News

Times of Malta, 29th June 2008 In her article entitled ‘Speculators and Squatters rule, OK’, in last Sunday’s MaltaToday, Pamela Hansen hit the nail on the head. Like all law-abiding citizens in this country who would never have the temerity to park on yellow lines, let alone appropriating a coastal stretch, Hansen expresses her bewilderment at plans to construct an electricity substation...

Times of Malta, 17th June 2008 – Wonders never cease in this little Clochemerle-like republic of ours. On Monday week I read that the Qala local council has successfully applied to the government for a grant to finance a study to counteract what is being proposed by developers for Ħondoq ir-Rummien; namely €10,000 for a technical study when, in my humble...

Times of Malta, 16th June 2008 – Sustainable development is on the government’s drawing board. In short, objectives for economic progress are to take environmental concerns into account and vice versa. A balance between the two is to be achieved. Construction is one economic sector that often has a negative impact on the environment. Malta’s small size and population density compound...

Sunday Times of Malta, 18 May 2008 – To the current frenzy of building stables and discos, we can add boathouses and hotel extensions. Snippets of information trickling through show plans for the dust-shrouded San Tumas enclave of around 140 boathouses, most of which are illegally-constructed, albeit on private land. Through a tailor-made action plan, in a place identified as a ‘coastal...

Sunday Times of Malta, 18 May 2008 – I sometimes feel that Malta is like a frog in a pot of water placed on a stove. The frog does not feel threatened by the gradual increase in temperature and does not jump out of the pot, even if it can easily do so. It stays there, it will not try...

On 10 April 2008, Dr Gordon Knox gave a public lecture at Din l-Art Helwa entitled ‘Water – a Crisis?’, which focused on the issue of water resources from global and Maltese perspectives. What follows are some of the main points discussed during the lecture:   Malta is heading for a crisis unless attitudes to water management and conservation change drastically. Water...

Times of Malta, 19th April 2008 Nothing is Sacred Anymore It is now an open secret that our island home is up for sale. The outrageous statements by the chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority, a parastatal body, in favour of the Mistra development has sent shock waves through the environmental lobby. “Breathes there a man with soul so dead” to the...

Times of Malta, 30th March 2008 Limestone is one of Malta’s few natural resources. From our magnificent Stone Age temples, to the building of the impressive fortifications of Valletta and Mdina, it has always been a vital element in the architectural heritage of our nation. The colour, texture and patina of the local stone are integral features of our...

Times of Malta, 5th March 2008 The exchange of opinions in The Times of February 5, 8 and 21 between Martin Scicluna and George Pullicino are of great interest to the Chamber of Architects and its members, also because they inevitably expose the wide vacuum that exists between public perception and the realities of our planning process. In his last contribution, Mr...