Cab horses that spend summer taking tourists around Mdina will finally get their own shelter, which will be built as part of new works on the medieval city.
The local council was granted a permit for the shelter some years ago but the funds were only made available now through the EU.
Costing about €190,000, the shelter can host nine horses and will be located in the parking area outside the old capital city. The area it will occupy was never accessible to public use.
Speaking outside one of the city’s entrances, Greeks’ Gate, Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg said restoration works on the Mdina bastions would continue thanks to EU funds.
A two-year, €6.2 million EU project completed last year transformed the Mdina Ditch and consolidated and restored fortifications under the Vilhena Palace and St Paul’s bastion. A stretch of 8,000 square metres from the Greeks’ Gate, past the main gate and round the area below Vilhena Palace, was embellished.
The new works – expected to be completed by July and costing about €1 million – will cover the bastions from the Greeks’ Gate to Mtarfa Gate and the bastion beneath the cathedral, which is visible from Ta’ Qali. The karozzini shelter will be part of these works, which will also include railings around Howard Garden, just outside the city.
Dr Borg said discussions were under way for consolidation works on other buildings, such as Casino Notabile, completed in 1887. The deterioration of Casino Notabile has been of concern for years and, six years ago, Rabat mayor Sandro Craus had told this newspaper the historic gem was in imminent danger of collapse.
An architect hired by the council had made a grim prognosis: if a bad storm hit Malta the following winter, the structure would crumble. Supported by scaffolding, the building awaits a decision on its restoration.
Local councillors present for the press conference noted that future projects would include a vertical staircase leading to the city entrance from the ditch to discourage people from using the narrow Mina tal-Madonna, which is also used by cars, and the relocation of the council offices to more accessible premises.