Church against St John's museum extension - Muscat

Labour leader Joseph Muscat said today that the Catholic Heritage Commission and the Chapter of St John’s Co-Cathedral have written separately to MEPA and voiced their opposition to the underground extension of St John’s Co-Cathedral.

Speaking at the PL general conference, Dr Muscat said that the Catholic Heritage Commission had written to MEPA under the Curia letterhead referring to the museum extension plans and saying that “this commission strongly objects to the proposed extension to St John’s Co-Cathedral Museum”

The Cathedral Chapter had also discussed the issue and voted about it. It then also wrote to MEPA saying it was against any digging in front of the Cathedral.

Therefore, Dr Muscat said, if the Curia, the Chapter, the Opposition, the NGOs and the people were against this project, who was in favour? Why was the governemnt backing it? The government could not shirk responsibility for this project since the St John’s Foundation was half constituted by government representatives and also funded by the government itself.

Dr Muscat also referred to the proposed redevelopment of the Opera House site and said the government should have consulted the people on the use of the site. He personally did not think that its use for a Parliament was the best choice and other uses should be explored.

He asked what had happened to the proposed new road at Ghadira. A decision was meant to have been taken by January in order to be in time for EU funding. It was now February. What had happened to this project?

The absence of consultation and the ‘new levels of arrogance’ was also manifested in the way the government had suddenly changed its plans for the Ta’Qali crafts village.

And could anybody say what had become of the Malta Shipyards privatisation process? The opposition would help the government , but it would not be an accomplice, Dr Muscat said.

MINISTRY'S REACTION

The Infrastructure Ministry in a reaction recalled that last December the minister, Austin Gatt, had announced that the ADT was filing an application to MEPA asking it to consider the best routes with the least environmental impact, in terms of the Habitats Directive.

Once the necessary studies were made, the government would consider the most advantageous alternative.