Too much is too much! During the past years we have witnessed an increase in the rate of destruction of houses for the building of characterless apartments.
Whole streetscapes have been destroyed in favour of short-term economic gain. Roads have been widened to accommodate even more cars and acres of agricultural land have been converted into asphalt, only to bring more arable land and its food products closer to polluted roads.
The Maltese countryside and rural environment are under constant threat. Not only have we built in valleys but we continue to exploit fertile land. We are witnessing an increase in high-rise buildings, which cause more pollution (noise, light and air) and generate more traffic and pressure on the infrastructure and services in their immediate surroundings. Yet, governments continue to declare that the construction industry is what keeps our economic growth strong.
So many places are in urgent need of restoration. Defence posts from the Knights’ period, such as the Qolla l-Bajda Battery, in Qbajjar, Gozo, the Marfa Battery, in Marfa, the Great Battery of Vendome, in l-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa, the Vendome tour-redoubt and St Lucian Tower, in Marsaxlokk and the Riħama Battery, in Marsascala are in a pitiful state. Most of the British forts, like Fort Campbell, in Mellieħa, Fort Delimara, in Delimara, Fort Tas-Silġ and St Paul’s Battery, in Marsaxlokk and Fort Bengħajsa, in Birżebbuġa need saving from great abandon.
Many farmhouses and vernacular structures, such as rooms used to store agricultural implements scattered in the countryside, have also been abandoned, as are many houses of character. It is true that a number of these are privately owned but it is also true that incentives and enforcement orders can be issued to encourage, and even force, the owners to maintain these places or to, at least, resolve any legal issues so these houses could be sold, with a guarantee they will not be demolished but conserved.
Restoration and conservation can also contribute to the building industry- Stanley Farrugia Randon
Houses with wooden balconies and doors, which give particular character to many of our streets and which are so proudly featured in magazines and videos advertising our islands as a tourist destination, should also be protected. If permission for development is granted by the same authority that should be protecting our heritage to even just one of these houses in a street, then a precedent is set. Soon enough, the street is converted into a building site and the houses replaced by concrete shelves without character.
Important cemeteries that were built during the British period for soldiers who lost their lives in our islands, and their families, have been saved by the War Graves Commission and by Din l-Art Ħelwa while the Friends of Ta’ Braxia do much to keep Ta’ Braxia going. However, many other burial places scattered around our islands, erected for victims of the plagues, lie abandoned and their monuments lost.
The island of Comino is also full of structures that are both architecturally and historically important. The Isolation Hospital, the cemetery and the bakery are only a few that require urgent restoration. St Paul’s Island, too, has a farmhouse from the period of the Knights that has collapsed.
Most historical places could be reused for the benefit of the public as they can be converted into historical showcases, visitors’ centres and even short-let holiday places or simply admired for their architectural or historical importance. They could also be used for commercial activities, as long as any required conversion works do not change the characteristics of the place or damage the original fabric.
From time to time, the Planning Authority schedules a number of buildings. The list can include structures and remains of geological, paleontological, cultural, archaeological, architectural, historical, antiquarian, artistic or landscape importance. A register listing properties and sites that are of cultural or natural importance and which are being protected for present and future generations does exist but there are so many other sites that deserve being on the list for urgent scheduling.
Our islands still have many of these sites and scheduling is probably the best way they could be protected legally. I hope the Planning Authority has the means and the will to speed up the scheduling of these buildings.
Restoration and conservation can also contribute to the building industry by shifting from a construction to a restoration mentality. Restoration and conservation of buildings generate a lot of money, create employment and usually do not cause any major negative changes in the immediate environment.
It is also greatly satisfying to monitor the process of restoring a building to its former state and this is why I have been a committee member of Din l-Art Ħelwa for the past 30 years, following restoration projects with which the organisation gets involved.
Stanley Farrugia Randon, council member, Din l-Art Ħelwa.