It is expected to cost about €50 million for Valletta to be the cultural capital of Europe in 2018.
Parliamentary Secretary for Culture Josè Herrera this week met the Parliamentary group discussing Valletta as the Cultural Capital of Europe, which was convened for the first time under this legislature, for a briefing on the current plans.
He said the main aim was to ensure that whatever was done for 2018 would linger on and keep Valletta a restructured, enlivened city – “lively, bubbly and vibrant”.
The bid book contained several exceptional ideas if it were not for problems of capital investment, he added.
With a view to having culture envelope not only Valletta but, on a smaller scale, the whole country, local councils were expected to come up with new ideas for their localities.
Dr Herrera said all local councils had backed the bid for Valletta to be nominated cultural capital.
Strait Street would be turned into a cluster of commercial and cultural activities. He said he was looking forward to more relaxed permits, including for closing times. The old power station at the Valletta Waterfront would house a Museum of Contemporary Art.
Two locations had been identified as a potential architectural centre but Dr Herrera would not name them in view of the sensitive negotiations still under way.
By January 2016 the old abattoir would have been restored for reuse as a Creative Industrial Centre. The Creative Industrial Council would be housed in a restructured St James Centre for Creativity.
The old market, with its 1816 ceiling that had been the major iron structure of the period, would be remodelled to accommodate traditional shops, including the ones still operating there. Dr Herrera said it would not be turned into another museum. Carnival would return to Valletta City Gate, and the Summer Carnival, which had been a great success, would be entrenched.
Carnival had now been upgraded from being run by an informal committee to having its own director. A warehouse for a Carnival village had already been identified with Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi.
The Malta Band Clubs Association had offered to stage a Grand March in , involving all the bands on the two islands.