Valletta going through a period of renaissance - de Marco

Valletta was going through a period of renaissance, Nationalist MP Mario de Marco argued in parliament in an adjournment speech.

He observed that March 28 would see the 438th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of Valletta. Today the city was a treasure trove of the efforts of several great people, a unique city that was considered a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

The president of Din l-Art Helwa, Martin Scicluna, had recently described Valletta as a city betrayed. He had made a number of useful suggestions on how to regenerate the capital.

Dr de Marco said harking back to the past was only useful in learning from past mistakes. Since World War II many governments had concentrated on resolving social problems and transforming economic growth from that based on a military base to one of non-alignment. Concentrating on economic growth did not mean Valletta had been betrayed.

The creation of the Valletta Rehabilitation Project (VRP) had done a lot for the capital, with upgrading and restoration works on several public buildings such as the Palace, churches, squares and the barrakkas. On the other hand Mepa was overseeing the restoration and preservation of traditional Maltese balconies.

It was correct to mention projects in Valletta by various governments, such as the conversion of St James Cavalier, the restoration of St John's Co-Cathedral and the Mediterranean Conference Centre, the paving of Republic Street and the works related to the cruise liner terminal, among others. The capital expenditure on Valletta over the past 25 years had been extensive.

Valletta local council, too, was doing what it could, even though the funds at its disposal were limited and half of them went for cleaning the capital. But was Malta really doing enough for its capital?

Dr de Marco said there were several aspects to focus on when discussing Valletta, with the five major ones being the residential, the historical and cultural, the commercial, the touristic and the fact that it was the capital city and the administrative nerve centre.

None of these aspects could be looked at in isolation; the only way that made sense was holistic. Valletta should not be beautiful to behold but with life standing still.

The current figure of 8,000 residents in Valletta was disquieting because it was less than half the wartime figure of 25,000 residents. Up to 36 per cent of this population was elderly. One of the reasons for the exodus was the rise in the price of dwellings because of their commercial potential. Efforts were needed for this exodus to be stopped and reversed if Valletta was not to become a ghost city.

Valletta needed a new sense of certainty without undue speculation in real estate prices. In this context, Mepa had drawn up a plan according to which buildings in some areas of Valletta could only be residential. But this plan needed to be scrupulously observed.

A system of incentives or tax rebates for the upkeep and restoration of buildings in these residential areas was badly needed. Valletta buildings were renowned for the amount of steps they had. This made the case for the installation of lifts where possible, so that senior citizens would not end up as prisoners in their own homes. The Housing Authority's project for a new housing block in Merchants' Street with this aspect foremost in mind was indeed encouraging. One could also not ignore the fact that the Housing Authority had 300 pending applications from Valletta residents for alternative accommodation.

Just as welcome were plans for the setting up of day centres, not only in Valletta but in other parts of the country.

Parking in Valletta was at a premium, with most spaces being taken up by people who worked there. Perhaps certain streets could be reserved for parking by residents or a parking scheme could be introduced on the same lines as that in Victoria. In that way, residents could park for as long as they needed to while others would have to move their vehicles after a certain time. Care had to be taken, however, not to harm businesses. Increased emphasis should be placed on introducing a park and ride scheme for Valletta.

It was encouraging that buildings which had been converted to office space were in some cases being reconverted to residences, but Valletta should not be a place just for the rich.

On the historical aspect Dr de Marco highlighted several restoration works in Valletta, but said the state of Lower Fort St Elmo was such that it reduced people to tears. The place should be vacated by all squatters and earmarked for specific worthy use. Perhaps an academy for the armed forces could be set up and based in Lower Fort St Elmo. Other ideas which had already been proposed were for Fort St Elmo to house a crafts village and an open-air theatre for the summer.

The site of the old Opera House was another one that called for immediate attention. Din l-Art Helwa had called for all car parking activities to be terminated and, if nothing else, the site could be used as a memorial of the war, unless it was rebuilt. The society was against the site housing a new house of parliament.

Dr de Marco said that rather than a memorial, the site should be given new life and it should be the seat of a new modern parliament such as Malta deserved to have as a member of the EU.

The bastions of Valletta also needed attention. The proposal for Heritage Malta to be given the onus of caring for them should be heeded.

That the Malta Jazz Festival was held in Valletta was good, but there needed to be music throughout the year, ideally in the squares and street corners.

There was no doubt that Valletta was the commercial centre of the country, with 1,200 commercial licences and 40,000 people visiting Valletta every day.

While Valletta should not become another Paceville, he agreed with Din l-Art Helwa on the need for rehabilitation of Strait Street through the granting of more restaurant permits. There should also be more al fresco restaurants around the seafront. Pedestrianisation would mean even more commerce for Valletta, especially with an efficient park-and-drive scheme and underground parking sites in the city itself.

Dr de Marco said it would not need justification to spend more funds on the rehabilitation of Valletta. Even tourists arriving on cruise liners spent most of their time in Malta in Valletta. It was a pity that there were no five-star or boutique hotels in Valletta. Perhaps the site of the Evans Building could be converted for this purpose. The seafront between Valletta pitch and Fort St Elmo could also become a promenade complete with restaurants and bars.

But all in all, there was no doubt that Valletta was going through a period of renaissance. The debate sparked off by Mr Scicluna's remarks was indeed healthy. It was essential to keep building on what had been started. Valletta local council should not be funded according to the same formula as other local councils, given that Valletta was the capital and deserved more funds.

The VRP too should be given more scope and resources. There should be a holistic plan for the city, borne of the responsibilities towards Malta's forefathers, concluded Dr de Marco. In that way, Valletta could be the cultural capital of the Mediterranean.