visual arts through an enhanced MTA website;
Promoting the Opera Seasons in both Malta (Teatru Manoel, Valletta-March and in Gozo (Teatru Aurora, Teatru Astra, Victoria – October) through specialised Tour Operators;
Encouraging Tour Operators to include the following events within their group programmes (Carnival, Birgufest, Mdina Festival, Notte Bianca);
Promoting the Malta Music Week (featuring the Isle of MTV), the Malta Arts Festival and the Jazz Festival with tour operators and airlines; and,
Promoting works of contemporary art, fashion, design and creativity and attracting tourists who are interested in the creative and artistic side that Malta and Gozo has to offer.”

City Gate – a diary of demolition

Here’s a documentary which many with an interest in Valletta will most certainly look forward to. (Comment from Valletta Alive Foundation.)

from The Independent on Sunday, 26 February 2012

‘City Gate – a diary of demolition’ documentary free public screenings:

Valletta’s City Gate has been rebuilt three times and is currently undergoing yet another renaissance. As a result of this transformation, new areas of interaction between the people and the city itself are being created. Bettina Hutschek’s experimental documentary entitled City Gate explores the formation of space not only through building but also through removal. It shows, from various angles, the successive removal of the gate, and provides a subjective approach to city memory and oblivion that establishes a historic link between Valletta’s past and future. ‘City Gate – a diary of demolition’ will be screened at 4, Sappers Street, Valletta between 2 and 16 March (Mon-Thu. 10am-4pm, Fri. 10am-1pm).

Building restoration scheme:

Good but not good enough

MDA is right. Regeneration necessitates a proactive approach from all parts of government including MEPA. There is a mistaken concept in the corridors of MEPA that regeneration will happen no matter how many obstacles one throws at it. Wrong. Excessive and unnecessary constraints kill off regeneration. Derelict buildings combined with poor quality housing are key factors contributing to deprivation in some parts of Valletta. A proactive approach is needed to transform places and communities for the better. (Comment from Valletta Alive Foundation.)

from The Times, 20 February 2012

New scheme will not solve problems of abandoned buildings in urban centres – MDA: Although the government's newly announced scheme, granting financial assistance to property owners who carry out rehabilitation works on scheduled properties or in urban conservation areas, is a positive one, it will not solve the problem of abandoned buildings in urban centres, the Malta Developers Association said. In a statement, the MDA hoped the Government will face this problem in a holistic manner for the country to work seriously to its resolution. The MDA said it has been stressing for the introduction of incentives to encourage developers to invest in the rehabilitation of old homes in urban centres, including lowering tax duty on the sale of properties and the refunding of Mepa tariffs for works done in these places. There also needs to be a revision of Mepa policies so that the process leading to the issuing of the necessary permits for rehabilitation will be less bureaucratic and with more common sense. "It is only when the government looks at the problem from a wider perspective than that allowed by the scheme that was just announced that the country will manage to stop the damage to the environment and the country's architectural heritage that is being cause by these abandoned properties," the MDA said.

Restoration of buildings in historic areas

The newly-launched scheme for restoration of buildings is a welcome initiative which will assist in the regeneration of Valletta and other historic centres. €5 million of public funds will attract further millions of private funds towards the maintenance and restoration of historic buildings. This is a start but it only scratches the surface as far as privately owned buildings in Valletta are concerned. A more holistic approach is needed to facilitate investment and make life less difficult for those who wish to improve their property in Valletta. (Comment from Valletta Alive Foundation.)

from The Malta Independent, 18 February 2012

Scheme for restoration of buildings launched : The government yesterday launched a €5 million scheme for the restoration, conservation and maintenance of privately owned residential buildings within Urban Conservation Areas, and Grade 1 and Grade 2 buildings. This has the aim of promoting sustainable urban regeneration.

Editorial comment on building restoration scheme

from The Malta Independent, 18 February 2012

Town and village cores: Regeneration and authenticity: The Editorial of the Independent comments on a €5 million scheme for the restoration, conservation and maintenance of private dwellings in urban conservation areas.

Baroque Valletta

from timesonline.com - Friday, February 17, 2012, 11:27

Valletta International Baroque Festival launched: The first edition of the Valletta International Baroque Festival, to be held at the Manoel Theatre in January next year, was officially launched. The artistic director Kenneth Zammit Tabona said "Valletta is a city built at the height of the baroque period and therefore we felt that a baroque festival hosted inside one of the oldest and most prestigious baroque theatres in Europe as well as a number of other baroque venues in our capital city would be the best way to host these events. Besides Teatru Manoel, a number of other venues have been identified for this festival such as the President's Palace, St John's Co-Cathedral, the Jesuit Church, the Auberge de Provence and the chapel of Santa Caterina d'Italia amongst others.”

The Times, 16 February 2012

Enthusiast immortalises Malta Carnival

TRULY A COMMENDABLE INITIATIVE: “Some five hundred Carnival festivals have come and gone, a few still enshrined in people’s minds and many others completely forgotten. Lorry Coleiro is trying to make sure that more of these festivals are remembered and the island’s first carnival museum, which he pioneered, should open its doors by April. Mr Coleiro has been dreaming about the project for years, saving up enough props and money to be able to give life to his vision. The break only came about in 2007 when he was approached by Viset management and offered space in their waterfront complex. Since then, he has been working tirelessly on the project for 12 hours a day and transformed a previously mould-infested storeroom into a colourful gallery, immortalising the island’s carnival heritage ‘before it dies for real.’ ”

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120216/local/Enthusiast-immortalises-Malta-Carnival.406958

The Times, 15 February 2012

Renovation for Saluting Battery

The Saluting Battery in Valletta will be closed until April 30 to make way for ongoing renovation works. Closing the gardens will not affect the firing of the daily noon gun, according to Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, which manages the place. The project forms part of the opening of Malta’s first Military Heritage Park

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120215/local/Renovation-for-Saluting-Battery.406902

The Sunday Times, 12 February 2012

Comments on City Gate project

The following is an excerpt of the opinion piece by Mark-Anthony Falzon:

“I’ve been an enthusiastic supporter of the Renzo Piano project from day one. For three reasons. First, because ‘City Gate’ as we shudder to remember it was wrist-slittingly ugly and cried out for some sort of radical surgery. Second, because I like the way the whole thing was assigned to Piano. My premise is that risk is intrinsic to most known notions of art. Architecture is inevitably a gamble and there’s always a chance that architects, no matter how glamorous and tall and bearded, will get it wrong. But I’d much rather take my chances on Piano than stake it safe on some mediocre journeyman. He gets it wrong, we’re faced with a monumental moan and an eventual demolition job. (In any case we happen to be good at the latter, as Sliema reminds us.) He gets it right, we’re left with a gem that will take its place among the best spaces in the city. Third, because I think it’s wrong, improper, and neo-colonialist that Parliament should be relegated to an apartment in the presidential palace. If they give us a good building in a prominent place, the I-don’t-care-how-many-millions will be the best tax money we’ve ever paid. Parliament, the institution that most neatly overlaps with the notion of an autonomous people, deserves no less and nowhere else.”

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120212/opinion/Waiting-for-Franco-and-all-that.406398

The Malta Independent, 10 February 2012

Bravo; bravo

Editorial: If public outcry is loud enough, and an issue is grotesque enough, then action is swiftly taken. One such instance came to a favourable ‘conclusion’ yesterday. The government issued a press release to announce that most of the horrific extension to the Law Courts in Valletta is to be dismantled and brought in line with other adjacent structures.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=139565

The Times, 8 February 2012

Valletta tunnel proposal – 17 years ago

In a letter to the editor, André Zammit notes with satisfaction the new access point to Valletta being provided from a sally gate in the Main Ditch up to the area known as Hastings and that travelators (people movers) would be used for the ramps. In 1995, Perit Zammit had proposed a comprehensive scheme of underground tunnels, equipped with travelators connecting different locations in Valletta, but it was not really taken seriously.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120208/letters/Valletta-tunnel-proposal-17-years-ago.405837

The Times, 8 February 2012

Ignoring the British legacy

In a letter to the editor, Denis A. Darmanin, calls for the restoration of the British military murals within the former Main Guard in Valletta. These murals, which in their own way recall and depict the lineage of many British and colonial regiments while in Malta either in a heraldic mode or at times by just a caricature, have suffered much throughout the years.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120208/letters/Ignoring-the-British-legacy.405834

The Times, 6 February 2012

Maltese stone, ‘Spanish’ steps

The foundations are being laid for the “grand” staircases at the entrance to the capital, from Republic to Pope Pius V street, which are “similar to Rome’s Spanish Steps”. On the other end of Renzo Piano’s City Gate project, meticulous and sensitive excavation under the whole of Ordnance and Victory Streets, which surround the Old Opera House, has opened up the space for the theatre’s backstage facilities.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120206/local/Maltese-stone-Spanish-steps.405470

The Independent on Sunday, 5 February 2012

The misdeeds of the Grandmasters

Deeds are boring whereas misdeeds are anything but and what he was going to tell, he said, was based on gossip, slander, spite – a sort of News of the World as it could have been issued 250 years back. Noel Grima reports on a talk delivered by Judge Giovanni Bonello in the Throne Room of the Palace of the Grand Masters.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=139288

The Malta Independent, 3 February 2012

Historic palace transformed into luxury boutique accommodation

A Vittoriosa palace dating back to the Knights’ early years in Malta has been painstakingly converted into luxury boutique accommodation, arguably the first of its kind in the country. People with an interest in Valletta should take note even if the new boutique hotel is not in Valletta. Similar boutique hotels could be developed in Valletta with imagination and initiative.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=139163

The Malta Independent, 2 February 2012

Taking it back to its former glory

Internal restoration works are being carried out at the national library, following the extensive external restoration works carried out in the past years.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120202/local/taking-it-back-to-its-former-glory.405036

timesonline, 1 February 2012

DLH appeal for funds for €2m restoration of historic church

Din l-Art Helwa has launched an appeal for funds to assist in the €2m rehabilitation of Our Lady of Victories Church in Valletta. The Church was the first building erected in Valletta and was also the first resting place of Grand Master De Valette in 1568. Donations to the Church will help finance the conservation of the ceiling paintings, restore the ground floor walls and uncover any existing murals on the perimeter, treat the infested woodwork and stop decay to monuments and altars. The project will also involve the restoration of the 18th century organ, endow the crypt with a dignified entrance to mark the first burial place of Grand Master de Valette and create interpretation schemes and a small museum to display its works of art.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120201/local/d.404835

The Malta Independent, 1 February 2012

Order: Chaos at City Gate

The editorial of the Independent comments on the situation at City Gate. Not only were the seven kiosks there built far later than they were meant to, but also they have not been consigned to those who will man them. Now that the entrance to Valletta has been narrowed, people entering Valletta are jostled, obstructed and accosted by mobile phone commission agents, sellers of things as diverse as shoes and bread, collectors of signatures against development projects et al.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=139074

The Malta Independent, 31 January 2012

Government requests solution to Valletta eyesore

Following strong criticism aimed at the new court extension in Valletta, because it is an eyesore, the government has instructed the Director General of Courts of Justice and MEPA to discuss the matter and find a solution. With regard to criticism that there is no height protection policy for Valletta and Floriana, which it says are the most important areas for such a policy to be in place, the ministries explained that such an assertion was “incorrect”. “With regard to height protection in Valletta, it must be noted that in view of the particular urban morphology of Valletta, similar (to that of) Floriana and the three cities, the Local Plan adopts a criteria-based approach and sets out eight criteria on the basis of which applications for development, which include changes to existing building heights, should be assessed,” the ministries said. “These include impacts on the streetscape, roofscape, skyline, building mass and background buildings”. It therefore cannot be said that height protection for Valletta and Floriana does not exist.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=139046

The Independent on Sunday, 29 January 2012

History repeating itself at City Gate

When, some 50 years ago, a new bus terminus was created at City Gate, the new cement and glass kiosks that were provided soon found use as public toilets and were fairly soon pulled down, except for a few. History seems to be repeating itself at the new bus terminus.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=138964

The Malta Independent, 28 January 2012

GRTU satisfied with Valletta tunnel

The small enterprises chamber, the GRTU, expressed satisfaction at the planned opening of a tunnel which is to be re-opened for public use, linking the Valletta ditch with the city’s centre.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=138890

The Times, 26 January 2012

‘Solution’ sought to government’s Valletta eyesore

The justice ministry wants to find a solution to the new eight-storey building in Valletta that has been slammed as a sacrilege to the skyline. The director general of the law courts has been instructed to “discuss” the issue with the planning authority and “identify solutions”. The building, which is intended to house the judiciary’s chambers and the family court, towers over the neighbouring structures by at least three storeys of limestone and cement blocks.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120126/local/-Solution-sought-to-government-s-Valletta-eyesore.403867

The Times, 25 January 2012

‘Secret passage’ will ease access into Valletta

A little-known sally port hidden deep in the Valletta ditch will start being used as pedestrian access to the city, generations after it was blocked. The sally port is located at the foot of St Michael counterguard, half-way along the ditch that leads to the area below City Gate from Marsamxett.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120125/local/-Secret-passage-will-ease-access-into-Valletta.403753

The Malta Independent, 20 January 2012

Valletta’s bid for the European Capital of Culture passes the pre-selection stage

Valletta’s (V18) bid for the title of European Capital of Culture (ECOC) has passed the pre-selection stage following the first meeting of the Evaluation Panel. The Chairman of the Evaluation Panel, Mr Gaulhofer, explained that even though there was one bid presented for the ECOC project in Malta, the panel will have to implement the normal procedures to ensure that the bid satisfies the European Commission’s criteria. He stated that the Evaluation Panel was pleased with the Valletta V18 bid and is confident that Valletta will be able to deliver a successful ECOC project.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=138531

The Times, 20 January 2012

Valletta 2018: From bid to beyond

In this opinion piece, David Felice, president of Valletta 2018 Foundation talks about Valletta’s bid for 2018 European Capital of Culture. The EU pre-selection evaluation panel’s visited Malta on January 18. The bid, lodged officially last October, was a massive undertaking; the result of an intense series of consultations, public workshops and the compilation of the bid book. The website www.valletta2018.org, is there to receive, help develop and showcase ideas from the public .

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120120/opinion/Valletta-2018-From-bid-to-beyond.403086

The Times, 20 January 2012

New car park

In this letter to the editor, Zminijietna comments about the proposed new car park at Floriana and calls on the authorities to implement a national plan to better promote the use of public transport,

http://www.timesofmalta.com/sections/view/letters

The Times, 18 January 2012

Car park to replace Floriana stands

The spectator stands alongside the Floriana football pitch will be transformed into an open-air car park if the planning authority approves the project on Friday. The project by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, a government entity, is expected to level the stepped area along the Mall and transform it into a car park.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120118/local/Car-park-to-replace-Floriana-stands.402750

The Times, 18 January 2012

Britons look for brothers they met at palace of light

A British couple, who escorted two Maltese boys into the Valletta luminarium in November are trying to track them down to give them a photo album of the colourful occasion.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120118/local/Britons-look-for-brothers-they-met-at-palace-of-light.402758

The Malta Independent, 13 January 2012

Panel of evaluators for Malta’s European Capital of Culture bid

The Ministry for Tourism, Culture and the Environment announced the names of the panel of evaluators who will be assessing Malta’s bid for the title of European Capital of Culture for 2018. A selection panel of 13 members is set up to assess the applications of cities bidding for the title. Seven of the panel members are nominated by the European institutions, and six are nominated by Malta. The panel will convene for a pre-selection meeting next week in Malta to assess the application presented by the candidate city of Valletta.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=138102

The Malta Independent, 13 January 2012

Restoration work in Valletta

Article published on 13 January 2012

Restoration work is being undertaken on the Siege Bell Memorial in Valletta, which was dedicated in 1992 by Queen Elizabeth and President Censu Tabone to mark the 50th anniversary of the award of the George Cross to Malta. This year is the award’s 70th anniversary.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=138099

The Malta Independent, 13 January 2012

Merchants Street outside tables to get umbrellas

The Mepa board yesterday settled the controversy about the new octagonal outside tables that have been installed in Merchants Street, Valletta, and allowed umbrellas over each unit to allow clients some shade from the sun.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=138097

The Malta Independent, 10 January 2012

Bill to improve term of lease of Valletta businesses to be discussed in Parliament

There are close to 600 Valletta businesses in public property and most premises are on lease for six month periods. This makes it difficult for them to invest because banks do not lend them money. A Bill to this effect has been approved by the Cabinet and should be discussed in Parliament soon.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=137971

The Sunday Times, 8 January 2012

Recalling Cesare Catania in creative Strait Street

If developed as performing spaces, the sites in Strait Street would also allow a stronger development of the educational courses at tertiary level. Fr Peter Serracino Inglott puts forward his views about the rehabilitation of the area and turning it into a creative clusters.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120108/opinion/Recalling-Cesare-Catania-in-creative-Strait-Street.401474

The Malta Independent, 3 January 2012

Shop owners urged to postpone post-Christmas sales till after New Year’s Day

Businessman Tonio Camilleri yesterday called on shop owners to start postponing their post-Christmas sales till the beginning of January. Mr Camilleri, on behalf of the Merchants Street, Valletta, business community feels that many times businesses shoot themselves in the foot by starting their sales right after Christmas, usually on Boxing Day.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=137670

The Sunday Times, 1 January 2012

Regeneration of Valletta

In this letter to the editor, Sandro Rossi writes about the sad state of Biccereija in Valletta and welcomes the rehabilitation project which is to be carried out in the coming months.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120101/letters/Regeneration-of-Valletta.400539

The Independent on Sunday, 1 January 2012

The tapestries at the Palace

There is an awful lot of misinformation about the tapestries in the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta. Claire Bonavia gave a lecture on the tapestries in the Palace as part of the series Rediscovering the Grand Master’s Palace. The next talk will be on Monday, 30 January at 6pm, Judge Giovanni Bonello will speak about Deeds and Misdeeds at the Palace.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=137616

timesonline.com , 1 January 2012

Malta welcomes 2012

Thousands of people gathered in Valletta and Floriana this evening to welcome 2012.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120101/local/malta-welcomes-2012.400496

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Restoration works at Grandmasters’ Palace

Restoration works on Valletta Palace facades underway: The main façade of the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta has been extensively restored and work is currently going on the remaining facades.

Valletta 2018 logo on Air Malta aircraft

Fort St Elmo Project approved

Of politics and culture: In this letter to the editor, Karl Consiglio supports calls for the development of an auditorium for orchestral performances on the opera house site.

Cathedral gets new carpet: A new, tailor-made carpet has just joined the cluster of priceless works of art at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

A site for the national theatre away from Valletta

Read more: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120304/letters/A-national-theatre-foundation.409546

Boutique hotels for Valletta

Financing the new Parliament building: The Times editorial comments on the financial mechanism for the City Gate Project; namely a company would raise money for the project and then lease it to the government over a number of years.

Enthusiast immortalises Malta Carnival

Renovation for Saluting Battery

The following is an excerpt of the opinion piece by Mark-Anthony Falzon:

Valletta tunnel proposal – 17 years ago

Ignoring the British legacy

Maltese stone, ‘Spanish’ steps

Taking it back to its former glory

DLH appeal for funds for €2m restoration of historic church

‘Solution’ sought to government’s Valletta eyesore

‘Secret passage’ will ease access into Valletta

Valletta 2018: From bid to beyond

Car park to replace Floriana stands

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120118/local/Car-park-to-replace-Floriana-stands.402750

Britons look for brothers they met at palace of light

Recalling Cesare Catania in creative Strait Street

Malta welcomes 2012