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Karl Schembri
Minister for Urban Development Jesmond Mugliett is now saying the development of the Opera House ruins into a parliament will only go ahead if the project is economically feasible, but the government has already spent thousands of liri on scrapped plans and designs.
Back in November 1995, Prof Richard England was appointed architect for the design of a National Arts Centre, which included plans for a multi-purpose theatre, the redesigning of Freedom Square, City Gate, a bus terminus and an underground car park.
Mugliett has already said that “certain elements” of the overall Valletta entrance plans submitted to the Planning Authority in 2000 “are being considered,” but he also made it clear that the government wanted to spend much less than originally projected.
The rebuilding of the opera house which was to include a state of the art theatre and underground parking would have cost between Lm19 million and Lm22 million, he said during the Malta Financial and Business Times business breakfast earlier this month.
Mugliett said architect Richard England had been commissioned once again to design the project and had for the past weeks been carrying out a feasibility study on its extent and scope.
What he did not say was that past plans have already cost the government almost a quarter of a million liri. The bulk of the sum went for the architect’s plan for St James Cavalier – more than Lm203,000, while another Lm69,000 went for the remaining plans which have so far remained stuck at design stage.
Back in 1998, Minister Francis Zammit Dimech had declared: “The construction of the art centre is expected to be ready by the year 2002.” He had also declared that the whole Valletta masterplan would cost Lm30 million.
In February 1999, Zammit Dimech, referring to the opera house project, said “the government is in the driving seat and will remain in the driving seat.”
By summer 2001, the estimates for the whole project went up to Lm50 million, but then Zammit Dimech later reported that the European Investment Bank “will probably ask to be directly involved in the project which might be prepared to grant the full loan of Lm40 million.”
The Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers lambasted the government for keeping England on the project, stating that contrary to Mugliett’s statements, there is nothing in its regulations or statute which makes it obligatory to retain the same architect on a particular project.
On the contrary, the chamber said, it was its mission to see that the culture of open design competitions is encouraged in the country.
Mugliett said it is normal practice that when a client intends to use designs or parts of designs of a particular architect, that same architect would be the first to be considered for the job.
“If a new architect is engaged, there are formalities and procedures that have to be followed,” he said.
Government’s decision to retain the services of Prof. England was based on the confidence in his capabilities and in order to ensure the continuity with the plans which have already been developed for Freedom Square, the car park and St James Cavalier, he said.
Whether these plans materialise or not, the designs have already cost taxpayers thousands of liri, and yet they are of little relevance today.
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