Deluge of objections jams MEPA’s email inbox
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The volume of emails from Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) supporters objecting to the Planning Applications to extend St. John's museum has caused MEPA's email inbox to jam. "We have received an impressive 450 objections so far, but many more were rejected by the MEPA inbox. We urge those whose objections bounced back to try again now that the jam is cleared" advised Kenneth Borg for FAA.
This flood of objections followed FAA's visit to MEPA where the latest updates showed that MEPA was not in favour of the massive excavations planned for St. John's Street and Square, due to the risk to the Cathedral's foundations. MEPA is however prepared to consider the St. John's Foundation application to cover over the St. John's courtyard on Merchants' Street with a transparent ceiling and dome to serve as a visitors' centre, shop and ticketing booths. On the first floor, the plans show a room to be built along Merchants' Street, as indicated in the aerial photo above, extending the covered passage outwards towards the graveyard of the Knights.
FAA reiterates that these developments would violate the clauses of its National Monument Grade I scheduling as well as causing irremediable damage to Valletta's underground chambers, tunnels, channels and water cisterns which should be mapped out, studied and preserved, and not damaged and exploited.
Feasible alternatives exist for the extension of the required museum space such as the acquisition of a nearby palazzo which can be restored and used as an extension to the St John's museum. This option would not only serve to restore the building and enrich Valletta but has the added advantage of relieving St John's Co-Cathedral of the heavy influx of visitors, allowing the Foundation to accept more visitors and increase its earnings.
FAA urges its members of the public who have Malta's heritage at heart to visit its website www.ambjentahjar.org where they can submit an objection to MEPA on these applications.
Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar
The aerial view of St. John's above shows how increasing the buildings on the Merchants' Street side would create a damaging sense of enclosure.
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