Herrera is right

National Heritage Minister Jose Herrera made quite a statement yesterday regarding heritage buildings on the island, and hopefully his words will be listened to by other government ministers.

Minister Herrera said that there need to be stricter rules on the protection of scheduled buildings. He spoke of the need to “put our foot down” and “preserve our village cores, our prestigious buildings and heritage.”

Environmental and heritage NGOs have been making these arguments for many, many years, and it is about time the government took action.

The minister admitted that he is not happy with how things have been going for the past few years. “We have been putting too much emphasis and importance on the economic side of things, without preserving either our environment or heritage.”

Indeed the government’s policy over the last few years has seen so much development that today’s Malta is far different to what it was 10 years ago.

As Environment Minister, Herrera was criticised for not doing enough to protect Malta’s environment, but in truth he did quite a bit. As an example, Herrera organised quite a few afforestation projects, and introduced better waste separation on the island, just to name a few.

One hopes that he would have the backing to make the necessary changes in policy when it comes to scheduled buildings.

Far too often do we read about applications for scheduled buildings to be torn down and have floors built above, with just the façade retained. Far too often do we hear of applications pertaining to the garden of a protected building. Far too often do we hear of applications to tear down buildings in village cores, in order to build up.

Part of Malta’s character lies in its village cores, and they need to be protected.

The government’s economic policy, basing economic growth on population growth is partly to blame for this, and a change is needed. The minister’s statement seems to point to this issue as well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with foreign workers coming to Malta, and they must always be welcomed with open arms, but basing growth mainly on that factor without proper long-term planning to go hand-in-hand with it has resulted the uglification of the island through the rampant construction of medium and highrise buildings, replacing Malta’s houses of character.

If we do not come up with stricter policies to protect village cores, as well as stricter policies to protect Malta’s skyline and a ban on constructing villas on ODZ land… well, then what will Malta look like?

Tourists do not come to Malta to see high-rise buildings. Malta is not Hong Kong. Tourists do not come to Malta to walk through a construction site. This industry could be impacted if the island gets a bad reputation.

But more importantly than that, what kind of Malta do the Maltese want to live in? Do we want to live in a hotch potch of mis-coloured, mis-matched buildings that look like something out of a thirdworld country? Do we want to live in a high-density island with little or no green areas in our urban environment, having to travel out of the heart of the island to see any greenery? Do we want to look up and feel claustrophobic? Do we want Malta’s heritage buildings, the traditional townhouses, the buildings that give our village character, gone?

The Planning Authority has failed this country. Past administrations have failed this country. Robert Abela, it is now on you.