The Kamra tal-Periti (Chamber of Architects) today reiterated its strongest possible objection to the location of such stalls in the vicinity of the new Parliament building.
The Kamra tal-Periti is also reiterating its strongest possible appeal to the government that the open market stalls not be placed anywhere which detracts from the quality of the entrance of Valletta which, after so much bad-mouthing, has now regained the dignity and architectural beauty it deserved. A proposal to relocate the open market to any part of the urban spaces forming part of the City Gate, Parliament and Opera House ruins is completely unacceptable, irrespective of the quality of the design of the stalls themselves, since such a relocation:
• Undermines the objective of promoting an ethos within society that values quality, especially in public buildings and public urban spaces;
• Simply serves the unjustified requests of a specific interest group, to the detriment of the over-arching importance of the quality of urban space for all to enjoy, as the visitors to Valletta are now beginning to discover;
• Fails to acknowledge that the new Parliament/City Gate project are an important statement of our national built and social heritage, and therefore makes a mockery of the significance of this Project to our national identity.
The Kamra tal-Periti finally urged the government that urban open spaces, particularly in our capital city, but also in our towns and villages, belong to the citizens in Malta, and not to any specific interest group, and as such they should be designed only after seeking the best available talents, preferably via open and intelligent design competitions, and after ample time for effective discussion of the proposals. The time of the fait accompli, as happened in the case of Castille Place, is surely past in our democracy.