Diary of a doomed museum extension

January 11, 2008
The St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation submits two outline development applications to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. One is to extend the museum underground, beneath St John's square. The other, developed on advice from Mepa, is to build a three-story structure over the churchyard on Merchants Street.

The goal of both options is to relieve the Co-Cathedral of some pressure from the 400,000 or so tourists who visit each year and to create more exhibition space, particularly for a series of tapestries based on sketches by Peter Paul Ruebens.

Mid-late January, 2008
The foundation is awarded €13.79 million in EU structural funds for its project which is estimated to cost a total of €16 million.

July 25, 2008
The plans become public knowledge when environmental group Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar issues a statement expressing concern over both options before Mepa. An exchange between the NGO and the foundation follows. Instead of the extension, FAA proposes that a palazzo nearby is renovated and used as exhibition space. However, the foundation insists that no "other feasible and simple alternatives exist" to house many of the treasures that St John's possesses.

July 31, 2008
The Labour Party joins the fray, rather tentatively and says that the proposed extension is "insensitive". Party planning spokesman Roderick Galdes, who is also a member of the Mepa board, said the project as proposed would have a major impact on the World Heritage Site. FAA invites people to send e-mails opposing the project to Mepa.

August 1, 2008
The debate starts to boil. The foundation asks Mepa to provide the terms of reference for an Environment Impact Assessment on the proposed extension, which would also cover any potential risks to the Co-Cathedral. It insists that it will not go ahead with the project should any risk to the co-cathedral's foundations exist.

FAA says that the project would violate the scheduling of the building and cause irremediable damage to Valletta's underground chambers, tunnels, channels and water cisterns, which should be mapped out, studied and preserved, and not damaged.

August 9, 2008
The Valletta council is advised by its architect that the proposals to excavate parts of St John's Square to increase exhibition space for the museum at St John's Co-Cathedral may pose an "unacceptable risk".

August 20, 2008
The museum extension proposal attracts a record number of objections to Mepa - 1,050 - as opposed to the last highest figure of 120 against Gozo's Ħondoq ir-Rummien project.

August 27, 2008
The Church Commission on the Environment issues a statement about the proposed development saying that the project needs to be reviewed from a genuinely sustainable perspective by all quarters.

September 15, 2008
Mepa agrees to prepare the terms of reference for an Environment Impact Assessment to be carried out on the proposed extension.

October 3-4, 2008
The St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation holds an exhibition of its plans to extend the Co-Cathedral museum, including outline plans and photographs of the proposed project.

November 13, 2008
Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando calls on the government to divert EU funds allocated for the "extravagant" underground extension of St John's Co-Cathedral Museum to the urgent restoration of Forts St Elmo and St Angelo.

November 14, 2008
The foundation reacts strongly to Dr Pullicino Orlando's statement and says that rather than "deciding for Mepa", the MP should let the decision-making process run as it should. The comment is a veiled reference to the electoral controversy Dr Pullicino Orlando got embroiled in after Labour exposed an application for an open-air disco which was to be built on ecologically sensitive land the MP owns in Mistra. Mepa members involved in the case said they had approved the controversial project after they were pressured by the MP.

November 16, 2008
FAA says spending thousands of euros on the expansion of St John's Co-Cathedral is unacceptable because the project has "no social, restoration or regeneration contribution".

January 10, 2009
The president of St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation, Mgr Philip Calleja, welcomed the news that Mepa has made public the project description statement for the forthcoming EIA on the proposed extension. He encourages NGOs, individuals and other institutions to have their say.

January 24, 2009
Joseph Muscat gives notice of a motion in Parliament calling on the government to withdraw its support for the extension and to use EU funds in a better way. The PN hits back, saying Labour did not know how the EU worked.

January 25, 2009
St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation criticises the opposition's motion, saying Labour wants the right of veto over the decisions of the EU Funds' Projects Selection Committee. The foundation insists that it tapped into EU funds after submitting an application in a public call. Mgr Calleja appeals for Mepa to be allowed to do its job.

January 26, 2009
FAA calls for a free vote in Parliament on the opposition's motion urging the government to withdraw its support for the proposed underground extension.

January 27, 2009
Former ministers Jesmond Mugliett and Ninu Zammit join Dr Pullicino Orlando in expressing serious reservations over the project in a heated PN parliamentary group meeting.

January 31, 2009
The PN parliamentary group agrees to draw up a set of amendments to edge towards consensus over the controversial extension. St John's Foundation says that not doing anything would put the Co-Cathedral at risk because of the increasing pressure of tourists.

February 1, 2009
Joseph Muscat tells a PL conference that the Catholic Heritage Commission and the Chapter of St John's Co-Cathedral had separately written to Mepa and voiced their opposition to the project.

February 2, 2009
The foundation reiterates that the project will not go ahead if the technical studies indicate any possible danger.

February 7, 2009
FAA calls for the resignation of the foundation's board on account of its findings that excavation plans had been drawn up as early as 2006 before the re-paving of St John's Street and Merchants Street were done. The NGO also says that reports from the Heritage Advisory Committee, the Planning Authority's Integrated Heritage Management Unit and the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee to Mepa, raised questions about the project.

February 11, 2009
The foundation scraps its plans following recommendations from the Prime Minister and the Archbishop. Dr Muscat welcomes the move and notes that Dr Gonzi finally acknowledged the government's authority over the foundation, after previously insisting that the foundation was independent. Foundation president Mgr Philip Calleja said the decision was reached after consultation and that he was "happy with the result".

February 12, 2009
Richard Cachia Caruana, Malta's Permanent Representative to the EU and a member on the foundation, supports the decision, saying the Prime Minister and the Archbishop had "no choice" but to stop the project. However, he said it was "sad" when decisions were not allowed to be taken by professionals.