Court gets go-ahead for a retractable bridge

A planning commission has given the go-ahead for a retractable bridge connecting the new judiciary chambers in Strait Street, Valletta.

Approved on Wednesday, the bridge will be the only practical accessible link between the offices of the judiciary and the law courts, a planning authority spokesman said.

The commission had requested the director of courts, who filed the application, to justify why it was not possible to connect the two buildings through an underground passage.

It is fully retractable and will not detract from the streetscape

The spokesman explained that the design was limited to a uniform timber surface over a short span and at a high level. It is fully retractable and will not detract from the streetscape, he said.

The new judiciary chambers were at the centre of a controversy last year after the upper floors stood in stark contrast against the old houses in Bakery Street.

Following a public outcry, the Government said the new floors would be rebuilt as a recessed structure. Works on the building involved joining two houses in Strait Street and raising the structure to eight floors.

In the case officer’s report, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage had originally objected to the development.