The 1976 House of Representatives designed by Richard England will be dismantled by hand and carefully stored so that it, or parts of it, can be re-assembled and exhibited somewhere else, possibly at a future museum of modern political history or at a museum of modern Maltese architecture.

The Mepa board today approved the dismantling of the old Parliament to make way for a conference centre when Malta holds the EU Presidency in the first half of 2017.

What will be set up will then be in turn dismantled and the long room will once again become the Armoury as it was during the Knights and the British. It will then become the property of Heritage Malta.

(Photos: Top - artist's impression on how the House of Representatives at the Palace (above) will look like once the project is completed)

Today's Armoury in the ground floor will in turn become a museum telling the history of the Palace of the Grandmasters.

Architect David Parker, who is in charge of the project, told the Mepa board that the stone cladding that was added to the hall in 1976 will also be dismantled and stored, while the soffit will be removed.

The general intention is to create the Palace as a showcase of Maltese history when it will be used by all sorts of EU delegations in 2017. Heritage Malta has obtained a €5 million grant for the relocation of the Armoury.