Malta's honeycomb rocks are permeated by history at almost every turn, particularly in the waterfront areas in and around Valletta which have attracted friend and foe for hundreds of years. But like any fine timepiece that has not benefited from tender loving care throughout its life, they faltered and crumbled into a pale shadow of their former selves. As a result, their illustrious past came to a standstill.
If you took a walk through Manoel Island, which features an 18th century tortification built by the Order of StJohn, the Pinto stores at the Valletta waterfront that were built in the same century, or the Vittoriosa waterfront, which boasts a 16th century bakery and treasury house, you were more likely to notice the stray animals and their excrement than their architectural beauty. To make matters worse, the buildings were crumbling slowly but surely into oblivion due to the natural processes of sea erosion and human neglect.
Around the mid-1990s, as Malta sought to reposition itself as a tourist destination from sun and sea, to sun, sea and culture -the powers that be took the relatively easy decision to see what could be done to uncover these tarnished diamonds. Then it was up to the resourcefulness of private enterprise to do the more difficult job of polishing them. And, of course, make a bit of money at the same time.
The results have been dramatic. The historical areas of all the projects - Manoel Island is still a work in progress have been restored to a level that rivals anywhere in the world for its painstaking attention to detail. And the stray dogs have been replaced by people; thousands, who have embraced the facilities with the yearning and pleasure of a returning prodigal son. Restaurants, shops, museums and the allure of the water's edge have all helped to resurrect the once dilapidated sites
into vibrant living objects.
Of course, they have not all been to everyone's liking. The Tigne development, with its large residential blocks and tower, has been criticised by neighbouring residents as a nasty blot on what was once pristine landscape; while the development in the Three Cities area, which has sprouted a huge yacht marina as well as apartments, was the subject of heated debate for years. Though it has to be said that all this -aided by the security of Malta's property law and prevalence of the English language -hasn't stopped people buying them for hundreds of thousands of liri. Locals and visitors have been so desperate to get a foothold in their own little bit of Maltese history that the sky has been the limit so far as prices are concerned. Whether it's just a bit of Mediterranean speculation or a more prolonged trend of upmarket living, we will have to wait and see.
In general the Maltese are in favour of development if it involves the restoration of a historical site that would have otherwise crumbled to pieces, but there is an ongoing debate about the extent of building sites dotting the islands. The level of people's anger escalates when old, charming townhouses are knocked down to be replaced with concrete blocks. Some areas, such as Sliema, have been particularly prone to becoming a concrete jungle as is apparent on the town's seafront.
Greta Borg Carbott has lived in Sliema ever since she was little: 'Since I was born in the late 1970s, I have watched Sliema change as I grew up. I remember walking through streets of sun-lit terraced houses with my gran, chatting with neighbours at the grocer and sitting on flaking green benches on the seafront. At the time, most houses dated back to the late 19th century, so there was a strong art nouveau and Victorian influence on the architecture and street furniture. I loved the coloured wooden balconies, the high ceilings, carved stone and brass door knockers. It's been very hard for me to watch the destruction of so many streets I remember as a child -for me, it's a bit like living in a war zone and wondering what will be hit next.'
She worries that 'Sliema's character is being totally destroyed', but speaks positively on projects that bring to life dilapidated buildings 'I'm quite excited by new developments which involve the restoration of derelict sites.' And time was of the essence in these projects as the elements and utter neglect were reducing them to sorry sites. Thankfully, most would agree that the projects have been a major suc- cess. Although the developers have under- taken the projects as a business venture, the risk element cannot be underestimated as restoration comes at a much higher price tag than demolition.
Source Timeout 07