Too much emphasis on economic growth over preservation of environment and heritage – Minister

There need to be stricter rules on the protection of scheduled buildings, Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Jose Herrera told The Malta Independent.

In the past there have been planning applications for scheduled buildings proposing interventions that would, for example, retain the façade but involve the demolition of the rest or the construction of more floors above. The Malta Independent asked Minister Herrera, who is also a former environment minister, whether there should be stricter rules on the protection of scheduled buildings and whether people should be allowed to build additional floors on top of them.

Minister Herrera said that it is about time that more of an emphasis were placed on the preservation of Malta’s local heritage buildings.

“In my personal and political opinion, yes, it is about time we put our foot down and preserved our village cores, our prestigious buildings and heritage.”

He said that within the Ministry for Culture, there is the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, which plays an important role, as every application is vetted by the superintendence. “We receive around 10,000 applications per year,” said Herrera. He said that now is the time to protect the island’s environment and heritage.

“I am not happy with how things have been going for the past few years,” explained Herrera. “We have put too much emphasis and importance on the economic side of things, without preserving our environment or heritage.”

He said that more must be done to protect the environment and Malta’s patrimony.

“If we do not do this, we will slowly destroy the flavour and texture of our country, and my intention is to do my best to protect our heritage.”