A lot is being written about the investigations by UNESCO of the Maltese world heritage sites, namely the megalithic temples and Valletta.
The most recent discussion concerns the horrific and barbaric decision by the Planning Authority to grant a permit for the building of a block of flats within the buffer zone of one of the most globally famous megalithic temples, Ġgantija, in Gozo.
The first barbarians in this saga were the people behind the application itself. Beginning with the developer, and the directors and investors who are involved in this so-called development. The architect and adviser on the permit application deserves to lose his warrant if he argues the case for damaging a world heritage site.
The second group of barbarians are the Maltese and Gozitan electorate who have voted for a government that has allowed a state of impunity in the construction and development industry.
The third barbarian culprits are the members of the Planning Authority board.
How dare this motley lot of imbeciles make such decisions that affect the global cultural wealth? Have us Maltese fallen so low?
Even if the decision is withdrawn because of the ongoing appeals or because of the pressure by UNESCO, the damage to our country has been done. Other countries vie and lobby for years to have their sites included in this list. Many sites are in danger of being taken off the list where economic interests take over from cultural or educated minds.
How about Valletta? Few of you know or remember, even though it was reported in the magazine issued by Din l-Art Ħelwa at the time, that, in 2016, on December 5, I had been tasked by the heritage NGO and as an aspiring member of Europa Nostra to be its representative and to deliver a letter from its president addressed to the director of the World Heritage Centre at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
Having been Malta’s ambassador in Brussels and being a respected and known doyen of the lobbying community in Brussels at the time and being fluent in French, I undertook the task.
How dare this motley lot of imbeciles make such decisions that affect the global cultural wealth?
The letter was delivered and has actually produced the desired effect, namely that of putting UNESCO, the watchdog of world heritage, onto the tracks of the destruction of Valletta’s skyline by the construction of Tigné Point, the Sliema Townsquare Tower (planned at the time) and SmartCity, built within the buffer zone that was meant to protect a city like Valletta.
In fact, Tigné Point, only 430 metres away from Valletta, that was partially built and has continued to be built ever since, and the Sliema Townsquare Tower that is under construction, only 1.03km away, have continued in spite of that letter.
Yet, UNESCO did follow up. It wrote to the Maltese government and threatened to take Valletta off the World Heritage List if it did not comply. Despite all this happening between 2016 and 2024, a full eight more years of added construction, the government just ignored UNESCO. The businessmen and destroyers of Malta’s beauty and of the common heritage of mankind, which Bronze Age man gave us and the venerable Knights of Malta gave us, just carried on.
They ignored the world and carried on making hay while the sun shone.
Yet, clouds are gathering.
Venice went through something similar as it was on the verge of losing its status when it had a change of mind at the local government and decided to ban liners from plying the Grand Canal and introduced reduction of day visitor schemes to save the city and its status.
Cologne stopped a high-rise development 1.3km away from its cathedral because UNESCO warned them that it was within the buffer zone of the world-renowned cathedral. Dresden, on the other hand, lost its status in 2009 because it ignored warnings and built the contested four-lane bridge in the Elbe valley.
Malta is getting closer and closer to crunch time.
The builders of Tigné Point and Sliema Townsquare Tower must be ordered to reduce their height levels to be lower than those of Valletta, at their own cost, and to compensate the buyers of the top floors for the loss of their property.
SmartCity must cut off several floors of office spaces to vanish below the horizon out of sight when one looks at Valletta from the Sliema or the Gżira side.
Of course, this will never be done in Malta. Since so many people have too much to lose, we will sacrifice world heritage on the altar of Mammon. If UNESCO takes Ġgantija off the list, then all our megalithic temples, Tarxien, hypogeum, Ħagar Qim, Mnajdra, Skorba and others may fall away too.
Yes, they will still be there to be admired and studied but they will not be so attractive to those uneducated tourists from the cruise ships who follow guidebooks and tick off the World Heritage Sites, not distinguishing between Machu Picchu, the Pyramids or Ġgantija.
If Valletta is dropped at the next UNESCO meeting as they are threatening to do, then this will be the most dramatic barbaric event within modern European cultural history, and we will be stigmatised forever even though the fault is of the government for dragging its feet, and of the entrepreneur developer community that has taken over and so badly damaged our beloved country.