Times of Malta, 14th March 2008 – Much has been said lately about the Dwejra boathouses. There were those who wrote out of genuine environmental interest and those whose aim seemed to be only to damage the environmental NGOs and the unity they have lately achieved, which has led them to prevail in issues such as Xagħra l-Ħamra, Ramla and...
June 2006 The government has opened a veritable can of worms. To say that one is correcting anomalies and injustices are fine words. But is this the whole story? Whenever limits to development are set, people will feel aggrieved. These were being addressed in the local plans which were slowly being drafted for each locality. Instead, the government has opted for a...
In the last three years, the government has most commendably tackled the country’s economic deficit. While there is still a worrying gap between revenue and public expenditure, the annual deficit has been considerably reduced . Entry into the eurozone will force us to control it better. On the...
When Peter the Great developed his vision for Russia he turned to the Western model of a modern state as a source of inspiration, opening a window to the West, and took his country out of isolation and into a new era. Malta’s entry into Europe is a similar experience, yet integration is work in progress, relying not only on...
It is inevitable in a small country like Malta, where everybody knows or is acquainted with everybody else, that the pressure from politicians, developers or other clients, as well as environmental NGOs, on those making planning or environmental judgements is intense. In some cases, individual members of boards or commissions are able to withstand such pressure, in others they are...
The best way to protect an interesting or important old building is to include it in the list of scheduled properties. Just over 1,700 sites and monuments have been scheduled so far since the list was established in 1992, of which around 1,300 are architectural sites, and the rest are of archaeological or ecological interest. The recent National Strategy for Cultural...
When I was young I used to go and visit my old aunt and uncle. They lived in a rambling two terraced house in Tarxien. One of the dark rooms upstairs (for the rooms were always shuttered and closed) held a wondrous sight for a 10 year old boy. There, in a glass showcase were any...
On 27th January three NGOs – Din l-Art Helwa, Nature Trust and the Gaia Foundation – signed an agreement with government to manage the il-Majjistral Nature and History Park, an area about 5 times the size of Valletta that lies between Ghajn Tuffieha and Il-Prajjiet (more commonly known as Popeye’s Village). This is an area of...
A Partnership Agreement has been signed with Heritage Malta for the restoration of the site of Abbattija tad-Dejr Catacombs in Rabat. The strategic objectives are to safeguard the Catacombs for the enjoyment of future generations, to provide physical and intellectual access to this site for the enjoyment of different audiences, to contribute to the improvement and...
