The Valletta local council should be moving into its new premises at the former Café Premier, in the heart of the capital, in time for the start of the V18 events in five months’ time.
Read: Café Premier memo to justify bailout is defended
Financed by the Ministry of Justice and Culture, the €450,000 project will also include three halls which will be made available to NGOs as well as being used as a day centre for the elderly.
The work is being carried out under the supervision of the Restoration Directorate.
Moreover, the new council premises will have a district clinic (berġa) and a facility for children.
“This will consist of a makerspace whereby children will be able to use their imagination to create objects through resources like 3D printers and computers,” mayor Alexiei Dingli told The Sunday Times of Malta.
The relocation also comes at a perfect time
The project will also serve to improve accessibility for the National Library through the installation of a lift and host a small lending library for the benefit of Valletta’s young population.
Furthermore, the council is also exploring the possibility of creating a community exhibition space in the underground level.
The Valletta mayor pointed out that their request for relocation stemmed from the fact that the existing premises at South Street were neither central nor accessible to persons with mobility problems.
“The relocation also comes at a perfect time as within six months Valletta will be hosting the 2018 European Capital Culture events,” he added.
The existing premises at South Street were neither central nor accessible to persons with mobility problems
In 2014 the iconic Café Premier had been at the heart of a controversial €4.2 million bailout agreement through which the government bought back the 65-year emphyteusis from Cities Entertainment Ltd which used to run the place. The cafeteria had closed down immediately after Labour was elected to power in March 2013.
The deal included a €2.5 million payment to settle an outstanding bank loan. Apart from the Opposition, criticism had also been levelled by the National Audit Office which had slammed the deal while expressing reservations on the manner in which the issue had been handled by the government.
Subsequently, the Valletta council piled pressure on the government to relocate their premises to this building. The request was made in the wake of Labour’s decision, soon after having been elected to power, to reverse an earlier decision made in 2012 whereby the council would have been relocated to the Main Guard instead of the Attorney General’s Office.
Finally, in October 2015 the Prime Minister announced that the council’s request had been agreed to.