Air-conditioning units placed in the balcony above the main entrance of the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta are “temporary” and will soon be removed, Mepa has said.

This newspaper has been inundated with complaints from readers about the “shoddy appearance” the units are giving the Palace in St George’s square.

Mepa said they had been installed by Heritage Malta and will remain there only until an exhibition in the Palace comes to an end.

The units were placed there for a temporary period by Heritage Malta in connection with the ongoing exhibition

“The units were placed there for a temporary period by Heritage Malta in connection with the ongoing exhibition 1565 – The Great Siege of Malta.

“The AC units were placed to control the atmospheric climate conditions of the state rooms in order to avoid any damage to the frescos and works of art present in the halls,” a Mepa spokesman said.

“Heritage Malta has confirmed that the units will be removed on December 7, 2015, the day after the closing of the exhibition.”

A heritage expert told this newspaper that, although it was acceptable for the units to be put in place as a temporary measure, “they could still have been placed in areas which do not make so much of a shoddy impact”.

The controversy follows a public outcry over the irreversible damage done to the façade of the Auberge de Castille following the installation of a €300,000 lighting system.

The Superintendent of Cultural Heritage, who approved the project, has still not replied on whether the work done respected his instructions.