Viewpoints

Times of Malta, 31st July 2009 – The law of unintended consequences holds that there are often initiatives, invariably taken with the best of intentions, which lead in the event to negative or perverse results absolutely contrary to what was intended. The Prime Minister’s intention, announced in his long-awaited Blueprint for Mepa reform, to arrogate planning policy to himself is another...

Times of Malta, 23 July 2009 – In the 18th century, young men from the north of Europe frequently travelled on a “grand tour” to the south, to complete their education. They visited France and Italy, admiring old monuments and viewing famous cities, buildings and works of art. At the turn of the 19th century, many of these travellers were taking...

Times of Malta, 22 July 2009  The long awaited proposals for the reform of Mepa have finally been revealed. There is much to commend in many of the proposals. Some are eminently sensible and may resolve the planning catastrophe we have been living these past 40 years. Undoubtedly, one of the main problems we had was that Mepa did not seem to...

Vigilo magazine – Issue 35 April 2009 Let us be clear at the outset that the decision to scrap the project to extend the underground museum of St John’s Co-Cathedral wsa the result of sheer political expediency. It owed nothing to either environmental or cultural heritage concerns. The Prime Minister was faced with a dilemma. He could either, as the minister responsible...

Times of Malta, 24 March 2009 – Talking Point The 1960s brought a rapidly expanding tourism industry to Malta, with many large hotels built in pristine locations. Tourism is a main pillar of our economy but times have undoubtedly changed radically with respect to the land still available for new tourism developments. Many of the hotels built in the 1960s and 1970s...

Sunday Times of Malta, 24 November 2008 A settlement – a conglomeration of homes set up by its community – is a living depository of cultural heritage where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Individual homes making up a settlement do not merely project a collection of distinct identities but together give rise to a collective cultural...

Times of Malta, 12th November 2008 Ever since I can remember, there have been illegal huts and rooms clustered along our coasts and dotted throughout the Maltese countryside, squatting on public land. And ever since I can remember, the general feeling of the public has always been one of helplessness, in the knowledge that the government of the day was not...

The Malta Independent on Sunday, 28th September 2008 Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Dr Mario de Marco recently emphasised that for the tourism industry to be sustainable, we must “maintain, conserve and upgrade our environment”. He warned that tourism development must not take place at the expense of the environment, and all reports drawn up by the Malta Tourism Authority are now...

Times of Malta, 27 August 2008 – The issues surrounding the proposals to develop exhibition space at St John’s Co-Cathedral have touched a raw nerve. This, I suppose, can be expected. All Maltese and many others feel protective over this national monument, steeped as it is in our history and so precious in its architectural and cultural value. Everyone has its interests...