The article by Mark Laurence Zammit and Jael Micallef (May 14) about the prescient letter Archbishop Michael Gonzi wrote to Din l-Art Ħelwa in 1965 warning the newly founded organisation about the various undesirable forces that it should be aware of and that could have a very detrimental effect on our cultural heritage, environment and quality of life was, judging by the number of online comments, well noted.

Archbishop Gonzi was, of course, preaching to the converted; specifically to the founder of Din l-Art Ħelwa, the late Judge Maurice Caruana Curran.

Ernle Bradford and Lord Mountbatten of Burma also sent well-wishing and congratulatory messages.

Architect Quentin Hughes, in his letter to Judge Caruana Curran, said: “Except perhaps for the centre of Rome, there are more buildings of architectural significance per square mile in Malta than anywhere in the world, and this in itself creates a problem.

“As your island is so small, any careless, ill-thought new building can have a disastrous effect on the finely balanced environment, and it is as important to safeguard the surroundings of historic buildings as to preserve the buildings themselves.”

Now that is an insightful warning. All urban conservation areas in Malta and Gozo are under threat from nondescript and sad looking developments obliterating iconic vistas and skylines. Not to mention also the ruination of established two-storey terrace house neighbourhoods facilitated through some crass interpretations of policies by the Planning Authority.

Which brings me to the Villa Saint Ignatius saga, in St Julian’s where a massive hotel is being proposed on this historic site adjacent to six scheduled buildings with the highest possible Grade 1 degree of protection, including St Ignatius church and five dwellings.

Villa St Ignatius is certainly one of the oldest buildings in St Julian’s, constructed in the first half of the 19th century and, possibly, the oldest building in Malta with neo-Gothic style features. The actual villa deserves scheduling in its own right. The executive council of the Planning Authority spearheaded the issue of a policy circular in 2020 precisely to protect the setting of scheduled buildings and sites from indiscriminate and insensitive developments.

All urban conservation areas in Malta and Gozo are under threat from nondescript and sad looking developments- Patrick Calleja

Reading through the case officer’s report recommending an approval for the hotel project, the acrobatics in justifying the conformity of the application with Circular 3/20 are astounding. It is terribly disheartening and infuriating to experience, time and time again, this unashamed lip-service being paid to our laws and regulations. The application is to be determined by the Planning Authority in early June.

In his speech at the inaugural meeting of Din l-Art Ħelwa in 1965, Governor-General Sir Maurice Dorman summed up the tasks of the organisation thus: “... to promote beauty, to fight ugliness, to preserve our heritage, in city and village, in the country and by the sea...” He went on to say: “... but you will not have everyone’s understanding for we are not all blessed with eyes to see what improves, what spoils or mars or what is crumbling.”

It is indeed a great shame that our educational system has not developed in tandem with the affluence in the country. This inequitable state of affairs is further compounded by what appears to be a conglomeration of hijacked institutions.

Patrick Calleja is president Din l-Art Ħelwa.