I refer to the report on the world heritage status of Valletta (August 11).

This report suggested that Valletta's streetscape had been affected by the construction of luxury apartment blocks at Tigné, and that, as a result, the World Heritage Committee (WHC) was threatening to remove Valletta's status as a world heritage site. This report is, unfortunately, a very approximate artist's impression of the truth.

The photograph accompanying the report is misleading; it is taken from North Street, a street that very few people frequent, with a strong telephoto lens (more than 200mm), to support the suggestion that the apartment blocks at Tigné affect Valletta's streetscape. A series of photographs from Old Bakery and Republic Street, using a normal 50mm lens, mailed to The Times with this letter, (including the street that was so prominently shown on the front page of The Times), easily proves that the said apartment blocks have no such effect on the streetscape.

In addition, the text refers to 16-storey developments. The "high-rise" apartment block in the photograph, that allegedly affects Valletta's streetscape, is in fact two blocks, one of a height of five storeys located in front of another of nine storeys height, squashed together by the effect of the telephoto lens - neither exactly high-rise development.

The facts are that the 33rd Session of the World Heritage Committee took place in Seville between June 22 and 30. During this session, which takes place annually, the WHC reviewed, among many other things, written reports on the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the world heritage list (session 7B). One wonders who wrote the report on Valletta. The session reviewed, asked questions about, and made recommendations and requests on 147 world heritage sites, as part of its normal operational mandate. A report on Valletta was one of these reports, as befits its world heritage status. The WHC also reviewed reports on 31 other sites which are inscribed on the list of World Heritage in Danger - and which does not include Valletta. At no stage of the deliberations was there any mention of Valletta losing its world heritage status. This can be verified by reading the minutes in the appropriate website.

In addition, at no stage were there any comments, negative or positive, on any development in the vicinity of Valletta, nor on any project envisaged for Valletta itself. Incidentally, neither is it true that the WHC requested detailed information on the proposed large-scale developments "for Valletta's entrance" - the WHC minutes make absolutely no reference to any proposals for the city gate area, but generically request information on large-scale developments within the city. It is noted that the committee was meeting between June 22 and June 30, that is, before the unveiling of the City Gate proposals by Renzo Piano which occurred on June 29.

The newspaper report emphasises the fact that the World Heritage Committee voted on the second ever site to lose its status, Dresden Elbe Valley, as if this were a procedure that is applied readily, after receiving "insufficiently clear" responses. The truth is that the Dresden issue was preceded by five years of wrangling, and warnings, and also by a number of visits by international joint Unesco-Icomos teams of experts, before it reached this stage.

To headline the above facts as if Valletta were on the brink of losing its world heritage status is a distortion of the truth. However, the really sad part of the story is that the WHC discussion on Valletta was initiated by a written report from Malta; and that the reaction of some people to the report gave the feeling that, if the report were true, they would be elated to be vindicated.