Anyone passing through our various high streets, from Republic Street in Valletta to that of the tiniest village, will notice that most or a high proportion of houses are clearly vacant.

One can notice unkempt front facades, dusty balconies, and all evidence of neglect. There is a house in Birkirkara’s Valley Road that is so neglected that a conglomeration of trees is growing out of its front porch.

There are a variety of reasons why this is so. Many times, these old houses are uncomfortable, full of stairs, with tiny rooms and other inconveniences. Some have fallen victim to disagreement among heirs who prefer to sit it out rather than sell at a price they do not consider fit.

Obviously, one other reason is that many times it is impossible to get any parking near these houses. There is also the noise caused by traffic, the incessant din, and our penchant for celebrating anything and everything.

Until some time ago, maybe even now, it was still possible to purchase far more comfortable accommodation outside the village cores or in the countryside, or in one of the very comfortable flats that are going up.

Until some time ago, too, it was possible to demolish a house on a main street and construct in its stead some underground garages, and a couple of flats. But this is no longer possible in many cases as it has been reasonably argued that these new buildings detract from the attractiveness of the village cores.

The result is this sprawl of unused and neglected buildings in all our village main streets as well as in the main streets of Valletta. You only have to look up to see. Clearly, it is in the national interest that this huge stock of unused buildings is returned to use.

One of the more extreme ideas that is sometimes floated is for the government to tax owners of unused buildings. They are occupying valuable space and they are valuable assets that should be put to better use.

However, this may be rather drastic. We would like to suggest some softer approaches.

How about, for instance, the government targeting as a pilot project Republic Street and Merchants Street in Valletta and some other village main street or two, and offering concrete incentives to the owners to modernise the buildings and return them to usage, with a clear message that if this softy-softy approach does not work, there may be tax disincentives later on?

Owners of period houses may need more than fiscal incentives to tackle the huge project but we must also think of the advantages which returning such houses to usage could bring to our village cores.

In Valletta, for instance, there are at present various private initiatives to turn buildings into guest houses. What used to be neglected buildings now shine again with a renewed vigour. As a result, it is not just that particular house which has gained a new lease of life but the entire neighbourhood as well. The spillover effect is marvellous and instantaneous.

There may be other ideas for the regeneration of our village and city cores. While making our suggestion, we invite other parties to present their own, so that something may be done.