City Gate: Time to decide and move forward - DLH

P Schembri, please read article titled 'GRTU in strong attack on Parliament relocation plans - Chamber backs project' and read my latest comment.

I hate to repeat myself especially to someone well known here and elsewhere for anti-everything the government proposes.

Please don't mention St. Elmo in the same context. St Elmo has been in a bad shape for decades stretching back to the Labour days when squatters were almost invited to occupy such national heritage buildings. I don't want to go into specifics here because I would digress.

From the comments on timesofmalta.com it looks obvious that the majority of the general public does not like this new project. The government should take this as a clear message and allow the people to select the project they like most for their own capital city! Our government is trying to publicize Malta as some I.T. centre - if so then couldn't this government come with a simple website - where people could post their ideas and vote on them!?

@ B Agius

Just taken your advice and had a look at RP's website.

SCARY. To think that some similar ultra modern monstrosity (however architecturally meritorious) could be erected at the entrance to such an old and venerable city. Didn't the war do enough damage without letting an architect add to it.

@Ray Arpa/Charles DeMicoli/Yvonne Spiteri Ghio
Perfectly agree with all you say! There is only one Valletta and it is a beautiful place and a world heritage site. I love to visit whenever I am in Malta and agree that politicians should not make a mess out of it.
I agree with DLH about finally correcting the failed regeneration that is City Gate and addressing at long last the Opera House site but regeneration has got to be culturally acceptable and part way of achieving this is that it is NOT alien from its townscape. Note please the modern Coventry Cathedral which looks out of place and the old cathedral has not been developed since WW2. In Dresden they rebuilt the old baroque cathedral. The Opera House has the chance to raise from the ashes and become something great and it makes sense that as it is in Malta, a Maltese architect could more effectively represent the desire of Malta to move forward as a modern country. This should be the aim of the regeneration and to give the Maltese people as taxpayers a say in what is built as support for regeneration schemes is the major part of the battle.

@J.Martinelli. Quite nice those structures, especially one of them. It looks like you're looking inside an intestine ready to explode!!! Hallina trid Sur Martinelli! But what really bugs me and many others is, that the country is in a financial quandary, and the Government is telling us that it can spend Lm80 million on something frivolous as the Opera House and City Gate. When the country's finances are in order, we can build these two historic sites, but for the moment, there are other priorities and in need of urgent repairs. Did somebody mention Fort St. Elmo for one?

@ B Agius

The Americans did not think much about their architects. Neither the British, Italians, French, The Netherlands, the Japanese......?

A visit to Renzo Piano's web page will give one an idea of how the whole world has embraced this famous architect's works.

Those who want sixty more years of haggling, arguing, consulting, and contradictions while the City Gate area remains in a derelict state while the price goes up, please move aside!

Ray Arpa
You are perfectly correct.

R.Calleja
Are you expecting us to accept whatever your Gonzipn dictates without questioning it when everything that was proposed by the PN was always problematic and destructive?

I agreed with DHL. My one hope is that, once everyone has had his/her say, we will at last do away once and for all with the shameful state that has persisted at the entrance of our capital city. Heartful thanks to whoever finally manages this feat!

I quite agree with Mr Ray Arpa that City Gate should be restored to its original state. As our old Capital city with its historical baroque surrounding, City Gate should match with the same structure in baroque style. It is a shame having such a historic place with an entrance so large as if entering in a huge garage!

While it is important to await Renzo Piano's plans to have a more informed opinion of the whole project, a replica of something from the past remains just that - a copy. There may be nothing wrong in that option either but as long as new designs do not clash with the rest of Valletta's architecture and blend in well with what already exists, I do not think that the project should be objectionable.

I do not agree on spending money for a car park, underground or otherwise in the area. There are already car parks just outside Valletta. If public transport is indeed upgraded, there should be no problems accessing Valletta by public transport (road or sea). For environmental and public health reasons we have to discourage rather than encourage the use of private vehicles as long as other decent options are made available.

Obviously the Malta Government doesn't think much of Maltese Architects. That must be the answer to all those that continue to ask the same question over & over again. Mind you, having a look around Malta, one wouldn't built much of a positive impression of the capabilities of Maltese Architects of the last 40 years (assuming that it is Maltese Architects that built the new stuff lately!) In fact Maltese society should ask the question: what is the real benefit gained from all the people graduating from University if, in many instances, Malta is almost what it used to be years ago! Perhaps one can start with engineers: look at most roads! Perhaps the Government can import some real engineers that can build roads etc etc

For some people, there's always something to say if anything is done by the government. If the government comes up with a project, the same people query the idea. If it does not accept certain things, the usual people insist on it. Take the Ghadira project! This is the government of dialogue but after all it has the last word. Under Labour governments dialogue was unheard of. Whatever was decided was done without the least consultation

what about input from the Maltese? We have to live with this!Same old same old!

The previous 'ode to columns' Opera House was designed by a non-Maltese. Sixty somewhat years passed, and here again we have a non-Maltese designing a new one. In sixty plus years, couldn't we have found a Maltese artist or architect who could have designed a new edifice? If I can put my two cents in, I would build a multilevel open park, with trees, hedges and gardens, with areas for relaxation, reflection, exhibition spaces and concert areas. My question is, why are we being force-fed Piano's ideas? Is there a hidden agenda? Why wasn't an open call put out for the design and concept of the area?

This is excellent news, though I do hope that Renzo Piano's revised designs will not envisage the destruction of the bridge over the ditch as his first plans did.
Perhaps Mr Piano was poorly briefed and led to believe that the bridge was built in the 1960's along with the much unloved City Gate. In fact, it was only widened - the earlier structure still stands, sandwiched between modern extensions. It would be a shame to lose the last remaining part of the gate system dating from the knights' period.

As far as I am concerned, the only project that makes sense is to restore tha city gates to their original design /plan. So dig up the oldest plan still available and rebuilt it. Forget the carnival floats and the other thousand excuses. Carnival floats can have an alternative route. We have only one Valletta, be proud of it, restore it. Do not make another mess out of it.

This is simply to alienate the people from the budget burden imposed upon them by the Gonzipn budget with grandiose projects when the people can ill-afford them.

In any case, why does it have to be a foreign architect whose style does not fit in with the City's architectural style and not a project chosen through a competition for Maltese architects?

Not choosing Maltese architects is perfect censorship by the Government of the University of Malta and more so of the faculty through which our architects graduate.

The current entrance to our capital city is the biggest disgrace we have to face on a daily basis! Whatever is decided, space in our city is at a premium, so I firmly believe that an underground car park is a must.

I fully agree with Din L-Art Helwa's words of wisdom:

"Any such development in such a sensitive area was bound to arouse a passionate debate and different opinions, but it was time to take a decision and move forward".

There isn't much time to lose. We have waited far too long!