Juan Ameen
Government unveils multi-million Fort St Elmo restoration job
It seems like there's light at the end of the tunnel for Fort St Elmo in Valletta with the government's plan announced yesterday to restore the capital's silent sentinel after years of utter neglect.
A challenging restoration project for Fort St Elmo, in Valletta, estimated to cost over €100 million, was launched by the government yesterday as part of the Grand Harbour regeneration project.
The restoration project forms part of the government's vision and, although unable to quantify its total cost, Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt said it would exceed €100 million, which should come from EU funds.
There is no set timeline for the project and Dr Gatt admitted he could not go into further detail because it is still in its initial phases. The government yesterday announced the master plan and the steering committee appointed to drive it.
The project's greatest challenge was not the fort's restoration but how it would be used once it was ready, he said.
The upper part of Fort St Elmo, at street level, would be opened for public manifestations of a cultural and artistic nature and create a walkway linking the Mediterranean Conference Centre right down to Pinto Stores. The walkway formed part of the government's vision for a promenade from Sliema and round the base of the fort, Dr Gatt said.
The project will also re-route the Valletta ring road covering part of the granaries outside the fort to the ditch.
The historic lighthouse, which had been removed by the British forces before World War II, will be rebuilt at the top of Fort St Elmo.
The government also planned to build a hotel instead of Evans Building, which would cater for activities related to cruise liners and the nearby conference centre, Dr Gatt said.
The project involves the construction of a cruise liner terminal, at a cost of €15 million. The terminal will not be protected by a breakwater and will only be used in good weather.
Although the steering committee looked into the possibility of building two berths and breakwaters, it decided against because of the high cost and environmental impact involved.
The government wanted to restore this jewel but convert it into a destination that worked all year round and this required the commercial aspect to keep it alive, Dr Gatt said.
Describing it as an exciting and challenging project, he explained that St Elmo's restoration would counterbalance the government's plans for City Gate.
The challenge was finding the balance between the commercial and cultural aspect. It was a big challenge but it could be met successfully, Dr Gatt said.
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Mr Charles.C. Brown
Apr 17th 2011, 09:31
Very good news! the restoration of fort st elmo will definitly make a difference to Valletta. but lets hope it will not suffer the same faith as fort Tigne with some ugly flats build inside it! fort st elmo was a military estabishment from the day it was built until 3/11 RMA left in 1972. after that it was left to rott. I dont know what the minister have in mind but as both st elmo and valletta itself always had that military background, this fort should be restored in a military theme say something like the former home of the royal artillery in woolwich london. this was transformed into a recreational place for the public with parts of it turned into an artillery museum . St elmo was the home of the RMA for nearly 200 years and therefore parts of it should be kept that way. The minister and those involved should come to london and visit these ex- military places here in london so to give them an idea of what st elmo could be like. Also the 3/11 RMA and other RMA assocciations should have a say in this matter, this was their home for many years and its part of their history. It will be a shame if this place is turned into restaurants bars and flats. theres too many of them already not just in valletta but everywhere you look.
P.Schembri
Feb 18th 2009, 19:34
In 2 months
Crafts village from Ta' Qali to Dock 1 in Cottonera
The St. John's Co-Cathedral Quarry
The Opera House
City Gate
Breakwater Bridge
The Restoration of St. Elmo
The Ghadira Road!!!!!
What's next?
And the elections are in June! I don't know what the PN government will think of next till the elections. Money from Heaven!!????
L..Galea
Feb 18th 2009, 17:40
Corinne Vella
What I wish for is one thing, but it does not mean that it will be implemented by this government for I think that this is simply another pie-in-the sky to deviate the peoples attention
Corinne Vella
Feb 18th 2009, 16:57
L. Galea: Yesterday you called for the reconstruction of the chapel of bones as part of this project and now you profess to hold no belief in the project at all. Does this Damascene conversion mean you no longer wish to raid ossuaries or was that just a pie-in-the-sky project?
L..Galea
Feb 18th 2009, 16:22
David A Agius
This is simply another pie-in-the-sky to deviate the peoples attention from the burdens being imposed on them by Gonezipn and the eu and to uselessly try to impart the feel-good factor in the face of a world recession.
Jimmy Magro
Feb 18th 2009, 13:39
The State already has a master plan and the action needed is not another master plan. Some of the ideas are thought of by the Minister himself such as removing the ring road, where on TV even Fr Peter Serracino Inglott disagreed with this idea. While RCC sees that decisions should be taken by professionals, it seems that in Malta everyone does what the hack he likes.
The fact that there are no timelines or funds allocated to the project means that this is just a public communications exercise and more payments to hand picked blue eyes boys for services rendered that cannot be quantified or assessed.
The Foundation Fort St. Elmo is still willing to contribute to the project but it seems that the Government has a priori decided to ignore the Foundation and use the the existing Foundationsas if these bodies have a monopoly over our national heritage. These facts only raise questions about discrimination and transparency.
Fort St. Elmo should never be handed over to the public sector as this is part of our national heritage and that is why I had suggested to set up a Foundation to restore and manage this property.
David A Agius
Feb 18th 2009, 11:09
Yesyesyes... one thing is missing... dates.
Must have been a simple omission of the journalist, or of the minister?
Come on, roll up the sleeves! One year is already past from the last election, haven't you noticed?