VALLETT A

Integrated Conservation and the Rehabilitation of Housing Stock

Malcolm Borg B.A., M.A., Dip.Herit.Mngt (UNIMED)

1. Introduction

This paper gives a further dimension to the possibilities of rehabilitating Valletta. Valletta
in this case-study is only seen as a crucial or critical area representing a widespread problem
in the whole of the Maltese Islands. The town and village cores are deteriorating through
neglect and vacant housing especially as a result of an antiquated rent law, a history of
extensive build-up of social housing on virgin land and only a recent legislation which is
conservation oriented. Whilst the rehabilitation of monuments is vital, the crux of prolonging
Valletta’s lifespan lies in the re-population and revitalization of its various quarters. This
paper gives an overview of the population, migration and settlement patterns from the
nineteenth century to date and refers to the attempts at renewal, re-development and
restoration projects in the post war period. This paper also assesses the present
complexities and offers ideas based on sustainable and integrated conservation.

Plate 1: Valletta Aerial View (1999).

2. A Brief History

2.1 Valletta – The new city

Valletta is part of a maritime fortified urban network which developed after 1530. With
the occupation of the Knights of St. John the harbour became a favourable site for a city. The
seat of government or governance was shifted from the heart of the Island and the Citta
Vecchia to the Grand Harbour. In the first years the Order was engaged in fortifying Birgu (or
Borgo) which lay to the east of Fort St. Angelo. Birgu became a thriving base with a church,
eight auberges and a hospital. After three years the Borgo which was inhabited only by
seafarers developed extensively and more than 500 houses were built. This remedy was
only temporary and the fall of Tripoli and the Gozo raid of 1551 forced the Sicilian Viceroy to
take drastic measures. The design for fortifying Mount Sciberras and the opposite side of the
porto delle galere later Senglea were based on earlier proposals made by Fra Leone Strozzi,
Prior of Capua.1 Pietro Prado under the guidance of Strozzi built two forts on Senglea, Fort
St.Michael and another on the tip of Mount Sciberras, Fort St. Elmo (1551-52).
After the siege of 1565 in which the Turkish attack failed, further extensions of
fortifications rose on Mount Sciberras. Here Grand Master La Vallette was determined to
build a city. He applied to Pius IV for the services of an expert architect “well versed in town
planning and design of fortifications.” The Pope chose Francesco Laparelli who arrived in
Malta on 28 December 1565 and began to work on the project immediately. On 28 March
1566 works on the new city began. It was christened Valletta and dedicated to the Grand
Master who had led the victory over the Turks.
Extensions were made over the existing fortifications. In 1634 the Valletta peninsula
was reinforced from the land front. Pietro Floriani designed the extension and the town which
rose was named after him. Several lines bastions and forts were built successively by
Firenzuola. There were many interventions and gradually the harbour area was completely
fortified. The best European military engineers contributed to this intense building project.
Maurizio Valperga designed in 1670 a scheme which included a semi-circular ring of eight
bastions with a circumference of 5,000 yards. These defensive works were massive and
capable of sheltering 40,000 people together with their belongings and livestock.2 In the
eighteenth century another two forts were built on the Marasamxett side, Fort Manoel and
Tigne. Valletta became hub and heart of this extensive maritime network and rose as a
heavily urbanized network. The street layout and planning follows the grid-iron or rectangular
plan and after the fortification of the peninsula was secured the rectangular plots were filled
in with auberges, churches and convents, houses, villas and palazzi.
The French occupation (1798-1800) did not leave significant changes at least in the
fabric of Valletta. There were only some amendments in administration which were revised
by the British after Malta became a protectorate and later colony. During the British
colonization (1800-1964) changes and adaptations were devised without interfering intensely
with the disposition of streets and spaces. In fact these were exploited to celebrate the
modern epoch and proclaim Imperial administration.
The most extensive works which occupied the extant rectangular plots were built during
Victorian times between the 1840s and 1870s; St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the Covered
Market, the Royal Opera House and the Camarata. Stylistically there is no conflict between
the British neo-classical style and the sober restrained Baroque of the Order period. The
spaces dominated by the colonnades and porticoes became reminiscent of Trafalgar Square
and Regent Circus. The Frenchman, Louis Enault, who was in Malta in the 1850’s observed
this phenomenon. Regent’s Quadrant was being used as a model on all the world’s
latitudes.3 After all the British had adopted the same parameters for fortified cities during the
Victorian period. Francesco Laparelli’s Valletta (c.1566) was in harmony with the traditional
ideals of the Royal Engineers. Kingston, in Jamaica, designed by Sir Christopher Lilly R. E.,
followed the classic pattern in which he modified the plan used for rebuilding the city of
London after the Great Fire. The suburban extensions and the fortified town of Corradino
designed as an extension of the Cottonera lines was planned by Giuseppe Bonavia. It
consisted of a compact grid-pattern system.4 The regularity was further accentuated by the
equally proportioned square blocks.

1
Lino Bugeja, M.Buhagiar, S.Fiorini (edit), Birgu – A Maltese maritime city, Malta University Services
Ltd. (1993), pgs.549-550
2
Quentin Hughes, The Building of Malta (1530-1795), London Alec Tiranti (1967), pgs 15-29.
3
Louis Enault, La Terre Saint - Voyage des Quarante Pèlerins de 1853. Paris 1854, pp.16, 28.
4
NAR, CSG 04/28 5175, January 7th 1858, p. 389.
 Although the colonial dimension may have not affected extensively the fabric, Valletta
was traumatized successively as a result of urbanization and migration. Even during the
period of the Order the fluctuations in economy, social development and strategic needs
created great strains. Valletta’s dimension was never local only or “Maltese” from its
conception to the post-war era. This city was always dependent on foreign funds for
administration and development and catered for the European princes during the Order
period and for an Empire during British colonization. Valletta in that sense had an urban
cosmopolitan identity, governance and population. The Order in fact represented one of the
earliest ensemble of European power concentrated in one area with the different palatial
auberges acting as embassies. During the British period it was a Mediterranean hub and
centre for one of the most powerful European navies.

3. Depopulation and Migration –Is it a phenomenon of the 20 th. century?

In this century Valletta went through a steady decline in population and was like all the
maritime cities in the harbour area subject to migration either to the inner harbour area
outside the fortifications or to the towns and villages. The reasons for this mass migration
and decline comes as a result of various crises and elements. Valletta’s colonial dimension
created a series of fluctuations with a population explosion and a subsequent decline.
Valletta was a thriving city based on an Imperial economy which oscillated according to
defence needs. Its population also suffered because of military strategy. Because of greater
control successive exercises were adopted during the British colonial period to lower
population densities. Most of these failed in the short term but in the long term Valletta’s
population did drop at such an alarming rate that today it is difficult to cope with! Valletta’s
population today reaches 7,262 and is confined within 760,000 metres sq. Valletta is still one
of the most densely populated areas in the Maltese Islands. The population density per
square kilometre is the second highest when compared to the other fortified maritime cities
(Senglea, Cospicua and Vittoriosa). It follows Senglea which has a density of 22,066. Valletta
has a density of 8,635 but still has 833 vacant dwellings that is 23 % of the total.1 This is 3%
higher than the national average for vacant dwellings in urban conservation areas.2 Vacant
dwellings are one of the most pressing problems in the Maltese Islands and possibly one of
the major causes of degeneration of the historic fabric and texture in conservation areas.

3.1 The Order Period

Even though today’s statistics are alarming this is a recurrent pattern in Valletta. During
period the Order great fluctuations were recorded. “In 1590, Valletta counted no less than
4,000 inhabitants, almost as much as the Three Cities put together.”3 However the shift of the
urban population from Mdina, or from the other cities and villages and from abroad created a
boost in population reaching 11,251 in 1617. In the 1620s and 1630s the pressure of influx
was so great that already plans were being made to transfer the population of Valletta to
other sites round the harbour area without much success.4 The “equilibrium” was restored
naturally in 1675-76 with the plague. However this was only temporary and the increase in
population continued. In 1797 just before the French occupation 20,108 souls are recorded in
Valletta. Valletta’s population had augmented fivefold. The major affects of the decline in
population were: epidemics, new settlement patterns and a “semi-stable” foreign element
which worked in Valletta periodically or seasonally. The same patterns are recorded during
the British period.

1
Saviour Formosa, Census 1995 at http://members.nbci.com/Saverius/
2
Malcolm Borg, Draft Urban Conservation Topic Paper, Planning Authority, March 2000.
3
Stanley Fiorini, Demographic Growth and Urbanisation
4
The design of a new town “Paola” by Grad Master Antoine de Paule and the extension of
Valletta with a fortified suburb designed by Pietro Floriani, in 1635.
 Plate 2: Main Gate to Valletta (Old Photograph c.1880)

3.2 The British Period

The earliest form of migration during this period is recorded in 1851. The potential of
maritime cities as a magnet in attracting local population was only temporary. The sudden
rise was short lived and after 1871 it gradually fell. Migration from the city was caused by a
demand for higher rents for dwellings in Valletta. The situation had developed because of the
high rents and also because “the owners of houses in the town chose to leave of their own
accord, and remove onto the country with the view of bettering their circumstances, by
obtaining higher rents for their premises in Valletta.”1
The densly populated city of Valletta which developed into a district after the publication
of a Government Notice dated 30 November 1880 is studied thoroughly. The Valletta District
now comprised the City of Valletta, Floriana, Hamrun and Porto Nuovo, Pieta`, Msida, Sliema
and St. Julians The City had attracted these suburbs which were also expanding and the
“population of Valletta and the Cottonera Districts inhabit, almost in an interrupted line, the
shores of the Great and the Marsamuscetto Harbours, commencing from the Bay of St.
Julian and ending at Fort Ricasoli.”2 Valletta’s potential as a magnet in this sense is
described by the commentator, “Valletta contains the plethora of the population on account of
its being the principal city wherein all the Commerce and Industrial Arts of the Maltese
Islands are concentrated.”3 Apart from giving the population of Valletta (24,854), the census
also provides us with the number of commuters by land and sea. The number of persons
counted in one day entering Valletta was 12,804. Valletta had to cope with that too and the
engineering exercise to double the gates for better accessibility in the 1860s shows the
importance of Valletta as a hub.
As in the period of the Order there were two “populations” in Valletta. The civil
population consisted of 165,037 persons the remainder comprised Garrison, Royal and
Merchant Navy. The density of population in the Maltese Islands in 1891 was 1,487 persons
to the square mile therefore recording an increase in density over 1881 of 155 persons to the
square mile. According to the registrar this density of population “when compared with the

1
Malcolm Borg, Urbanisation in Colonial Malta (1800-1901), Doctoral Research, University of Leeds
1999.
2
Ibid. pg.72.
3
Ibid. pg.73.
density of population of other countries, show that the Maltese Islands are to be reckoned
among the most densely populated countries in the world.”1 The densely populated towns
were in the Valletta District: Valletta (80,660), Cospicua (48,270), Floriana (21,598), Sliema
(13,890) and Vittoriosa (13,154).
By the end of the century there is a significant decrease which marks only the beginning
of an efflux which gives us today’s results and statistics. In the 1891 census the population of
Valletta drops by 1,055 persons or 4.24%.

Increase in Population during intercensal

periods (1861-1891) per district

10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
1871
2,000 1891
0 1881 1881
-2,000 Census Dates 1891
1871

VALLETTA GOZO
COUNTRY
COTTONERA
Districts

Plate 3: Valletta Skyline by William Scamp (Courtesy Mons. J. Azzopardi - Wignacourt Collegiate
Museum)

3.3 The Early Twentieth century and the Post-War Period

Although Valletta again recorded an increase in population in the interwar period (1921-
39) of 32% reaching the levels recorded in 1881 this was only temporary. Between 1839 and
1842 the population remains stable at 24,400 however in the period of less than half a

1
Ibid. V paragraph 25
century the population figures plummeted to 7,262.1 Between 1985 and 1994, the number of
households in Valletta is estimated to have fallen by some 14% (3906 to 3341), whilst the
number of registered voters is estimated to have decreased by 20% (7740 to 6183).2 Still
Valletta has an extensive commuter population and is invaded during the business hours but
is dead in the evening. Some 35,000 vehicles have a “V” registered disc. These pay an extra
registered tariff for access into Valletta. What is the real capacity of Valletta and how can it
cope with this “disturbing trend?”3

4. Housing and Re-Development Projects, Urban Renewal and Rehabilitation

It seems that this disturbing trend has been dealt with before although one must say that
the problems were never so acute. Moreover today there is a reversal of trends which have
been inherited from the past and from foreign administrations. The Maltese have inherited an
extensive heritage but also the responsibility of the administration and management of
Valletta! Whereas maintenance works of government buildings and fortifications were
possible with Imperial or European based financing how is the national government expected
to maintain this patrimony which survived through 500 years of history. Does the Maltese
Government have too much heritage to handle? The historical development and
administration of Valletta shows two main trends which need to be investigated and reveal a
recurrent concern; access and population distribution.

4.1 Victorian Times

The best recorded redevelopment of areas in Valletta date back to Victorian times.
Possibly this period marks the starting point in the re-development of large areas of Valletta
through extensive projects. Between the 1840s and 1900s Valletta’s grid iron-plan and
skyline is affected by the building of St.Paul’s Church, a Covered Market on the old Prisons
site, the Royal Opera House and the Camarata common housing. However through this
period the British are dealing with over-population rather than depopulation. Still the projects
for Valletta during this period reflect today’s more acute problem of migration.
Governor G. Le Marchant, faced with the same housing problems of a developing
industrial society imported British designs for the workmen’s dwellings. This was not difficult.
The Victorian building industry had produced several housing models and on the whole
managed to control “massive growth in population”.4 Housing in the densely populated
harbour area became even more critical in 1859. The defective state of drainage in Valletta
and the three cities demanded “serious attention from the local government.” Properly
drained and well ventilated dwellings for the “poorer industrial classes” became a necessity.5
Le Marchant proposed several sites which would not interfere with the fortification
works, both in Valletta and the suburb Floriana. The unoccupied Jesuits College which had
become dilapidated and yielded no revenue was earmarked for housing. Part of the old
prison in St. Ursola Street was given at a lease of 128 pounds per annum. This money was
used as a grant to construct a new street extending from that of St. Domenica. The street

1
Austen St. B. Harrison and R. Pearce Hubbard, Valletta – A Report accompanying the Outline Plan
for the Region of Valletta and the Three Cities, Valletta (1945), pgs. 20-22.
2
Grand Harbour Local Plan - Approved Plan, Planning Authority (1998), pg.13.
3
Iid.
4
The Victorian City - Images and Realities. Vol. 1. Edited by H.J. Dyos and Michael Wolff. Routledge
and Kegan Paul Ltd.London 1973. Donald J. Olsen - House upon House - Estate development in
London and Sheffield. pg.334.
5
NAR, Dispatches to Secretary of State (May 1855 - Nov. 1860). No.14. Palace Valletta, Jan. 23rd.
1859. To Sir E. Bulwer Lytton from Sir G. Le Marchant. pgs. 407-409.
was ill-ventilated because it was blocked by an immense building. It also served for providing
three family houses and a lodging house with 20 apartments capable of housing 80 people.1
The most ambitious housing project however was that of the Old Camarata. The
housing project was selected after a tough competition for which 22 plans and designs were
submitted. The Camarata rises over an immense ventilated basement with a bold solidity.
The first four courses are made up of conventional hard stone blocks used to isolate the
upper courses from rising damp. The rest of the stories are constructed with narrow courses
in a brick-like fashion with an air cavity in the middle so that damp would not penetrate the
inner walls. The unadorned building has big rectangular windows. Only at ground level are
they arched. In its simple design the block conceals an internal meticulous and symmetrical
distribution of mass and space. The Camarata is probably one of the few examples of poor-
class dwellings which has survived to date and is still in use!
Le Marchant also considered the plain in Floriana for the building of private lodging
houses. It would definitely serve for the “industrious class, having dealings at the Marina”.2 In
the leasing out of property it was important to use the method of perpetual lease. This was
the most favoured system of investment for the Maltese. Taking into account military and
sanitary conditions Floriana would be an ideal dwelling site. It would encourage the
inhabitants of Valletta to settle outside its town walls. Valletta was still considered on a
military level, a stronghold! In case of emergency a lower population density meant “fewer
mouths to feed”. The Floriana inhabitants could also be deployed during attack to cooperate
with the troops in defence against the enemy.3 Housing in this case developed on a rigid
military system with defence as a primary goal.

Plate 4: Camarata Building – Victorian common dwelling

Popular housing could also be a source of investment. Le Marchant considered building

a “favourite investment with the Maltese”. British securities were not popular and yielded a

1
NAR, P.W. 265. 31st. January 1862. To H.E. Sir G. Le Merchant report submitted by G. Vella
Collector.pg.38-57.
2
NAR, P.W. 265. 31st. January 1862. To H.E. Sir G. Le Merchant report submitted by G. Vella
Collector.pg.38-57.
3
NAR, Dispatches to Secretary of State (May 1855 - Nov. 1860). No.14. Palace Valletta, Jan. 23rd.
1859. To Sir E. Bulwer Lytton from Sir G. Le Marchant. pgs. 407-409.
meagre return. Moreover the Maltese had little confidence in foreign investment. Building
leases had developed as a major resource in Malta’s economy. As the demand for building
space had risen especially within the Valletta Fortification the value rose proportionately in
value. The flow of capital especially during wartime would remain unemployed if there was
no opportunity for local investment. The building of houses and mezzanini in Valletta would
not only improve the Public Revenue and raise the value of Government property but will
also create an “additional boon of extending house accommodation which is in most urgent
demand”.1 This urgent demand for investment in building had to be regulated by the local
Government to assure the interests of the population. If the land fell “into the hands of
speculators” the poor classes would not receive any benefit out of the housing exercise.2
Although most of the housing projects during the period were designed to shift the
population outside Valletta still had a significant number of common dwelling houses
(rookeries) which kept the density of the city high. The Manderaggio was one of the worst in
the 1880s it was calculated that 2,544 persons inhabited in 2.56 acres. No wonder Mr.
Plimsoll a British Parliamentarian, was shocked by the living conditions of the inhabitants of
the Manderaggio in Valletta. He published a pamphlet which created further pressure on the
Cholera Committee and Governor to start housing projects.3 Housing projects for Valletta
and slum clearance which started during Victorian times were to mark the re-development of
Valletta to date.

4.2 “Art Nouveau” Planning – The 1920s

In the early twentieth century the pressures of overpopulation were still being felt by the
Colonial administration. A Master Plan for the area outside Valletta and the Crownworks and
Hornworks at Marsa was commissioned. The designs by Major James Galizia, F. Bonavia
and R. Castillo are extensive. Although the plan was never adopted it reflects the exigencies
of the time. It also gives an early warning signal of which the parts of Valletta are contentious
in the redevelopment of the city.4
The Galizia-Bonavia-Castillo plan or the “Concorso per un piano regolatore nel Isola di
Malta” tackles accessibility to the city and the pressing housing problems. The extensive
project divided into 18 parts comprises detailed drawings, plans, elevations and sections of
the various parts of the area. It opens up Valletta and Floriana and creates easier access
with axial connectivity puncturing the walls for vehicular traffic. The double main gate of
Valletta is freestanding and turned monument. The area outside the walls of Valletta is
designed for mixed uses; government offices, tourist and cultural venues with a newly
designed law courts, a museum, 2 hotels and garden villas or high class dwellings abitazioni
signorili. On the glacis outside Portes des Bombes and in the Crown and Horn Works area
the more commercial and industrial uses are located. The plans include a shopping centre,
more garden dwellings and near the industrial zone workers dwellings zona operaia with a
bank and a market.

1
NAR, Dispatches from Secretary of State (Nov. 1855 - Dec. 1860) No.135. Palace Valletta, 17th.
Sept. 1858. To E. Bulwer Lytton from Le Marchant. pgs. 342-343.
2
NAR, Dispatches from Secretary of State. No.54. (1857) No.215 War Office, 8th. June 1857.
3
NAR, Dispatches from Secretary of State 76 (Jan. - Dec. 1879) Malta 187, 21 May 1879.
4
J.Galizia, F. Bonavia and R. Castillo, Concorso per un piano regolatore nel Isola di Malta, Malta
1925.
 Plate 5: Master plan of Valletta and Floriana by Galizia-Bonavia-Castillo (1925).

This project reveals the problems Valletta would face in the post war epoch. The idea of
accessibility, of vehicular traffic and of tackling a large commuting population is tangible. This
had already been a problem in the 1860s when the first project of the doubling of gates in
Valletta and the Three cities was developed. The problem of housing within close proximity
of Valletta is also an issue. The idea of a garden town is not new (the British had already
proposed one for the Marsa area in the late nineteenth century) and it tends to attenuate the
use of space for housing by proposing landscaping. The project was not commissioned
perhaps because it interfered too much with the fortifications and security issues.1

4.3 Harrison and Hubbard – Planning for the blitzed Harbour area 1945
One can safely say that Harrison and Hubbard’s report for the planning and
reconstruction of Valletta after the second World War has been very cautious in preserving
the planning of Valletta and what was left of its texture and fabric. There is already a
“conservationist” approach in 1945 when dealing with the ancient monuments and assets
which make up the city. The proposals are guided by two principal considerations: “The first
is that the damage which the City has suffered through enemy action is not, in itself, such as
to warrant a scheme of radical planning. The second is that…every care should be taken to
conserve the unique character of what remains of the City of the Order.” The problem was
and still is today “to modify a City to serve the simple needs off the sixteenth century so that
it may satisfactorily serve the complex needs of today.”2
Valletta was least destroyed by enemy action when compared to the other cities in the
Harbour area and Floriana. However there were three substantial damaged areas “North of
the Church of St. John, the second between the Cavaliers; and the third, on either side of St.
Christopher Street, where it descends to Grand Harbour.” Still the proposal earmarked 16
sites; which were catagorized and subdivided: 9 were affected by war damage, 6
obsolescent and 5 undamaged. Slum areas crop up once more and 6 out of the areas
proposed are earmarked for demolition or amelioration. These were the “Manderaggio”, the
“Cavalier”, the “Ghetto”, “St. Lazarus”, “St. Anthony” and “the Arsenal”. The Director of Health
had delineated 11 acres of Valletta as “condemned”.

1
Malcolm Borg, Urbanisation in Colonial Malta (1800-1901), Doctoral Research, University of Leeds
1999.
2
Austen St. B. Harrison and R. Pearce Hubbard, Valletta – A Report accompanying the Outline Plan
for the Region of Valletta and the Three Cities, Valletta (1945), pg.64
 The other areas indicated for redesign were Kingsgate and the Opera House site and
St. John’s Cathedral and square. Unfortunately for the latter the square did destroy the idea
of surprise and visual impact. For Kingsgate Harrison and Hubbard were more sensitive then
their predecessors and possibly by successive redevelopment projects. With regards to
Kingsgate or the Main gate it is interesting to point out the clarity of judgement in retaining it
“If we are opposed categorically to any such suggestion, it is not because we regard the
Gate itself as sacrosanct, but because we are convinced that so important a breach in the
enceinte of Valletta will, in the long run, lead inevitably to the destruction of the character of
the city as a whole. We recommend on the contrary, that Kingsgate should be closed to all
wheel-traffic.”1 The slum in the area was recommended for clearance and the formation a
public open space. The open space was symmetrically disposed and not as one finds today
onto one side only. Direct connectivity and the visual connection with Kingsway (today
Republic Street) was thus assured in the Harrison and Hubbard proposal. Although the
Opera House remains were earmarked for total demolition and a “building better adapted to
contemporary needs” was contemplated the planners follow the indications of those
consulted. The opinions were unanimous for its resuscitation.2

Plate 6: Harrison and Hubbard – Proposal for Kingsgate (Maingate) Area (1945).

4.4 The 20th Century - rehabilitation, social housing and contended sites
In the post independence epoch (post-1964) successive governments sought to create a
social balance. One of the most popular political issues was social housing which both local
parties supported and enacted. Valletta was affected because this epoch saw the build-up
and mushrooming of social housing in most of the areas earmarked by the Harrison and
Hubbard report; the Cavalier slum, the Arsenal slum and the St. Lazarus slum. All these were

1
Ibid. pg.67
2
Ibid. pg.71
cleared and substituted by new social housing until recently. Other areas were affected next
to the Arsenal slum and the Camarata. Others who were not allotted a place in Valletta were
given an apartment or house in the new estates round the outer harbour area, in the north
harbours area or other more remote housing estates. This limited and eradicated social
problems to a certain extent but created new ones. Today Valletta suffers from an ageing
population with 35% of the population over 60.1 It also risks to lose its intangible heritage;
the festa parochial competition, the carnival culture which is most strongly felt in the area
near St. Elmo or the football fever. The latter may create debate whether culture or not but all
of these elements create group identity and a sense of belonging which should be exploited
to attract people back to the vacant dwellings.

Plate 7: Valletta Social Housing Blocks in the background with traditional timber balconies
(1990).

The work on rehabilitation rose exponentially from 1987 onwards with the establishment
of the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee VRC. The Committee was set up “with the purpose
of studying the best way to revitalise Valletta, conserve and restore its building fabric, and
generally improve its environment”.2 In 1989 the Valletta Rehabilitation Project was set up, it
“had its own professional staff, to prepare projects, undertake direct projects or to supervise
work done through contracts”.3 The localised project under an executive coordinator proved
vital because it was acting at source and directing funds at critical areas. From 1992 the
project undertook 50 major restoration and conservation projects, these include the design of
briefs and environment improvement works. Amongst the major projects there are briefs for
the National Arts Centre which included the Opera House site (1990-1996) and the design
for a new city entrance in 1989.4 The Renzo Piano proposals “for a new City Entrance
aroused a very heated debate which is still going on”.5

1
According to 1994 statistics in the Grand Harbour Local Plan - Approved Plan, Planning Authority
(1998), pg.13.
2
Ray Bondin, The Rehabilitation’s Project Office within the Ministry of the Environment, Valletta June
2001.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
5
Ibid.
 Plate 8: Renzo Piano’s Project for Main Entrance of Valletta (1986).

From 1945 the Main Gate and Opera House area remains a contended site. Nothing
was built instead of the Opera House or not a part restored. Today it lies in ruins and used
pragmatically as a temporary car-parking area. The Harrison and Hubbard proposal for
retaining the gate was dismissed. Instead a broad and high main gate supporting an over-
pass to connect a circular road was designed. The Italian neo-fascist design unfortunately
was not completed and was re-interpreted. It seems that both administration and the local
population were never satisfied with the project and considered temporary.1 For over half a
century this area in Valletta remains a contended site. But why? Is it a case of lack of funding
or is it cultural conflict? It is difficult to conceive how even though German Prisoners of War
offered assistance in re-building - restoration never happened. It maybe an anti-colonialist
sentiment which survived through the years – a post-colonial trauma. Malta as independent
country is still young with only 37 years experience. Anti-colonialist sentiment may still exist.
According to the general feeling which came out of the heated debate with regards the Opera
House site and the Gate the popular sentiment is similar to what Harrison and Hubbard
reported in 1945; the Opera House should be restored and the Gate retained. This is why
Renzo Piano’s project (1986)2 for the demolition of the gate and the construction of a light
weight bridge was never accepted and remained on the drawing board. Richard England’s
Master Plan (1999) incorporating the Renzo Piano project and the new bus terminal also
raised criticism. Today housing in Valletta and access into the City remain a crucial problem
in planning and conserving.3

1
Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna – The National Heritage Foundation has commissioned a survey which
shows that 80% of the Maltese are in favour of the rebuilding of Kingsgate and the Opera House.
2
Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani, Renzo Piano – Progetti e architetture 1987-1994, Electa 1994. Pg.66
3
Borg Malcolm and Joe Magro Conti (March 2000), Draft Urban Conservation Topic Paper,
Planning Authority (Media Review Section).
 Plate 9: Model of Richard England’s proposal for the bus terminal integrated with Renzo Piano’s
proposal (1999).

5. Conservation and Valletta’s Future

5.1 Are Valletta’s assets protected?

Valletta has the highest level of protection and value since it has been designated a
World Heritage City in 1980. There are various levels of protection for Valletta. Most of the
buildings and monuments are listed by the Antiquities (Protection) Act Cap 25. Subsequent
legislation has considered the importance of the various elements in Valletta. Through the
Development Planning Act (1992) Valletta was designated an Urban Conservation Area
(1995) and through UCO 4 all buildings have blanket protection. An important step in
conserving important elements was taken in (1995) with the scheduling of shop-fronts.1
Lately as part of the recent exercise for the submission of the Harbour Fortifications as a
World Heritage Site (submission date 1998) these were scheduled and the area declared
Area of High Landscape Value.2

5.2 More Networking

The success of plans for Valletta depends on the effort that brings together the various
bodies, organizations and institutions directly involved in the management of the City’s
resources. The main entities concerned here include; The Valletta Rehabilitation Committee,
The Planning Authority, The Valletta Local Council, Works Division and Restoration Unit,
ICOMOS (Malta), Lands Department, Housing Authority, The Malta Tourism Authority,
Museums Department.
It is, therefore, proposed that a database holding information relating to Valletta should
be created and updated by regular monitoring of the condition and use. This database will be
shared by all entities mentioned to monitor all types of activities in Valletta, including
commercial activities in order to assess the various effects these are having on the character
of the City and its residents.
The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers meeting in March 1998 signed a
recommendation on "Measures to promote the Integrated Conservation of Historic
Complexes." From then on integrated conservation became the tool to approach

1
Government Gazzette Notice 235/95.
2
Designated as per Government Gazzette Notice 133/2001.
conservation holistically. With this document important moveable and immovable historic
heritage was put into a context and the assets considered as a complex. This idea of
complex heritage systems also has a pan-European dimension. A further development which
occurred because of the introduction of this element is an integration of tools. On a legislative
and administrative level European States are asked to cooperate not only in the state but
also on an interstate level. The latest survey commissioned by the Council of Europe on
Heritage systems in Europe calls for more networking and cooperation between the various
departments and entities.
Valletta is definitely part of a complex and therefore has to be seen and managed in the
context of the global and European dimension as a reference in the development of fortified
cities in a cross-cultural environment.
The latest examples of Conservation Orders issued by the Planning Authority for the
rehabilitation and restoration of scheduled sites have been devised to respond to this
integrated approach and to make conservation more sustainable. It is important therefore to
promote these two guiding principles even in the implementation of a management or master
plans for Valletta. Therefore the need to establish a multi-disciplinary team of
conservationists responds to both criteria. The implementation of an integrated approach is
also sustainable because of the sharing of extant resources. This means lower cost projects
and lower funds necessary for the future. The very recent history of conservation locally has
seen the development of a number of entities working to promote conservation. These have
never worked in unison or it is only very recently that there were attempts of cooperation
between Museums Department, Restoration Unit and Planning Authority. But after the 90s
there was a surge in Government entities responsible for Conservation principally through
the evolution of two main legislations The Environment Protection Act and The Development
Planning Act. This state of affairs made Government officials more conscious of the need to
legislate and enforce but left them disarmed in an environment which was highly bureaucratic
and therefore slow and inefficient and also political and competitive rather then apolitical and
based on cooperation and support.
Although there must not be too much of a negative aura round the idea of competition in
conservation cooperation is highly important because of the great need of resources both
financial/economic and human. Local this should be greatly emphasised because the Islands
resources are limited further by size and therefore there should be an effort geared at
promoting intrerdisciplinary approaches and sharing of resources. The suggestion of the
Council of Europe to create more networking between entities should be carefully endorsed.
Does this mean a drive for centralization of resources? The history of conservation practice
in Europe gives us lessons which may be applied locally which involve both centralisation
and decentralisation in the sphere of Conservation.

5.3 Main Areas of Focus

The contended areas for Valletta remain however accessibility for a commuting
population and the rehabilitation of housing stock to attract a resident population. One
supports in this case grant schemes like the timber balconies scheme launched jointly earlier
this year by the Planning Authority and the Valletta Rehabilitation Project. There has been
also policy generated for the “Encouragement of residential use”1 and support from all
entities should be given. The use of a Heritage Management System as the one formed
recently for Mdina (2001) should give a clear picture of the situation on ground and provide
the groundwork for the proper management of housing stock. The other main issue which
needs immediate attention is “Maintaining and improving access to the city, but seeking to
minimise growth in peak hour traffic flows.”2 This must tie with the “Connections”3 project

1
Grand Harbour Local Plan - Approved Plan, Planning Authority (1998), pg. 16
2
Ibid.
3
Steering Committee, Connections, A project to facilitate pedestrian flows and transportations, August
1998.
which seeks to regenerate access through water transportation and may in the long term
minimise vehicular traffic. The rehabilitation of the Main Gate area keeping in mind
conservation and heritage values is a priority and will determine whether Valletta will regain
its vitality and life.

6. Bionote

Malcolm Borg is a Senior Planning Officer at the Planning Authority and is responsible
for scheduling and listing databases. He has been involved in Conservation both as a
Planning Authority Official and as a Councillor. Was involved in compiling the UNESCO
Tentative List for Malta. Last year won a scholarship in Heritage Management (La Sapienza
Rome and Istituto di Ricerca Turin) sponsored by the European Union. His research studies
focused on the history of architecture during the Colonial period (Masters Degree). His
doctoral research deals with the same period and analyses urban Development and planning
during British occupation. He is a member of ICOMOS (Malta).

7. Bibliography

[1] Bondin Ray, Valletta June 2001, The Rehabilitation’s Project Office within the
Ministry of the Environment.
[2] Borg Malcolm (June 1999), The way forward for the cultural heritage sector -
Integrated Conservation - Development Planning Issues and Cooperation, National
Conference on Heritage Issues organized by the Museums Department.
[3] Borg Malcolm (March 1999), Protecting the Cultural and Natural Heritage of the
World, International Conference on World Heritage Sites Tokyo (Japan).
[4] Borg Malcolm and Joe Magro Conti (March 2000), Draft Urban Conservation Topic
Paper, Planning Authority (Media Review Section).
[5] Borg Malcolm (September 2000), Technology as a means of Networking – GIS and
Conservation, Joint Seminar Museums Department and Planning Authority.
[6] Borg Malcolm, Urbanisation in Colonial Malta (1800-1901) University of Leeds
(1999) Doctoral Research (unpublished).
[7] Bugeja Lino, Buhagiar M., Fiorini S. (edit) Malta University Services Ltd. (1993),,
Birgu – A Maltese maritime city.
[8] Dyos H.J. and Wolff Michael(Edited) . London (1973), The Victorian City - Images
and Realities, Vol. 1. Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd. Donald J. Olsen - House upon
House - Estate development in London and Sheffield.
[9] Fiorini Stanley, Demographic Growth and Urbanisation
[10] Formosa Saviour, Census 1995 at http://members.nbci.com/Saverius/
[11] Harrison, Austen St. B. and Pearce Hubbard R., Valletta – A Report accompanying
the Outline
[12] Hughes Quentin, London Alec Tiranti (1967), The Building of Malta (1530-1795).
[13] Magnago Lampugnani Vittorio, Renzo Piano, Electa (1994) – Progetti e architetture
1987-1994.
[14] Planning Authority, Grand Harbour Local Plan,(1998) - Approved Plan.
[15] Steering Committee (August 1998), Connections, A project to facilitate pedestrian
flows and transportations.