Church commission adopts wait-and-see stance

The Church's Environment Commission has cautioned against the "fundamentalist stances" being taken over the proposed extension of the St John's Co-Cathedral Museum, urging open debate on the controversial issue following the publication of a "truly objective" Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Reacting to statements in the media made over the planning applications for the extension, the Commission said the applications need to be reviewed from a genuinely sustainable perspective by all quarters.

In a subsequent statement, St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation, which administers the church and its museum, said it agreed with the position taken by the commission as well as by the heritage trust Din l-Art Ħelwa (DLĦ), which has called for the terms of reference of the EIA to be carefully drawn up and for its findings to be discussed publicly. DLĦ would also like to see the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the Church's heritage commission and NGOs then act as watchdogs at every stage.

The Foundation, therefore, appealed to Mepa to draw up the terms of reference for an independent EIA without unnecessary delays.

It said that such positions were logical, cautious and in the interest of Malta's national heritage. Such constructive positions, it said, are in contrast to "rushed and destructive" statements that have been expressed by a few organisations.

The Foundation is particularly at loggerheads with the lobby group Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA), which was the first to sound alarm bells over the applications a few weeks ago and has been heavily critical of them since, arguing that the gem of Malta's heritage should remain untouched.

The Church Environment Commission yesterday referred to the two alternative proposals made by the Foundation for the museum extension, namely that of building extra exhibition space in the churchyard of the cathedral or excavating chambers underneath St John's Street and connecting them to existing subterranean water reservoirs.

It acknowledged the need to improve the current space at the cathedral museum, both in terms of its physical extent and the quality of the museum environment.

It noted that the foundation's proposals have been highly criticised due to the negative impact that they might have to the site. However, it also noted the foundation's statement that an EIA would ensure that whichever option is chosen would not pose any potential or real risks to the Co-Cathedral or any of the historical adjacent buildings.

It further pointed out that an EIA in itself is not meant to ensure that no impacts will occur. An EIA should provide decision makers with an assessment of the significance of any impact or impacts so that they can objectively decide whether to go ahead with the proposal or not.

Any EIA should not be construed in a way that it defends any proposal, it added.

The Commission said it looked forward to an EIA submitted by the Foundation that is truly objective and that adequately informs decision making. It will then be up to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, as well as up to civil society, to judge whether such an assessment is fair and reasonable or simply an apologetic exercise.

On the other hand, one could not assume a priori and without the benefit of a complete and technically sound EIA, that any options being proposed are unacceptable, the Commission said.

This does not imply that the question will be settled "only by the experts". Sustainable development and sustainable choices, it said, require the active participation of an informed civil society including environmental NGOs.

Critics of the options provided by the Foundation have proposed that the additional museum space required may be found in a nearby building which would not necessarily be physically joined to the current museum but the Foundation, as well as Din l-Art Ħelwa, have ruled out such an option claiming that the museum artefacts are the patrimony of the Co-Cathedral and should be displayed under one roof or within the same premises, not be dispersed.

The Commission said that the primary guiding principle should be the protection of the integrity of St John's and its various annexes, while at the same time to display its riches in the best possible way.

Because the cathedral complex was never built with the intention of doubling up as a museum, with time, the available space is no longer adequate to properly house and display its riches.

Therefore, the Commission argued, if the extension project proposed by the Foundation is found to pose unreasonable risks, as identified through an EIA, then it stands to reason that one would have to look for additional space elsewhere. No one, neither the Foundation nor its critics, may rule out a priori any option at this stage.

The Commission further insisted that any proposal opted for should form part of a Valletta Master Plan which would encompass any future plans for the underground use of the capital city, such as transport and water collection among others.

Furthermore, a close-working collaboration between the cathedral's foundation and the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee will be essential to ensure the long-term sustainability of any proposals, it said.

The cathedral was commissioned in 1572 as the conventual church of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St John. It was designed by the celebrated Maltese military architect Gerolamo Cassar.

In more recent times the cathedral has been the cause of friction between Church and State over property rights, although the Church now only insists on its use for liturgical purposes.