The fate of Valletta's entrance will be sealed tomorrow when the planning board votes on the controversial City Gate project that has been recommended for approval.
According to Italian architect Renzo Piano's plans, the €80 million project will incorporate the redevelopment of City Gate and a new Parliament elevated on "stilts" in Freedom Square.
But the most controversial proposal has been the redevelopment of the Royal Opera House site into a space that would incorporate the bombed ruins hosting a 1,200-seat open-air theatre.
Widespread dissent was expressed by artistes and the public on the idea of a roofless performing space but the government said it would rely on the advice of Mr Piano and intended forging ahead with its plans.
The heated national debate over the future of the opera house had led to the shelving of Mr Piano's City Gate plans when they were first proposed over 20 years ago. The revised plans, to be decided upon tomorrow, were unveiled to the public last summer for consultation.
Environmental organisations have maintained that the project violates the Structure Plan in that ministries and Parliament, according to their interpretation, can only be sited in an auberge or palace in Valletta. This is one of the reasons why eight organisations protested in Valletta earlier this month.
According to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority website, the project has been recommended for approval by Mepa's case officer.
Preparation works for the Valletta project were expected to start on April 1 when Freedom Square would be closed for demolition works on the shops under the arcades, Lands Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi had said.
Mr Piano's plans for Valletta's new entrance do away with the arcades built after WWII and the shops on one side of Freedom Square. The tenants have to vacate the premises by Saturday.
Environmental NGO Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar encouraged all those interested in the capital city, a World Heritage Site, to attend the planning hearing.
It will be held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta at 10 a.m. tomorrow.