And so, finally, the go ahead has been given to eliminate the biggest eyesore that Malta has.

Valletta will have its new entrance, the old opera house ruins will be revamped into an open-air theatre, and the parking area that is known as Freedom Square will be accommodating the new Parliament building.

All at one go, what has been termed as the “national shame” will be converted into a modern access into the capital city, while the dilapidated ruins that have marred the entrance to Valletta since World War II will be transformed into a contemporary theatre. At the same time, Parliament will for the first time in the country’s history have its own seat.

It has taken us decades to get here, but finally we have arrived. Last Thursday, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority approved the Renzo Piano plans for the regeneration of the Valletta entrance, with only the Labour representative voting against,

The city built by gentlemen for gentlemen deserves a better entrance. As it is now, with all those kiosks and decadent appearance, City Gate gives the idea of a country in disarray, one that does not care what impression the thousands of tourists who visit it each day say about it.

We, as Maltese, have got used to it like this, but if we all stop and think we all know that Valletta deserves better.

Everyone knows a change was needed. Everyone is ashamed that our capital city was left in such a state for so long. But each time a government tried to do something about it, self-appointed experts had it their way and any plans and projects were shelved.

It was time for the country to make up its mind, and this government made it a point to go through with it. Once again, the debate was long; the public discussed the project as a whole and in detail for weeks and months on end, but ultimately the government had to take a decision.

Otherwise, the debate would have gone on and on as it has done so for 70 years, and no conclusion would have been reached. Because there will always be people who have a different opinion, those who do not agree on some aspect or another. But, as Minister Austin Gatt pointed out to the media last week, the government has to put its foot down and do what it has to do – decide.

It might seem – to those who only believe in public consultation when the final decision is to their liking – that the government has bulldozed its way through. It’s not the case. The government appointed the best architect in the world to prepare (for the second time) a plan to regenerate the entrance to Valletta, and now it is ready to go for it. As Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has said, having Renzo Piano’s name linked with the project will give Valletta a better image.

Of course, the debate will rage on, now and when the work will start until it is completed, and possibly beyond that too. There will always be people who think they have better ideas than the most acclaimed architect in the world, or who believe that they should be the ones who others should listen to.

But now the decision has been taken.

And let us hope that it will be the start, not the end, of a regeneration project that covers the whole of Valletta.

The government has committed itself not only about City Gate, but also about other areas of the capital city which need to be revamped.

Let the work begin.