The news that Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna has acquired responsibility over a section of south-east Valletta and will be transforming it into the country’s first heritage park is most welcome – from several points of view.

For one thing, it shows the government’s confidence in the role of non-governmental organisations. Secondly, the project will serve as part of a much-needed regeneration of the capital city. Thirdly, it will add to its tourism value and make Valletta more attractive to visitors. Fourthly, it is yet another example as to how European Union funds – a sum of e1 million will be initially invested – can be put to good use.

The 5,000 square metres that have been transferred to the FWA, and this includes a network of tunnels, the most famous of which are the Lascaris War Rooms, will be turned into museums and other attractions that will be a memorial to World War II and other significant events that dot Malta’s history, such as the Cold War, which came to an end in Maltese waters on a cold weekend in December 1989.

The first part of the three-year-project, the Saluting Battery Museum, is to be up and running by the end of this year. The Cold War Museum is another idea that FWA is working on, and it would be wonderful if this too is completed by December, in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the George Bush-Mikhail Gorbachev encounter in Malta.

During the past years, the government has transferred land to NGOs in various spheres, including sports. Organisations can then use this land to upgrade it for their own purposes. Most of them have done so with pride.

We have come a long way from the line of reasoning that the government can and should do everything, or must do everything on its own. The fact that land is managed by NGOs serves the purpose of removing responsibilities for which the government has no time and giving enthusiastic people who are part of these organisations the possibility of doing it themselves.

In many circumstances, these organisations manage to transform the area they have been entrusted with into an attractive place. Just look at the many football pitches that have sprouted in various parts of Malta to get the idea.

We are now sure that, with dedication and commitment, FWA will manage to utilise the land it has been given to convert it into yet another attraction within the capital city.

The government has embarked on long-term projects for Valletta, including the reconstruction of City Gate and the conversion of the old opera house ruins into a new building to house Parliament. The terminus, another eyesore at the entrance of the capital city, will become smaller.

But this is not enough. Over the years, Valletta has lost much of its splendour and it needs a deeper re-evaluation to restore it to its former glory. Projects such as that of the heritage park will help in its renewal.

This will obviously make it a more attractive place for the thousands of tourists who visit it each day. As Valletta is now, it already offers many places of interest, not only from the historical and architectural point of view. Once the entrance gets the planned overhaul and projects like the heritage park come to life, then the capital city would certainly become more attractive.

Of course, we need to work harder to bring it to life in the evenings too. During shop hours, Valletta is bustling with activity, but this dies down after 7 or 8pm, whereas capital cities in Europe remain alive late into the night.

But that is another story.