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FAA Letter Of Objection - St. John's Cathedral, Valletta - July 2008

FAA is seriously concerned about two development applications to extend the St. John’s Museum out to the St. John’s courtyard on Merchants’ Street and also under St. John’s Street and Square. Valletta is not on only a UNESCO World Heritage Site and St. John’s is the gem within that site, but it is also sacred to the memory of the Knights of St. John. These projects are potentially very damaging to our heritage for reasons which we have set out in the letter below and also to our communal values; do we really want ticketing booths and a visitors’ centre (or worse) in the graveyard of the Knights? We feel that MEPA should refuse such applications especially as a much wiser alternative exists to restore and convert one of the nearby deteriorating palazzos as a museum extension. We call on you to help us ensure the Cathedral is managed with prudence and sensitivity while fulfilling its space requirements in a way that will benefit Valletta for posterity by clicking on the link below to send an objection to MEPA by Sunday 3rd August. We also ask you to pass this on to your friends as the objections we had sent on the Hondoq case were noted by MEPA and remarked as being highly effective so we once again ask you to stand up and be counted. Many thanks, The FAA Committee 28th July 2007 New supporters welcome at: http://www.ambjentahjar.org/join.htm Click here to send your objection to MEPA. Letter OBJECTION TO PA 00167/08 and 00168/08 Site at St John’s Cathedral Valletta As a member of the public concerned for my country's heritage, I vehemently object to the above-mentioned applicationsto extend St. John`s Museum by building an extra exhibition space and a shop projecting out onto the courtyard of St. John's Cathedral, as well as to the excavation of chambers below St. John`s Street and Square, connecting to existing underground reservoirs and to St John's Cathedral and to construct vertical lifts through all floors and other alterations. The excavation of St John's Square in order to provide more chambers might not only affect the Cathedral's foundations, but will also destroy the remains of a palace of the Knights' period there. Valletta's underground chambers, tunnels, channels and water cisterns for the catchment of rainwater and the disposal of waste water are 16th century engineering treasures, evidence of the advanced engineering techniques of Laparelli and Girolamo Cassar and of the Order's foresight in ensuring Valletta's water supply. As such they should be mapped out, studied and preserved, and not damaged and exploited. In addition to contravening several MEPA regulations on the preservation of Urban Conservation Areas, these applications also violate the Heritage Act since St. John's Cathedral as a National Monument Schedule Grade 1 falls under: "Buildings of outstanding architectural or historical interest that shall be preserved in their entirety. Demolition or alterations which impair the setting or change the external or internal appearance, including anything contained within the curtilage of the building, will not be allowed. Internal structural alterations will only be allowed in exceptional circumstances where this is paramount for reasons of keeping the building in active use." Clearly, this does not permit an extension which changes St. John's external appearance, just as the Cathedral does not need an extension in order to remain in use. If the Cathedral needs extensions, these could be accommodated in one of the many palazzos or old buildings in the immediate neighbourhood of the Cathedral which are in an advanced state of deterioration. I maintain that the enormous funds to be spent on this extravagant and damaging project would be much better spent on investing in and restoring such a palace as a 'state-of-the-art museum'. This would avoid the damage to Valletta's underground heritage, avoid any risk to the foundations and structure of St. John's Cathedral, spare the residents, shops, visitors and tourists years of upheaval in ripping up the newly-paved square, and will enrich Valletta through the restoration and rehabilitation of a decaying building. I therefore urge Mepa to refuse these applications and ask to be recognised as an official objector and to be kept informed of any developments and hearings on this case by communicating with me at the above-mentioned email address.   Click here to send your objection to MEPA.

11th August 2008

Press Release - FAA congratulates Maltese Environmentalists - 8th August 2008

 

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) congratulates environmentalists Ing. Marco Cremona and Dr. Alan Deidun for making it to the finals for the prestigious Junior Chamber International (JCI) 2008 Outstanding Young Person of the Year award.

The Junior Chamber International (JCI) organises the Outstanding Young Person of the Year award to recognise formally young people who excel in their chosen fields to exemplify the capabilities and talents of the world’s young people. An international jury selected the 30 finalists out of hundreds of nominations from JCI members in over 100 countries.(click here to read more).

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4th August 2008

Press Release - FAA discusses Environment Measures at Castille - 2nd August 2008

The importance of placing the citizen and his well-being at the centre of Mepa reform was the main thrust of Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar’s (FAA) discussions during a recent cordial meeting with the Prime Minister and Mr. Austin Walker, Mepa Chairman. FAA emphasised the fact that the country cannot afford to wait the length of time required for a thorough and well-studied reform of MEPA, without interim measures, as more highly damaging permits are being issued all the time. (click here to read more).

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30th July 2008

Press Release - Update on St John's Project - 29th July 2008

Having seen the updates at MEPA, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar can now inform the public that MEPA’s Planning Director has dubbed the project to excavate St. John’s Street and Square a “non starter” due to the risk of potential damage to the foundations of St John’s Cathedral and reminded the architect that a number of heritage protection entities had already recommended that another building in Valletta be used for the Foundation’s as expansion requirements. (click here to read more).

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar is extremely concerned about development application PA 00167/08 to extend St. John`s Museum by constructing a new three-storey building on the courtyard along Merchants Street, to provide extra space as well as a canteen at roof level.  The present façade of the Cathedral along Merchants Street will be completely altered by this structure which though postwar has now blended into the context of St John’s. This new structure will be built above the graves of the Knights of the Order.(click here to read more).

In his address to Parliament last May, the President had stated: “The government’s plans and actions are to be underpinned by the notion of sustainable development of the economy, of society and of the environment. When making decisions today, serious consideration will be given to the generations of tomorrow.”(click here to read more).

Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono yesterday launched the consultation process for the government's eco island project to a grilling by environmentalists present, who insisted that action should complement the rhetoric.

The launch, held at the picturesque Lunzjata valley in the limits of Victoria, was clearly aimed at highlighting the island's assets but even on this point, Miriam Cremona, from the Valletta Rehabilitation Project, pointed out the gold-coloured aluminium door and notice board fixed to the mediaeval chapel behind the minister, to stress the need for an aggressive effort to educate but also to enforce.(click here to read more).

This Friday the 11^th July another scene in the saga of the Ramla Bay project will be enacted when the MEPA Appeals Board meets in Gozo to hear the Ramla developers’ appeal against MEPA’s rescinding of their permit to build 23 villas with pools on the Ramla hillside, partly on ODZ land. 

The permit, which had been granted in the face of strong opposition by the Gozitan Save Ramla group and Maltese environment NGOs, had subsequently been rescinded on the grounds of false information being provided since the developer’s application failed to state that part of the footprint included a public road.(click here to read more).

Press Release - The Citizen Betrayed - 4th July 2008

“In its insistence on approving the Fort Cambridge project before the completion of some of the most essential environment studies, MEPA and Government have betrayed the citizen” maintains Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA). In spite of the EU’s imposing an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) when MEPA had arbitrarily decided that an EIA was not necessary for this massive development, key elements like the Traffic Impact Study have not been included.

Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) deplores the fact that once again the Fort Cambridge (ex-Holiday Inn) project is set to violate residents’ rights as its imminent adjudication will take place without the most important studies.

A traffic management plan for the area is still being prepared by ADT. In an area, which is already often gridlocked at peak hours, the effect of the approximately 1,000 more cars that the project will bring into the area is a key issue.

A project of these dimensions, which has already created so much inconvenience during the excavation phase should be undertaking a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in order to study how the whole project is going to affect residents, both during the construction as well as later operational phases, and how such impacts can be reduced.(click here to read more).

Last week I broke my self-imposed rule of attending only those activities which are fun or fruitful. On a scorching hot day I turned up at a local hotel where a seminar entitled 'Green Jobs: What Prospects' was being organised by the Employment and Training Corporation.

Green jobs - just in case you were wondering - are jobs in the environmental sectors of the economy and include posts related to implementing environmentally conscious design, policy, technology and research. And no, such jobs are not just about growing organic tomatoes and making handbags out of recycled felt.(click here to read more).

Malta has broken more environment rules than any other new EU member state, according to a report card issued yesterday by the European Commission. Brussels is not at all pleased with the way the environment is being handled by Malta and is expecting various initiatives to be taken in order to come closer to EU standards.

The report analyses the country's progress on environment policy in 2007. It shows Malta is a laggard on a number of counts including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, measures on climate change, halting biodiversity and recycling of waste.(click here to read more).

Environmental concerns have been cited as the reason for the structure of the current taxation system - on that regard it has failed miserably. Environmental concerns are again being trumpeted as the guiding light for the upcoming new system after discussions with "organised stakeholders" the identity of which has not been disclosed.

I would think that they are the same stakeholders consulted in the change from import tax to registration tax in 1994, for the introduction of the "minimum tax" provision on used car imports and its "amendment" a few years ago. The whole issue of passenger car taxation seems to be stuck in quicksand - the more the regulations squirm the more it sinks.(click here to read more).

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) welcomes the appointment of a new MEPA Chairman and augurs that the speedy implementation of MEPA reform will enable the new Chairman to ensure a level playing field for both developers and residents, consistency in decisions and sustainable planning for Malta’s future needs.   

FAA fails to understand how a decision as important as the Mistra high-rise development could have been taken just prior to the takeover of the new Chairman, and to the imminent MEPA reform. (click here to read more).

We're back after a traumatic week. The MEPA Board's unprecedented processing of two mega-projects in one day with only two days' warning had us scrambling to prepare our presentations, only to be told that we had 5 and 8 minutes respectively to explain our stand on Fort Cambridge and Mistra, projects that are going to last for more than a lifetime.(click here to read more).

In an unprecedented move, MEPA is going to decide on not one, but two major project that are going to seal the fate of a town, a seaside community and a main thoroughfare, with irreversible impacts for all Malta. 

The Fort Cambridge project proposes to add around 370 apartments to the Tigne peninsula; if the Fort Cambridge, Townsquare and the extra MIDI blocks are approved, it will mean the addition of over 1,800 new apartments in about seven years within the square kilometre of Qui si-Sana/Tigne, set in an area that has over 4,500 vacant homes.

All the above scenarios are repeated in the Mistra mega-project application which is to be discussed in the afternoon.  FAA maintains that it is not possible to justify a project to create 868 new apartments in an area having 9,000 empty properties.(click here to read more).

Each Member State is responsible for the implementation of Community law (adoption of implementing measures before a specified deadline, conformity and correct application) within its own legal system. Under the Treaties, the Commission of the European Communities is responsible for ensuring that Community law is correctly applied. (click here to read more).

The Institute for Environmental Studies is pleased to announce that the course "Wildlife and Habitats of the Maltese Islands" is being held between 18th and 27th June, 2008. This is an introductory course and does not assume any knowledge of the habitats of the Maltese Islands and associated flora and fauna. The course is open to all individuals who would like to acquire basic information on the local terrestrial environment, whether out of personal interest or to consolidate their knowledge of the environmental characteristics of the Maltese Islands.(click here to read more).

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA) wholeheartedly supports the firm stand taken by Government as regards bus owners who insist on defying the authorities by refusing to allow their buses to be tested for fuel emissions. The arrogant attitude of the Public Transport Association is not to be tolerated and it is time that the pollution caused by these buses is eradicated. (click here to read more).

ACT VI of 2002, as amended by Acts XVIII of 2002, II of 2005 and XXXII of 2007; and Legal Notice 426 of 2007.

To make provision in place of the Antiquities (Protection) Act, Cap. 54 for the superintendence, conservation and management of cultural heritage in Malta and for matters ancillary thereto or connected therewith.(click here to read more).

Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.(click here to read more).

  FAA would like to encourage you to write your own letters in the newspapers focussing on the different aspects of the above issue. We have compiled a list of the email addresses of the newspapers and are posting it on our website for your ease of reference. Click here to see this list

    Haven't signed the Quality of Life petition yet? Click here to print Maltese version or English     Version.
Please note that this is NOT an online petition but has to be printed first and signed.

If you know others who would be interested in signing, please inform them as well and return all signed petitions to:

PO Box 13,
Birkirkara Post Office,
Malta