I have great objections to Renzo Piano's plan for the entrance to our capital city.

Without going into the merits of the honourable architect's wild imagination, any plan that deviates from the faithful rebuilding of the Opera House as it stood 65 years ago and the reconstruction of city gate as it was some 40 odd years ago is an insult to the city built by the Knights, our island's history and the heritage of the Maltese people.

The plan to leave the old Opera House more or less in its derelict state would do nothing more than help immortalise the memory of the savagery and destruction of war. The panels as well as the Parliament building proposed are completely discordant with the surroundings.

Furthermore, the gap that's going to be left in the fortifications is just as beautiful as a toothless grin!

In my view, the project should be more an exercise in restoration than an exhibition of modern design that will not complement a city dominated by baroque architecture.