Change is not always bad

I refer to Kevin Hodkin’s letter Mellieħa Massacre (January 28). I felt almost exactly the same sense of shock and horror when I saw the trees and benches cleared from the space in front of the sanctuary. I was so upset I walked straight to the Mellieħa local council office and asked what was happening.

To my amazement, the mayor came down within seconds and spent the next 15 minutes with me and my husband. He answered all my questions very patiently and pointed out the plans for the “improvement” of the area, which had been published and circulated in the parish magazine before Christmas. It was in Maltese, so I hadn’t taken it in but, sure enough, there were detailed plans of the development for all to see.

The tree roots had infiltrated the public toilets underneath and made them unsafe. The birds who colonised the trees made the benches beneath impossible to sit on and enjoy for obvious reasons. He showed us that the trees had actually been replanted at the back of the school and I saw that everything had been thought through and sincerely undertaken with great care. He compared the new area with what has been achieved in Palace Square, Valletta with pedestrianisation, fountains, trees in containers and seating.

I was really impressed and came away with a completley different outlook as I had taken the initiative to investigate the situation. Change is not always bad and we must not jump to automatic conclusions before pausing and asking questions.

Robert Cutajar expressed great enthusiasm, love and pride in Mellieħa and has done very positive things for the beautiful village I am so lucky to live in for some of the year. I am back in England now but look forward to seeing the completed projects when I return after summer.