The Royal Opera House in Valletta should be rebuilt and brought back to its former glory, the Democratic Party has said.

In a statement, the PD said that rebuilding the Opera House would grant the public a wish which had been “long ignored without reason or empathy”.

“It seems long overdue that the people of Malta should be given what they have wanted all along - for the building to be rebuilt to its former glory,” the party said on Saturday.

The Royal Opera House was bombed during World War II and reinvented as the open-air theatre Teatru Rjal as part of Renzo Piano’s City Gate project for the capital.

During last month’s Budget 2020 speech, the government said that it was open to proposals about how to roof over the theatre and would be holding a public consultation on the matter.

The PD argued that the building could be rebuilt through a public-private partnership and did not necessarily have to be an exact replica of the original, provided architectural principles were respected.

“The building need not serve as an opera house, but could present multiple uses and functions to the benefit of the general public,” the party said.

In its statement, the PD also said it approved of the government’s decision to purchase Villa Gwardamangia with the intention of turning it into a historical site that could attract “quality tourism”.

Queen Elizabeth lived in the villa as a young woman prior to ascending to the British throne.