The controversy that dogged the decision by the last government to build a new Parliament at the entrance to Valletta and to turn the remains of the old opera house into an open air theatre has taken a new twist with the belated involvement of Unesco.
The decision to place the project into the hands of world renowned architect Renzo Piano was taken in the face of considerable resistance from those who wanted the old opera house rebuilt, or who simply objected to the building of a Parliament. This resistance was matched, it must be said, by considerable support from those who wanted the dreadful eye-sore that the City Gate and old opera house car park presented removed and replaced by an ‘iconic’ building and a striking modern entrance to Malta’s World Heritage city.
What is curious about this latest twist to the project is the tardy entry into the argument by Unesco. The project was announced in 2009, work started in 2010 and was proceeding smoothly until recent delays, which mean that the project will now not be completed until next year.
It is understood that Unesco discussed the project during a visit in 2011, and regular reports have been sent to Unesco since 2009 without these leading to any adverse feedback. Until now, when Unesco announced it intends to send “an advisory mission of experts” to assess the state of conservation and potential impact of the project on the city and its “Outstanding Universal Value”.
Why bring up the issue of the project’s impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of Valletta now, four years after it was announced, three years after it started, two years after Unesco had itself discussed the project and when it is within sight of completion?
Conspiracy theorists might see in this the hand of the new government, which was always lukewarm about the project, wishing to further sully the reputation of the previous government. Those who favour the cock-up theory, however, might recognise the dead hand of bureaucracy, to which even Unesco may not be immune.
Whatever the reason, it is an issue to be taken seriously. The criteria underpinning the requirements of Outstanding Universal Value dictate whether or not Valletta retains its status as a World Heritage site, which it has enjoyed since 1980 when a Labour government had achieved its listing.
While there may have been concerns over the years about some aspects of Valletta’s development – from the construction of penthouses on buildings to the impact of nearby Tigné Point and Fort Cambridge on the buffer protecting the capital – there has not been any hint, until now, that the City Gate project, whose proportions, design and density have been well known to Unesco for several years, posed any problem.
The “Valletta Principles for Safeguarding and Management of Historic Cities, Town and Urban Areas” which Icomos, the body charged by Unesco with advising on such matters, signed in Malta in 2011 (presumably when the Council was able to see at first hand the progress at City Gate), states: “The introduction of contemporary architectural elements must respect the values of the site and its setting... Contemporary architecture must be coherent with the existing spatial layout in historic towns... respecting the scale of the site, and have a clear rapport with existing architecture”.
It will now be up to Icomos experts to advise whether these guidelines have been transgressed and what the consequences might be.