Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar vehemently objects to the usurpation of the basement and part of the crypt of Casa Lanfreducci to extend the roofless theatre’s underground backstage facilities including dressing rooms, showers and toilets.
In a statement, it said this basement was an extension of the crypt of the neighbouring Our Lady of Victories Church, the first structure built in Valletta.
It was also the place where La Vallette was first buried, and to date Casa Lanfreducci’s basement still contained the remains of those who died at the time of the Great Siege as has been forensically established.
Moreover, this space was embellished by a unique vaulting system and an ancient water drainage system which would be severely impacted by the works and which would change the character of the structure, which dated back to the 16th century.
“It has become normal practice for developers – in this case the government - to extend the footprint of an initial application by submitting subsequent applications,” it noted.
The Royal Opera House site was claimed to be too small for a proper theatre, and yet it was now being given backstage facilities beyond the huge space available under the police station in South Street.
“The irony of all this is that enormous backstage facilities are being created for a non-theatre.
“Malta is literally flushing its history down the drain.
“No other country, civilized or not, would desecrate the memory of those who fought to keep Malta free,” the NGO said.