Destroying the townhouse just outside the Ċittadella and replacing it with a car park would be a grave mistake, according to architect Richard England.
Addressing a press conference this afternoon, the well-known Maltese architect criticised the proposal to destroy the townhouse by renowned architect and civil engineer Ġużè Damato, which sits on Triq il-Kastell, just outside the Ċittadella. Experts believe the house should instead be turned into a boutique hotel.
Photo: Daniel Cilia“Ġużè Damato was an important figure and that alone is reason enough not to destroy the house,” Prof. England said, adding that by destroying the house, important heritage from the 1950s would be destroyed.
The Gozo Ministry filed an application with the planning authority to demolish the building and construct a three-storey car-park and a pedestrian walkway to the Citadel.
Instead, he said, the back of the house could be used as a car park without demolishing the entire house.
Prof. England said that suggestions to retain the façade should not be an option. Instead, he said, the authorities should find a use for the house which had both social and contemporary value.
Architects Alex Torpiano, Claude Busuttil, Conrad Thake and Edward Said and Flimkien Ghal-Ambjent Ahjar spokesperson Astrid Vella, also spoke at the press conference, held at the Palazzo Prince d’Orange, a boutique hotel at St Paul’s Street in Valletta.
The hotel, they said, was a clear example of how a house such as the one in Victoria could be renovated in a way that did not completely destroy its heritage value.
“We came together to express our deep concern. We cannot just sit back and watch all this happen without making our voices heard,” Ms Vella said.
The architects also called for better planning so that such houses could be retained, insisting that such a house represented an era that needed to be safeguarded.
“What are we replacing the house with? A car park. How is this a solution to the problem in the area? It will only solve the problem for some 20 cars while clogging streets in the area,” Prof. Torpiano said, adding that it was worrying that creating parking spaces for some 20 cars was being regarded as more important than safeguarding such an important building.