The steps of Valletta's streets

The British poet Lord Byron hated Valletta's steps so much that he wrote: "Adieu, ye cursed street of stairs, how surely he who mounts you swears". Little did Byron know that the very steps he so cursed would become an important landmark of the capital city, as well as a favourite photo shoot for tourists. Byron cursed the steps in his writing, but today's "progress" is causing their destruction.

The reports carried lately in The Times regarding trucks going loaded down the steps of St Ursula Street are shocking indeed. To be fair, Valletta is not exactly friendly to rehabilitation efforts being carried out on monuments, churches, residences and commercial premises. Working for many years in the property industry has made me aware of this.

However, everything in life has its challenges and humankind performed wonders when faced with severe constraints. Builders in Venice would have surely loved trucks and cranes to build their houses and their monuments. But their constraint was the sea, and today's marvels are witness of their tact and inventiveness. Valletta presents much of the same constraints.

Whether it is narrow streets, steps, protected architecture and a multitude of other constraints, these problems in themselves present opportunities. The unique nature of Valletta makes it a jewel in more ways than one, a world heritage city. So the owners of city properties, as well as the people living in and using Valletta's streets, are not utilising something which is exclusively theirs, but something which has been entrusted into their care. If one buys uniqueness, challenges have to be addressed in a unique way.

I will not go into what could have, or can be done to restore buildings on the steps of St Ursula Street, without having them cave in under the weight of a seven-tonne truck. I sincerely believe there is much more than one option. Moreover, this incident should set us thinking for the future.

What can really be done to ensure that Valletta does not continue facing the destruction of its treasures? Two aspects come to mind: the first is education, the second is a coherent effort by the authorities. Admittedly, there have been inroads in both these sectors but I believe that Valletta is crying out for much more.

The council, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and other bodies have to put their heads together and come up not just with regulations but also with solutions. People who are taking up residence again in Valletta deserve to be helped, even if just with expertise in handling these particular constraints. We need to look at effective enforcement as well as constructive help. If not, the us and them attitude will prevail and only our heritage will suffer.

The authorities and the public can both genuinely be of help to each other in such matters. Sharing technical knowledge, specialised people, as well as a positive reception to innovative ideas can just be the solution. We are not inventing the wheel. Many cities around the world have successfully done this.

The list of what all of us can do is endless. I believe that only a genuine effort by all concerned can really protect what belongs to the world. If this does not happen, there will be little left for Lord Byron to swear by.