Harbour visions

One of the better MLP proposals to plan for a future Labour government is the regeneration of the coastline areas. The government has now made it clear that it too has a vision, which it hopes to realise through 20 capital projects for the Grand Harbour area. Evidently politics will come into play in this sector as well, with I-thought-of-it-first as the rope for yet another tug-of-war.

Whoever did think of this issue first, it is good that there will be keen competition over a political commitment to give life to an area that is among the most attractive in the Maltese islands, but has become a victim of glaring neglect.

The government, not least through an extensive seemingly off-the-record briefing evident in yesterday's Independent on Sunday, is stressing that it began considering regeneration of the Grand Harbour well before Labour came out with its proposal.

A lengthy descriptive and prescriptive report was presented some weeks ago to the Prime Minister. A state-owned company has been set up in the last few days.

The stepping up of government action to outbid the MLP is rather obvious. On its part the Labour opposition is proceeding according to its policy of going out to the people for minute consultations, rather than inviting some sample of public opinion to the PM's office.

There is also a deeper difference. The government is focusing on the regeneration of the Grand Harbour area, thereby to bridge the gap which will become more harshly evident when SmartCity gets going, and the Cottonera and Valletta waterfront developments. Labour is after a more holistic coastline approach, which will, in addition, bridge another gap - between the MIDI project in Tigne' and Manoel island and Marsamxett, which also suffers from neglect.

It all points to dynamic times ahead, first through competing ideas before the election, and then with implementation over a number of years by the new government, whoever it is formed of.

At this early stage it is important for the public to pore over what the two sides will be saying, thereby to safeguard against a deepening of an existing trend.

The trend is towards viewing every bit of open or neglected space in purely business terms. These terms are very specifically two-legged - retailing outlets and apartments.

If the regeneration of the areas around our main harbours is made dependent on that trend, it could mean further uglification of our coastline, as well as preparing for fresh dereliction in the form of uneconomic shopping plazas and other retail units, since Malta, tourism and all, can support so many retail outlets and no more.

Regeneration will inevitably include commercial considerations, since the government, whether Labour or Nationalist, will go for public private partnerships. But commercialisation can be of a more varied nature than the residential side of SmartCity, or the retail and restaurant side of the Valletta and Cottonera waterfronts projects.

There could be, for example, areas designated for craft shops alongside old-type taverns and entertainment areas, which would need state assistance to set up. Such assistance would be justified by the way the regeneration product would be leavened.

The folk of Cottonera, Marsa and both sides of Valletta, could be encouraged to bring back the traditional dghajsa to ply the harbour waters. Evening events to attract visitors to areas regenerated in this manner should be promoted initially by the Malta Tourism Authority.

The potential of our great harbours and their hinterland is enormous. Let's hope the political players come up with visions to do them justice.