The capital’s ‘notorious’ Strait Street will have its own dedicated artistic director overseeing regeneration as part of a number of capital projects.
Valletta 2018 Foundation chairman Jason Micallef yesterday traced the highlights of V-18’s work over the last year and detailed the foundation’s upcoming major infrastructural events.
“A visit to Valletta should be a unique experience. The role of V-18 goes beyond culture: we are also focusing on the economic and social regeneration of Valletta to ensure the city becomes and remains a centre of excellence,” he said.
The role of V-18 goes beyond culture
The Strait Street artistic director will be working closely with government architects and the business community, coordinating street designs and aesthetics.
The designs, which will include street furniture and lighting, are planned to incorporate cultural aspects and characteristics of the street’s historical heyday from the 1940s to the 1960s.
A proposed policy for the regeneration of Strait Street was first published for consultation last October. Apart from interventions on the physical fabric of the street, it envisions the development of bars and music venues alongside teaching studios, independent retail outlets and exhibition spaces.
The first phase of works, consisting of improving the street’s infrastructure and services, is expected to be completed by summer, with works on the entire project expected to wrap up in late 2016 or early 2017.
The issue of a creative hub in Strait Street was raised in Parliament on Monday when Nationalist MP Claudio Grech insisted any plans had to keep in mind the well-being of residents in the area.
Among other projects, a Valletta Design Cluster will be established at the Old Civil Abattoir, bringing together artists and members of the local community to come up with an incubator for creativity and innovation.
Mr Micallef announced that the evaluation of proposals for the regeneration of the covered market were in an advanced stage. Works will include the restoration of the building’s characteristic wrought iron frame and the conservation of the facade and structure.
Work on the project will begin later this year, to be completed by 2017, with an estimated investment of €8 million. It is expected to generate 140 jobs once complete.
V-18 will also open its first office in Gozo, which will be managed by the first of six planned regional coordinators, as part of the foundation’s commitment to secure the active participation of all of Malta and Gozo.
The new V-18 artistic director, Mario Philip Azzopardi, said the success of Valletta 2018 could only be evaluated in terms of its lasting impact.
He said that, together with Sean Buhagiar, artistic director of Notte Bianca, he would be directing a programme of events in the streets of Valletta, the Grand Harbour area and beyond.
Executive director Karsten Xuereb noted that a third of the 64 projects mentioned in the bid book were under way or in planning stage.