Reference is made to the item entitled More Digging Beneath St John's Is Utter Madness For Restorer (September 17).
The Times quoted Sante Guido saying that he thinks it would be "utter madness" to further excavate the area beneath the cathedral in Valletta in order to open a museum.
The news story continued to quote Prof. Guido saying that, having personally visited the vast underground area beneath the co-cathedral, occupied by a number of relatively dry cisterns, it was a pity that such a space - which is testimony to Malta's cultural heritage - remains unutilised.
On behalf of the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation, I would like to clarify any misunderstanding over the foundation's proposed project.
First of all, the foundation perfectly agrees that it would be "utter madness" to excavate beneath the co-cathedral, as was unfortunately implied in the item in question, For this reason the foundation has never considered excavating beneath the co-cathedral.
Secondly, the foundation agrees with Prof. Guido's comments that it is indeed a pity that the existing cisterns remain unutilised. To this effect, the foundation is specifically proposing to conserve and make use of these cisterns. As the space within the cisterns is certainly not large enough for the museum's requirements, the foundation is also proposing to excavate further but the excavation will not be carried out beneath the church itself nor would it affect the cisterns physically. The excavation is necessary to ensure that there will be enough space for the proposed extended museum that will also incorporate the cisterns mentioned by Prof. Guido.
Moreover, the foundation appeals for factual reporting and correct representation of the facts.
It is important to wait for the environment impact assessment before passing judgment on the merits of the proposals made by the foundation. Over the past days, Mepa has formally informed the foundation that it has agreed to prepare the terms of reference for an EIA to be carried out on the foundation's proposals to extend its museum.
St John's Foundation welcomes the news that Mepa shall be compiling the terms of reference, which will pave the way for an independent and thorough EIA to be carried out. The foundation has consistently stated that an independent EIA is required and experts in specific sectors, including excavation, will be commissioned to carry out the necessary studies.
The foundation has always put the interest of St John's Co-Cathedral first and it shall continue doing so.