It is so convenient to dismiss opposition to the St John Co-Cathedral projects with accusations of misinformation when it is the defenders of these projects who are misinformed.
From the declarations of the 'A Christian Outlook' writer (The Sunday Times, August 31) and the Church Environment Commission (KA) it seems that, unlike the NGOs, they have not consulted the Malta Environment and Planning Authority Structure Plan, studied both application files at Mepa, and attended the foundation's project presentation, as they are evidently uninformed of the project details. This is not altogether surprising as the foundation has not made all the information public.
The 'informed' consultative bodies, such as the Mepa Planning Directorate, the Heritage Advisory Committee, and the Valletta and Floriana Rehabilitation Committee have all declared themselves against the project. Fr René Camilleri should know that it is the Church Commission on Cultural Heritage which is consulted on such projects and not the Environment Commission. The Church Cultural Heritage Commission has rejected the project.
Both applications go against Mepa Grade 1 Scheduling specifications which categorically state that the Cathedral complex in its entirety is untouchable and should not be subjected to development.
The commissioning of an Environmental Impact Assessment to evaluate projects which go against Mepa policies is a waste of thousands of euros, an unjustified expense on the part of the Church and the State, co-owners of St John's, which should surely be accountable to the public.
Mepa should be concentrating its resources on helping the Foundation identify a building to house the ancillary collections, offices and laboratories attached to the Co-Cathedral, as has been suggested by heritage authorities.
PA00167/08 to cover the graveyard with an undulating glass ceiling and convert it into a shop for souvenirs, ticketing booths and possibly a cafeteria is highly offensive to our religious and cultural values. The burial ground of people who sacrificed their lives to protect Malta and Christianity is, like other cemeteries, a sacred place deserving of respect.
PA 0168/08 proposes to dig up St John's Square between Republic Street, Merchants Street and Zachary Street to put the Flemish tapestries on display underground, an area which will be dependent on air-conditioning and dehumidification and which will require excavation to provide access. In terms of energy consumption, how sustainable will this project be?
Fr Camilleri (August 7) referred to the Italian bishops' message stressing the need to "use energy efficiently, as well as to appreciate the sources of renewable and clean energy" in addition to "lessening the problem of waste". This project involves a great deal of waste in excavated rock that will have to be dumped, presumably at sea, in its heavy energy requirements and consumption, and in its choice to undertake such an extravagant project when a nearby palazzo could be restored to house the collections and make space for the tapestries within the Cathedral.
The damage which may be caused to the Cathedral is a serious risk which should make this project unacceptable. Mepa has already stated that the excavations pose risks which can only be mitigated, but never totally eliminated, as was the case of widespread damage in the Monte di Pietà following excavations beneath it.
Excavations which the foundation objected to in St Lucy Street have also resulted in damage to St John's Cathedral crypt and frescoes. We should, rather, be questioning why the foundation needs a modern art gallery and a cafeteria which do not, or should not, have a place within the St John's Co-Cathedral complex.