Four years down the line, outgoing Din l-Art Ħelwa executive president Maria Grazia Cassar finds herself repeating the same gripes in the face of development and destruction: too much, too fast. But she also knows that the worst thing would be to give up.

From when you took on the role of DLĦ executive president in 2015, how has the situation in Malta changed as regards heritage and the environment? How has your own outlook on the status quo and the future changed?

There has been a lot of change in Malta over the past four years, and I have to say both heritage and the environment have suffered greatly. We have only to look around us to see the effects of the building frenzy everywhere. It is not only disfiguring what was a unique architectural landscape but making life rather unbearable, with the consequent effects on health and lifestyle.

There is a dichotomy, however, as many public and private projects have greatly improved degraded areas through sensitive and intelligent regeneration and conservation, including Pjazza Tritoni, for example (before the container shops were introduced).

My own personal position has not changed at all. In fact I would quote the very same things I said when I first took on the role of DLĦ executive president: too much and too fast; not enough planning and long-term vision; ugly is not a necessity and beauty is not a luxury.

Looking back, has your stint at the helm of DLĦ been a fruitless and thankless battle overall, given that a tidal wave of development and demolition has hit Malta?

You are right in describing it as a tidal wave, as just as we face one battle there seem to be another three or four looming on the horizon! However, every achievement in saving part of Malta’s incredible patrimony must be deemed as a success, no matter how small. The worst thing that could happen to us is to become complacent, or give up, which is why I cannot bear to hear, when discussing the probable demolition of a degraded building, the argument: “What on earth do you want to save?”

We must continue speaking out, and in the end, the decision makers will listen. What is very encouraging is that the public has also become engaged, especially when it affects their neighbourhood.

What would you say was the NGO’s biggest achievement during your term of office; and what was its biggest failure?

I believe one of the biggest achievements during my term of office was when we won the appeal on the Townsquare high-rise development, along with the other appellants: Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, the Sliema local council and the Environment and Resources Authority.

I felt vindicated that DLĦ’s insistence that the tower would be seen over the Valletta skyline was legitimate, and in fact, the height has been considerably scaled down in order not to be seen from the other side of Grand Harbour. It was unfortunate that the Mrieħel appeal was not successful.

Another first for DLĦ was the sentence whereby contempt of court proceedings were initiated over the failure by the Planning Authority to protect St Ignatius Villa from partial demolition. We have also recently been granted the right to appeal the refusal to schedule this building of extremely high historical and architectural importance.

Another very big achievement was the coming together of 22 entities to make a declaration outside Parliament on April 18, 2018. We called it Wirtna – Our Legacy, and we called on the authorities to put a stop to the destruction of Malta’s heritage buildings and cultural landscape, with several tangible suggestions on how to protect it. It is a real satisfaction to know that there are so many entities that share the same concerns and love of our patrimony.

Of course, there are the 19 historical sites DLĦ has restored, which are managed and opened to the public by dedicated teams of volunteers. This, in itself, is an immense achievement, with 90,000 visitors recorded this year, and rising! Our latest project, the White Tower of Armier is at a very advanced stage and will be an interesting educational visitor attraction, with the possibility of overnight accommodation for groups.

It is unfortunate that the PA seems to be more engaged in trying to meet developers’ demands than carrying out the role it was created for

I think what has been achieved through the sheer hard work and dedication of the volunteers on council and at the sites is wonderful. They do everything, from fundraising to organising events; thinking up and co-ordinating the projects.

And the greatest challenge over these years…

I suppose it is the sheer magnitude and extent of the ‘watchdog’ role, which is DLĦ’s mission and which, in today’s scenario, may seem overwhelming. If planning laws and regulations were tighter and more clear-cut, then everybody would have more peace of mind. However, there is so much room for interpretation that, many times, even if a case officer recommends refusal, the vote would be in favour of the application.

You seem to be one of the few entities with enough teeth to attempt to resist the ruin of the islands. What about the actual authorities entrusted with this role? Where are they? What should they be doing? And why is any criticism and protest so ineffective?

Being a voluntary organisation, we are not beholden to anybody and this gives us the confidence to speak out about what we believe in. The authority entrusted with the role, that is, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, we feel needs to be given the necessary resources to carry out its job effectively and should have the last word when it comes to decisions on heritage.

Also, it is unfortunate that the PA seems to be more engaged in trying to meet developers’ demands than carrying out the role it was created for; that is, delivering a good planning vision and framework for development to take place, achieving a balance between the new and the old, and sensible land use as opposed to short-sighted speculation.

One of the greatest frustrations and paradoxes is that everyone seems to complain about the environment, yet these loud voices would appear to have no power whatsoever and the wanton destruction continues. Do you feel the public does not protest loudly enough and what would it take for these complaints not to fall on deaf ears?

On the contrary, the public is becoming very proactive and speaking out. One has only to see the constant discussions on social media; a lot of opinion is being voiced. You are right in saying that protests fall on deaf ears though, and it is a great shame that the authorities do not listen to the people enough.

Look at the objections to the DB tower and ex-ITS site at Pembroke – there were over 4,000 objectors to this project. Surely, they should have counted for something?

I disagree that people do nothing but complain. People are taking the future of their neighbourhoods very seriously and even forming grass-roots groups, and creating forums, where public discussions are taking place. We have seen this with Gżira, Pembroke and Żejtun residents, and now Xemxija residents too.

People are refusing to accept building development in their locality that will have a negative impact on their health and environment. They demand to be listened to. In the case of Bulebel in Żejtun, it worked. Pembroke residents were ignored, but now there is the appeal outcome this week [The appeal decision is now public]. Dialogue is important, and people expect a modicum of transparency and fairness in decisions that affect their life. 

DLĦ files an average of 10 to 12 objections to PA applications each week. These are restricted to more urgent UCA and ODZ cases and do not even include applications for development zones. It would appear to be completely ignored and rarely are any cases won. Only around 10 per cent of permits objected to get refused. How demoralising is that?

Again, the tragedy is there is so much room for interpretation of the policies and regulations. Planning should not be like that. It should be tighter and with no room for ifs and buts. Everybody would be happy to comply.

The number of refusals of the permits objected to is, indeed, very low, but I would feel worse if we had not tried. We need to increase our presence at the actual hearings to communicate our reasons better and more directly to the board. However, with our present resources, this has not been possible.

Since the Data Protection Act was passed, no photos of buildings that are the subject of applications are uploaded and this has become an administrative issue for DLĦ because it is now unable to scrutinise and judge if a building is worthy of retention or not. Would you say this is an infringement of our right to know and access information? And what are you doing about it?

We have written to the chairman and CEO of the PA about it but we should take it further. We have had to rely on our interpretation of the drawings only. Photographs are so helpful, and it is ridiculous to say they are violating someone’s right to privacy. I believe it is an infringement of the public’s right to access information.

The destruction we are witnessing has been described as the tip of the iceberg. What is actually going under the radar and what lies in store?

The problem is that there is a lot of money out there, and speculative construction projects are perhaps the best way to invest it. This is creating the current situation, where investors are buying entire rows of houses and large plots of land to do something that will earn them more money. There is no consideration for the needs of the community or the locality, nor of the consequent changes, both physical and social, these projects will bring.

We should be looking at what Malta needs rather than how much money will be made, and here the regulator is greatly to blame. Our health is suffering from this excessive construction, and this was one of our resolutions at the AGM last week: to protect well-being and quality of life.

The other five were to strengthen protection of cultural and natural heritage at law; to urge the PA to fulfil the role it was created for; to request that best options be sought for a Malta-Gozo permanent link; to protect the coast and foreshore from land reclamation; and for the protection of historic buildings and urban conservation areas through the creation of buffer zones.

What was your parting shot at the AGM?

Among other things, I mentioned the recent hoarding at Malta International Airport, which consists of dozens of photos of Maltese doorways. It is so ironic that these very doorways, which are threatened and going down like dominoes every week, are chosen as the image to welcome visitors to our country.

We must recognise the value we have in our traditional streetscapes, which are truly unique, and give them the appreciation they deserve. Soon these will be only photos on hoardings and in coffee-table books. We are being incredibly short-sighted in allowing this to happen.

You will shortly be passing on the baton to a new president. What is your advice to the person who is stepping into your shoes and what are you expecting from his approach?

The new council has been elected and the president will be appointed at our first council meeting. There will be many challenges ahead as the issues of the Gozo tunnel, mega projects, land reclamation and the destruction of more historical buildings and gardens come to the fore.

I am sure, though, that the new executive president will take this on with the characteristic level-headed yet impassioned approach that has distinguished DLĦ since its formation 54 years ago. The team spirit on council will ensure a supportive backing so that the many aims of the organisation will continue.

Despite all these efforts, where do you see Malta from an environment and heritage point of view for the next generation? What have we already lost? And what can we still stand to gain?

I think Malta is at a make-or-break point – we either stop the destruction and degeneration from overdevelopment now or we live to regret it. What we aren’t realising is that what we are destroying, as shown on the photos on the hoarding at the airport, is a valuable asset, which we have the duty to pass on to our children. It is what gives us identity, but instead of being proud of it and protecting it, we prefer to destroy it for immediate profit.

The natural environment is not faring any better, with the constant eating away at ODZ and the threat to many pristine agricultural areas and aquifers by more and more development. As you well put it in your article about Villa Barbaro in Tarxien, we are, indeed, in danger of losing our soul.