Viewpoints

Times of Malta, 14 June 2010 Letter to the Editor – Environmental Saviour or Destroyer (2) It is no surprise that the meeting on the Ħondoq ir-Rummien project ended in a row. On one side, we have the developers who are looking at the project as another opportunity to make money at a time when business is low; the strongest point in...

Sunday Times of Malta, 5 April 2010 Letter to the Editor by Martin Galea Claire Bonello (The Sunday Times, March 21) claims that last year, when I was president of Din l-Art Ħelwa, I was taken on a trip to Paris, and lo and behold, Din l-Art Ħelwa is now in favour of Renzo Piano’s proposals for Valletta. The facts are these: I...

Times of Malta, 18 March 2010 Ever since its inception 45 years ago, Din l-Art Ħelwa’s paramount concern for the re-building of the so-called opera house site focused on the architectural heritage and aesthetic aspects of whatever has been proposed. It has not been concerned so much with what use the building should be put to, only what impact the new...

Times of Malta, 10 March 2010 The entrance to Valletta is unworthy of a World Heritage city. The debate about plans for this site has raged for over 60 years and it is highly unlikely that consensus will ever be reached. Any government taking decisions on this special project must therefore expect to finally go ahead without consensus. There is no...

Times of Malta, 25 February 2010 Everyone is promoting the idea of sustainable development, but how are we going to get there? For a start, the phrase “sustainable development” is hard to pin down. It is broad and open to interpretation. In a wide-ranging way, it suggests a commitment to future generations. We want to bequeath a beautiful, clean environment to...

Times of Malta 25 January 2010 In his article Mepa Bill: Parliament Take Note! (January 19), Robert Musumeci argues that consistency in planning requires “a system of sentencing policy made available to the new decision bodies so that such decision-makers will be able to build on already established case law. Perhaps it is now the right time to introduce the doctrine...