Environmental group calls for resignation of St John's foundation

The controversial plans to extend the St John's Co-Cathedral museum by excavating underground have been in place since before 2006, research by the environmental group Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar has shown.

According to the FAA, its findings have serious implications because for two years, this major expenditure on "Malta's premier public monument" was not revealed to the public nor presented in electoral manifestos.

In light of this, FAA has called for the resignation of the members of St John's Cathedral Foundation.

The foundation is proposing the museum extension to house the vast range of artefacts that adorn the Co-Cathedral, including the world unique set of 29 Flemish tapestries.

The FAA indicated that the plans to excavate most of St John's Street and Square in front of the cathedral were already there before St John's Street and Merchants' Street were re-paved at "great public expense".

It said that reports drawn up by some of Malta's foremost heritage experts, which had not been revealed, did not mince their words as regards the high risk of damage to the cathedral from the project.

These reports came from the Heritage Advisory Committee, the Planning Authority's Integrated Heritage Management Unit and the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

FAA said it was extremely perplexed by the foundation's decision to ignore the reports highlighting the risks, drawn up by heritage authorities which included some of Malta's most respected heritage architects.

The foundation's decision to press on regardless of the risks to the structural stability of the cathedral indicated a shocking lack of responsibility on its part, as did its failure to bring this project to the attention of the public over a span of two years, the FAA said.