A few years ago someone had the great idea of turning a beautiful old house into a hostel and decided to call it The Corner Hostel since it is situated in St Margaret Street, Sliema, corner with Melita Street.

However, for some reason, the owner decided not to put the name on the building and many tourists and students are unable to locate the hostel. Year after year, these poor people end up walking round in circles for the best part of an hour, after which they give up on trying to find it.

I have often come across someone with a suitcase in one hand and a map in the other standing quite close to the hostel, yet they are unaware of this.

Within a radius of 50 metres there are three hostels in that part of Sliema which are Hostel Jones in Dingli Circus, Hostel 96 in Isouard Street and of course the Corner Hostel. The first two hostels have their names prominently shown. Could the owner of the Corner Hostel kindly do the same?

Of course, we should at least be thankful that this building wasn’t demolished and built into a modern block, which is what is happening to two beautiful, double-fronted houses, one in Isouard Street and the other in Dun Karm Psaila Street.

Unfortunately, Mepa in its infinite wisdom saw fit to grant permission to have them totally demolished and here I was thinking that according to Mepa rules houses built before 1967 should at least have their façades retained if they are demolished.

Personally I do not agree with demolishing such beautiful houses which are then replaced by more faceless and tasteless blocks of flats. Since someone long ago decreed that the beauty of Sliema must be totally camouflaged by hideous blocks of concrete and aluminium, the least that could and should be done is to keep the façades.

As I said to my daughter a few weeks ago when these two houses were demolished, by the time she has her children there won’t be a single house left standing in Sliema.

I just hope that by then I won’t be around to see this senseless destruction. What a shame.