More than a mere crafts village

I concur with Mark Harwood that the proposed redevelopment of the crafts village at Ta' Qali needs to be more than a collection of buildings where tourists and others can purchase Maltese crafts.

First of all I hope that this project will go forward in order to get rid of the eyesores that now make up the village. The present village looks more like a third-world collection of corrugated steel shacks than a crafts village. It's unkept and, bar a couple of newer buildings, looks like it is abandoned.

The crafts village needs to be attractive, a place where tourists and Maltese people alike can enjoy a few hours of shopping and learning about Maltese crafts. It needs to be green with plenty of areas where visitors can relax and get out of the hot sun during the summer months - that means plenty of greenery, flowers, trees, and benches. There should also be a couple of restaurants in the village. A nice sit-down restaurant and perhaps a restaurant where one can get cold drinks, a cappuccino, and some light snacks.

The entrance to the village should be a welcome centre, which should include a free multi-media presentation about the history of Malta and a presentation taking a close look at Maltese crafts. The welcome centre should also exhibit examples of crafts that visitors can buy from the village and an information desk where tourists and other visitors can obtain information about the village and other Maltese attractions.

Free parking at the periphery of the village would also help make a visit to the village more convenient and pleasant.

This is a great opportunity to do something right - to design and build a modern tourist attraction from scratch and, more importantly, making the Maltese heritage the emphasis of the design.