Din l-Art Helwa struggles with dwindling funds
Calls for policy on high-rise buildings
Environmental organisation Din L-Art Helwa was forced to limit its restoration work last year because of a drop in donations and sponsorship.
The non-governmental organisation collected €39,000 through fund raising activities in 2007, but last year the figure dropped by almost a third to about €28,500, treasurer Victor Rizzo said during the annual general meeting yesterday.
This meant DLH was not in a position to take on more projects due to the dwindling funds.
Besides, since the restoration costs of existing projects turned out to be higher than expected, the organisation had to fork out the difference.
Mr Rizzo said a fundraising committee had been set up in an attempt to inject the non-governmental organisation (NGO) with more cash. But he also called for financial help.
During yesterday's meeting, members also passed two resolutions. One is a repeat of a resolution passed a year earlier and calls on the government to implement Malta Environment and Planning Authority reform without delay.
The NGO said it was putting forward the resolution again because the reform was listed as a priority at the last general election when the Prime Minister took personal responsibility for it. The second resolution urged Mepa to introduce a national policy on high rise buildings.
This resolution was triggered by new permits for high rise buildings, such as the development on the site of the former Mistra Village in Xemxija.
Addressing the meeting, DLH president Martin Galea outlined the organisation's position on the controversial St John's Co Cathedral museum extension, which has now been dropped. He said although there were concerns that excavation works would cause damage to the historical cathedral, he explained that, unlike other NGOs, DLH wanted to wait till the outcome of the Environment Impact Assessment before voicing its final opinion.
This was because DLH was confident that the members of the cathedral foundation that proposed the project were "serious individuals" who held the cathedral very much to heart and therefore their proposal deserved consideration.
Mr Galea added that Din L-Art Helwa would adopt the same approach on other controversial projects such as the reconstruction of Valletta's City Gate and the building on the old Opera House site.