A considerable effort is being made to restore Valletta to its former glory. That is being attempted both in physical terms as well as in terms of reviving dining and entertainment places, the likes of which used to dot the city. It is unlikely that the days of Strait Street of the 1950s, when live music for local and British services personnel alike, made it one of the busiest hives in the Mediterranean, will return.
Still, a lot is being achieved. Small, good dining places are mushrooming. Various buildings are being restored, primarily Auberge d’Aragon, but more than that in terms of what the Valletta Rehabilitation unit has done over the years.
That will not reverse the trend whereby Valletta saw many of its inhabitants leave the walls of the city. Nor will it necessarily entice those who still live there to continue to do so. Rehabilitating the centre is different from doing so with the old residential parts of Valletta. Also, mistakes will be made, as was evidenced with relaying of paving stones in some of the paved streets on the fringes of the centre.
It is rather surprising that Minister Austin Gatt, who resides in Valletta and whose ministry is located there as well, only raised his voice after several letters had appeared in the media. Perhaps he did not want to sound overbearing, precisely because he is a resident of and works in Valletta. Once he spoke up it was in his usual forthright fashion. He did not say the laid paving would be pulled up. But he made it clear it the same material will not be used.
One hopes that the architect who was responsible for the choice of paving material, who presumably knows what he is talking about, was right when he wrote that the paving will weather well as it has done in older times. That hope may have to be modified by the observation of one contributor to the letters’ column, who pointed out that we do not live in olden times – today vehicle fuel, chewing gum and whatever else permanently damage our streets. That remark made me notice the fact that the parvis of my local church is also spoiled with chewing gum pressings, let alone central streets.
All that told, Valletta is moving forward, reflected to a considerable extent by the public funds being invested in it, such as to re-lay – and beautifully so – the Upper And Lower Barrakka Gardens and Hastings Garden. Whether the Piano plans for the entrance to Valletta, a new building to house our Parliament and the controversial conversion of the Royal Opera House ruins to a roofless theatre will be as successful remains to be seen.
What of the city’s role as our leading commercial centre? That has been strongly challenged over the past 20 years or so. Shops, retail outlets, supermarkets and boutiques have sprouted all over our towns and villages. Not all of them have burgeoned. The old furniture makers and shops, for instance, have lost out first to bigger manufacturers and more recently to imports. Also the commercial axis seems to have moved strongly towards the Sliema St Julians area, with The Point of the Midi Consortium in Tigne’ being the latest big attraction
Even so, Valletta remains a primary commercial centre. In part it has resisted the competition, as the thoughtful expansion of the Marks and Spencer store to bridge the Old Theatre and middle-Strait Street, the restoration of the Wembley Store and the addition of new good names, like Bortex, show.
The question is, where is the capital city heading for now? The government, in an effort to steer traffic away from Valletta, introduced a CVA system and a free park and ride system from a base in Blata l-Bajda to try to reduce the flow of traffic in Valletta. Minister Gatt, who is responsible for public transport, has candidly admitted that both systems have failed to achieve their objective. Sixty per cent more vehicles are entering Valletta under the CVA system than when one had to pay a special licence for the privilege. Notwithstanding that, CVA is running at a loss.
The park and ride scheme is also costing the government, as was to be expected.
The Minister has indicated that a fee will be introduced to park and ride, and that CVA fees will be increased. He said two-thirds of visitors to Valletta go there by bus and with the new public transport set to start in July the minister hopes still more will do so.
The GRTU immediately cried foul! It does not want CVA fees to go up, certainly not before the new public transport system takes off.
Meanwhile various shop owners complain of a drop in business. The works at the entrance to the city may be one reason. Some upmarket shop owners also say that removing parking from Palace Square to pedestrianise the area has hit them badly.
There are contradictory forces at work in Valletta. It will be interesting to see how they will balance out once the entrance projects are completed and more work is done at centre, spreading out. One thing is certain: Valletta deserves all the resources it can get, even allowing for the reality that these do not fall like manna from heaven.