What a sad day it is when the illegal, piecemeal and inappropriate "embellishments" of some commercial establishments are referred to as the soul of a village! And even when their removal is regarded as "rape". (Soul of Xagħra Village Ripped Apart, Stephen Peters, December 1)

Since time immemorial, and for many years before Mr Peters was welcomed to the village, Victory Square was the most thriving square on Gozo and the village hub. With the right action taken, illegalities have been removed and Victory Square has been given back to the people of Xagħra.

They can now safely walk on the pavements and enjoy Victory Square as it once was.

I suggest Mr Peters ask the locals for their views to discover what was "ripping apart the soul of Xagħra village" up to a couple of weeks ago. The illegalities in the square blocked traffic lanes, causing confusion for drivers and threatening life and limb of pedestrians at all times of the day. Adults have been knocked down, and children nearly run over by cars - after being forced to walk on the road due to street furniture blocking the pavement. The base of the historical stone cross in the square has frequently been damaged due to vehicles hitting it after a traffic lane was made narrower. The additional traffic congestion and pollution caused was not conducive to village life.

As far as I am aware the people of Xagħra from all walks of life and of all political beliefs welcomed the action and are indebted and thankful to Jason Azzopardi, Parliamentary Secretary for Lands, and his department for rescuing the soul of the village of Xagħra.

In fact we should view this as an opportunity to embellish the square holistically with the input of, and for the benefit of, the whole community. However, I am grateful that until that time we can now enjoy a safer, more accessible and less polluted Victory Square than we had before Thursday, November 27, 2008.