I welcome the government’s initiative to regenerate the entrance to the Capital City. The old opera house ruins are a shame to a country that is part of the European Union, and the City Gate as we know it today is also a shame with all the confusion that exists because of the bus terminus and hawkers selling their wares.

The plans to have Parliament housed in a new building is also a good idea. For many years, our House of Representatives met at the Palace which today has grown too small for the exigencies of our parliamentarians.

What I do hope is that the timeframe that has been given by the government – the regeneration is expected to be finished before the next election – is kept.

Too often we have seen projects delayed by many years – as was the case of Mater Dei Hospital and the Mgarr ferry terminal.

Added to this, I also hope that the projected cost of e60-e80 will not double or even treble when the works are completed.

Again, it has happened several times that the costs went beyond much more than the original estimates.

Seeing that the project will be paid for through taxpayers’ money makes it imperative on the government to be extremely accountable in this regard.

I look forward to see the designs to be submitted by Renzo Piano, and hope that we will not have a repeat performance of what we all witnessed some 20 years ago. Now that the decision has been taken for plans to be drawn up, a decision should also be taken to go on with the project.

Maria Vassallo

Birkirkara