A blight on the bastions’ line

As I sit at my little workstation, my view is of Valletta from its tip (east), including the renovated bridge, spreading all the way to Floriana and beyond. In fact, as soon as I walk down the hall to the kitchen for my first cup of coffee, that is what greets me. It is why I chose my flat. Development might be eating away at what I can see of the harbour and there is now a row of tanks marring my previous uncluttered view, but Valletta is still gloriously in sight.

If you are wondering what brought on this preamble, I shall explain. I was born and grew up in Valletta and my mother still lived there until she passed away last year. I can see those flats and below them to my right the House of Four Winds. I could not see the old building before, but I can now see the new construction, which is rather like a carbuncle (the boil not the gemstone). My frustration was not brought about by the architecture, I am sure it will turn out to be a fine building, but by the insensitive location. It is just in the wrong place.

So the bastions were cleaned up of all the caper plants, which the authorities saw as marring them, yet, they allow a new building to blight the superb bastions’ line. The argument that the previous building was more intrusive to the bastions’ line does not hold water. If one is to demolish and start afresh one does not repeat the same mistake, as happened with the Excelsior Hotel. This is what is so sad, we never learn from our mistakes.

Previous governments have a lot to answer for with regard to our heritage. Let us hope that the new administration will show more respect towards our patrimony. Recently, in Mdina that beautiful old orange grove in the ditch was spirited away to make way for a lawn! Because it was deemed that the bastions there are better for it. But I digress, why oh why did the previous government give such a sensitive building away to the Bank of Valletta? Presumably with no restrictions. I understand there was some kind of barter between the two.

That site adjoining the lower part of Hastings Gardens had been abused in the past. Part of the garden, behind the monument, where I used to act out plays with other neighbourhood children got stolen from the public area and became part of the House of Four Winds.

Besides, a beautiful, aged carob tree I used to climb was chopped out of existence to accommodate the extension. This took place at some point after the Maltese government took the House of Four Winds over from the British government. I was living abroad when this happened and discovered the harm done much later. Now that the House of Four Winds has been completely demolished, that part should have been given back to the public garden. Although, sadly, the carob tree can never be replaced.

Sensitivity to our heritage suggests that if the original house was to be demolished it was the ideal opportunity to keep that part of the bastions clear. Instead, we now have a new building that although not actually on the bastions, is far too close and breaks that magnificent bastions line. It is the only building that does that. All the buildings behind the bastions from the tip opposite Tigné right up to the Central Bank site, at the top end of Hastings are set well back. In fact, the Central Bank was purposely built below the bastions and hence cannot be seen.

I have no particular beef with the BOV except in this instance, since it is the main partner of Wirt Artna (Our Heritage), I would have thought it would have realised that if that building was to be demolished, it should not have been replaced.

“The crucial part of this planning permission is that through this permit, the existing eyesore which extends over the bastions will finally be removed with the added gain that the bastion area will also be restored to its original state. The approved development, which includes the redevelopment of a sensitive two storey office building to accommodate the Bank of Valletta Chairman’s Office, will be set back from the bastions so as not to be seen from street level, while no services are permitted at roof level.

“Additionally as part of the Planning Gain for this development, the Mepa Board obliged the bank to restore the base of Ponsomby's Column and Lord Spencer’s grave which are in the vicinity of the site. The bank on its own initiative has indicated that it was also considering re-paving the three small piazzas adjacent to the site.” Mepa responded to my email on the issue.

Well, I have a few supplementary statements in response to: “The approved development, which includes the redevelopment of a sensitive two storey office building to accommodate the Bank of Valletta Chairman’s Office, will be set back from the bastions so as not to be seen from street level, while no services are permitted at roof level.”
When Mepa refers to, “will be set back from the bastions so as not to be seen at street level”, it is not right in its claim. I presume they mean the street below the bastions, you know, the one that is always full of horse shit, because obviously one cannot see anything from that perspective.

But, if you look at Valletta at street level from across the harbour all along from Ta’ Xbiex to the Strand and Tigné Point, the new building is very visible. My argument is that it is not set back enough, as I have explained earlier. Furthermore, a BOV representative told me that it was the bank that specified that no services were to be placed on the roof, not Mepa.

So what is the Maltese public getting in return for the bartering away of a prime sensitive site? “The Mepa Board obliged the bank to restore the base of Ponsomby’s Column and Lord Spencer's grave, which are in the vicinity of the site for this development, as part of the Additionally Planning Gain.” Really, so that is supposed to balance out the flawed splendour of the bastions. Oh, and “The bank on its own initiative has indicated that it was also considering re-paving the three small piazzas adjacent to the site.” Considering mind, no commitment! We have lost out fellow citizens and the bank has won.

Published in the Malta Independent on Sunday June 2, 2013, where one can view the relevant photos