I wholeheartedly agree with architect Edward Said who is up in arms over the impending demolition of two 1950s houses in St Julian’s, which are to be replaced with apartments, (The Sunday Times of Malta, May 29).

He is also right to criticise a similar ‘development’ in the Santa Liena area of Cospicua.

We are destroying and ruining our country irretrievably. Perfectly good, traditional architecture is being demolished to accommodate money-making by so-called ‘developers’ and their clients, their contractors and their architects, or rather engineers.

What is going up in Swieqi today is not architecture at all. It is pure engineering. Even a youngster could build such structures using Playmobil!

Where has beauty gone to in our perspective? Can we only look at money? Can we only accommodate uneducated customers or clients?

Fifty-six housing units and 120 garages spoil the environment. So do underground car parks. We should be content and happy with traditional architecture and accommodation for our ever growing population.

Yes, Said is right in saying that “retaining facades” is just a “compromise and an excuse” in the modern adaptation of older buildings.

It is time, as he says, that we appreciate what we have, do not destroy it any more, do not ruin our urban environments, as in present day Swieqi, and think up some better solutions instead.

Malta’s heritage in architecture must be safeguarded, not destroyed, all in the name of making money.

Enough mistakes in planning and permits have been made at Spinola and St George’s Bay.  We don’t need any new ones elsewhere.

Where is Malta going? And where are we going to end up with? Why are we swimming in concrete and bricks or building blocks, when our building stone is so beautiful?