As always, Malta looks at its worst in summer, when the island receives the bulk of its tourists. With a scorching sun burning every patch of green, except the roundabouts, the ugliness of whole stretches of unkempt roads, derelict sites and shabbiness gives a most depressing feeling. The problem is that, rather than making a special effort in summer to put things right, the country seems to revel in efforts to compound it. How? One way is by digging up places precisely at this time of the year.
Never mind the great inconvenience this causes to the Maltese themselves, but tourists must wonder if Malta has ever heard of the word planning. For a time a few days ago, Valletta was in a mess, with more than one road being dug up for repaving at the same time. When such a huge part of the entrance to Valletta is boarded up for works to be carried out on the building of the open-air theatre, Parliament building and the gate, one would have thought the planners would make sure to avoid causing further inconvenience to whoever goes to the city. But, no, planning would seem to be the last thing to come to mind to whoever is responsible for the works being carried out.
Yes, Valletta needs an overhaul badly. Tourists coming from central European countries must stare in wonder at the extent to which it has been allowed to deteriorate. But the sheer volume of work that now needs to be done is no reason for throwing planning out of the window and trying to do everything at the same time. The way the works are carried out is, therefore, equally important, as is quality. Auberge de Castille, one of the finest buildings in Valletta, is being restored to its former glory and, hopefully, other important buildings will get the same treatment. The revamping of St George’s Square has given new life to the area as well.
A greater effort ought to be made now to tidy up other places and to ensure that the paving is kept clean all the time and free of patches of oil left behind by delivery vehicles. When it comes to paving, it is also important to choose the right material. Many feel the tiles chosen for the paving of South Street, for example, are not suitable for Valletta. They give the street a dirty image. It should be dug up again and the tiles replaced with suitable slabs. Then again, when such a large project as that of City Gate has been taken in hand, planners would have to be extra careful to ensure that the areas around it are at least touched up a bit to reduce, insofar as this is possible, the negative visual impact of the works on the eye.
Take the rest of Freedom Square that has remained free to pedestrians after the boarding up of one side: it looks utterly shabby. Even though this part too would probably be redone as part of the overall project, an effort should be made to keep it cleaner, see to the removal of all the hanging wires and little advertising flags on the walls, give the whole place a whitewash and decorate parts with shrubs or flowers to enliven the whole place. This could make all the difference until its turn comes to be properly revamped. As the situation stands now, the whole area is far too scruffy.