The government’s application to use the underground spaces under Casa Lanfreducci fully respects the historical and architectural context in which it is made, the Infrastructure Ministry said.
The ministry said in a statement that Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar was ‘flatly wrong’ when it claimed that the government left the application for this portion of the development as a form of deception so that the original application would not seem too intrusive.
“On the contrary, the decision for the fresh application was a result of the decision to explore alternative solutions that would bring about less excavation than was originally planned and fully permitted by the original permit.
“MEPA has already granted a permit for 940 square metres of excavations.
“The government’s decision to apply for the existing and already dug out spaces in the area will reduce the footprint of the excavated site by a fifth down to less than 795 square metres, thus minimising any impact on the surrounding monuments and historic structures,” the ministry said.
It said that the footprint of the buildings in the current controversy was barely being excavated.
“All that will be dug out are some four square metres for a lift and just over 12 square metres for a staircase.
“None of this is happening in some ‘hallowed burial ground’. The FAA has been intentionally suggesting that some new sacrilegious dug out is being carried out under the Church of Our Lady of Victories.
“The Church and anything below, in or adjacent to it is not affected in any shape or form by the application being made.
“Casa Lanfreducci is by no means the Church of Our Lady of Victories.
“Nor is it some ancient palace of renown built on some burial grounds,” it said.
The ministry said that the house was originally called Casa Cassar and was a property once removed from the Church of Our Lady of Victories with another house, also unaffected by this application, which lay in between.
It was renamed ‘Lanfreducci’ only recently in honour of the family who owned the house next door that was demolished in the 19th century to make way for the Royal Opera House.
“Though burial in crypts under churches is known to occur, the notion that the basements of neighbouring houses were somehow used as extensions for burial is not what one might normally expect.
“In any case, since excavation will be minimal and will be strictly supervised as regulated by standard Mepa requirements for similar situations, in the unlikely event that anything specific is found, the normal action required by our laws to protect any archaeological finds will of course be respected in full.”
It said that no romantic notions about the burial of unknowns were ever expressed when the house was for centuries in private ownership and, until living memory, used as a restaurant and a barber shop.
Nor were these notions expressed by anyone when the previous tenants of the building knocked down its first floor facade in the 1990s and when they were allowed to convert part of the ground floor into a car garage.
“The development was permitted then, as the present application should be accepted now, because Casa Cassar/Lanfreducci is not a scheduled building.
“In spite of this, it is a prestigious building with an interesting vaulted ceiling that will be preserved and is begging to be used to the full.”
The ministry said that in full respect to the architectural features of Casa Lanfreducci, the government was applying to restore and convert the property for cultural use.
“Though criticism against such an application may have various motivations, it is right for the public to at least expect that criticism is to be grounded in fact and not in romantic speculation,” it said.