Restoration project at Senglea

I refer to the two letters published on August 28 with reference to the restoration project of the land-front of Senglea.

Firstly, this office can only respond to matters that pertain to it. However, just for the record, the Prime Minister did state during the inauguration of our project that the problem at the marina is being dealt with by another ministry.

The two letters have again referred to this very important project as if it was a matter of "cleaning" the bastion. This was a full and very complex restoration project. The damage to the bastion façade was substantial.

In areas of extensive deterioration the traditional restoration intervention involving replacement of the stone blocks was employed. Other less damaged areas necessitated the reduction of salt levels within the stone. This involved treating stone with various applications of clay and paper pulp poulticing and deionised water.

Friable stone work was consolidated with the application of a suitable consolidant. Care was taken to ensure that during the process the pores in the stone were not blocked up thereby aggravating the deterioration process. The detached layers were then injected with an appropriate lime-based mortar manufactured specifically for such use. Cleaning of the stone work, the last level intervention, was carried out using methods that allowed the removal of deleterious substance yet respecting the patina acquired by the stone. This involved the use of low pressure micro-lasting and cycles of poulticing.

The project also included a very substantial amount of work on the upper platform terrace level of the bastions, in an area of over 1,000 square metres. In this part of the project the pavement was restored after the removal of concrete flooring put in for the use of the area as tennis courts.

The project also included substantial restoration of the walls and other interventions that has rendered this platform area as one of the most beautiful belvederes of the Cottonera area.

As regards the part of the bastion wall that was destroyed during the last war I wish to emphasise once again that the project of the Senglea land-front is being done in phases. I had stated that our original intention was to leave the destroyed area in the state that it is but we had to intervene when we found the structural damage that water seepage was causing to the rest of the bastion wall. I did not state that we intended to leave this in this state forever: I only stated that we intended to leave it in this state in this phase of the project.

There is still substantial work that needs to be done, such as the rebuilding of this part of the bastion and the paving of the area of St Anne Gate. These projects depend on other action being taken though. In the case of the paving we have to reroute the Enemalta cables.

In the case of the reconstruction of the bastion wall we have to consider what will be proposed for the buildings that are abutting the Macina which is directly below this part of the destroyed bastion wall. Of course, this is related as part of the bastion abuts on a destroyed barrel vault which is part of the Macina that was transferred to one of the consortia responsible for the Cottonera Waterfront project. In stating this we are not evading the issue; on the contrary we take our work seriously but our work has to be planned well.

The restoration project of the Senglea land-front that has restored the entrance to Senglea to the elegance that it deserves is but one of many projects that are being done in the Cottonera area in our effort to restore and regenerate the area. This is a coordinated effort by three ministries. Our ministry, through the Cottonera Rehabilitation Project, is working very hard to ensure that all projects are planned well and executed. We do not go for half-baked projects. Our projects are well researched and executed according to present day conservation ethics. We have major projects in all the four cities of Cottonera and it is difficult therefore to comprehend a discussion of this type taking place when up to a few years ago no projects were being done in Cottonera at all.

We are very proud of what has been achieved on the Senglea land-front and we will continue to give our part in the regeneration of Cottonera in spite of such negative letters that do not add an iota to the discussion on how we are to improve Cottonera's image.