VALLETTA: A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES

Anonymous, 29/12/2009 at 03:13
How true! Fr Saviour is much loved and has worked hard to gain the parishoners\' and others\' admiration. The Mangragg area and others similar in Valletta are no worse than any other old quarters on the island. Once inside some of the residences, you\'ll be surprised of their good level of furnishings and commodities, others are social cases and have to do with what they have. There are single and un-married parents, abandoned partners, unemployed, drug dependents, former inmates and an elderly population; which you\'ll find anywhere in any capital or major city. What irks me is that projects, some of which were just white elephants, are launched and aimed at the Valletta inner core, the traffic situation, the embellishment of streets, rehabilitating and refurbishing museums, palaces and other such fine buildings, but none or little consideration is given to the Valletta residents’ needs. A comment passed by a former resident who has been living overseas was”What’s the use of all these fine buildings being restored when you risk slipping or tripping on the bad and broken pavements? Where’s the maintenance?” The shop-owning community acts as if it owns Valletta and is its only occupant, the business class doesn’t lack behind but is more considerate, but the resident, who occupies and uses over two thirds of the city, is hardly included. The business and office crowds are only in Valletta from early morning to the time shops close in the evening, but the resident is there 24/7! Someone is always at home. Words like ‘regeneration’, ‘rehabilitation’, ‘upgrading’, etc. are fine on paper but what has really been done for the city folks? Most projects are directed at the city’s inner core or places like St. Elmo, the Biccerija, etc, but not at the residential areas. Or if they are, they’re not receiving the publicity as many of the recent projects such as the Bieb il-Belt-Parliament-Royal Opera House project, the Barracca Lift, St. George’s Square, the external restoration of various palaces and churches, etc. The most recent ‘acquisition’ has been St. George’s Square and part of Old Theatre Street. Valletta really needed it. It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s one of the regained open spaces that the city had stolen by the cars of those for whom we had voted for to ....? But what about other open spaces? Does Valletta have open play areas for its frustrated children, or are they mainly car parks or open air-cafes? Is there a public sports centre in Valletta other to the Salinos Ground where children and youths can practice a sport? Thank heaven that there are church and small groups who cater for young and old to a limited capacity. After all, Valletta also has a reasonably aged population. And why? The residential area in Valletta is divided into four ‘quarters’, and let’s leave any stigma behind! The Mandragg area overlooking Marsamxett Harbour and Sliema, containing a mixture of dwellings ranging from late 18th century to post war, modern apartments. The Due Balli, also mainly facing Sliema as well as Fort St. Elmo, which was highly regenerated between the 1970s and 90s with large modern apartment blocks and rehabilitated period housing. The Arcipiergu, to which the Camerata can be added and which is represented by a number of residential blocks from early to modern, located on the lower part of Valletta facing St. Elmo and the entrance to the Grand Harbour. The last quarter is a mixture of those living in the upper section of the city from the Hastings Gardens area to upper St. Paul Street and the Victoria Gate area. I also want to be realistic and there are still a number of low standard, if not squalid places all over, that are being lived in due to the very low rent being charged. Returning to the common problem facing buildings in Valletta, one can easily divide it in two sections; the ‘local cycle’ and the ‘outside migration’. The ‘local cycle’ is composed of the city’s residents who were born and bred there and when of age or married, choose to find a vacated residence to remain living on home grounds. Unfortunately, to do this, they have to wait till some elderly relative or person dies and their residence becomes vacant. If the property is government owned, the matter is not as difficult but if of privately owned then the price it will sell for is likely to be over and above of what the average middle class resident can afford. On the other hand, the ‘outside migration’ has the money and means to rehabilitate and develop either such places that aren’t afforded by the city locals or some other large premises or palazzo that has been closed and derelict for decades. These buildings are mainly converted into offices or large retail outlets with a good budget towards their repair and embellishment. So once again, we are seeing the locals being restricted in occupying and remaining in their home city, possibly even opting for an old and possibly sub-standard residence or to move out from Valletta as they’ve had enough of the situation, which in turn adds to the aging population and other conditions. Yet the big companies who buy and rehabilitate buildings in Valletta serve to resurrect old and dilapidated buildings to a new life and splendor. However, these buildings are only used in duration of office or shop hours and are ‘dead’ for some twelve hours a day. At the same time, certain staff will argue of their need to park their car within the city’s limits, which gives rise to another on-going problem; parking. The latest slogan is that business is bad because parking is restricted in Valletta. Come on! Make me laugh louder? The problem is the recession and the rising cost of living, especially water and electricity rsurcharges. Just look at the spending pattern this Christmas and you\'ll have your answer. It wasn\'t due to parking problems my friends! Another matter not being looked into is that many small local shops in residential areas are closing down. Fair enough, nearly everyone owns a car and nowhere is far in Malta. But that’s not a valid excuse. Valletta, like any other village centre has its local and corner shops; grocers, butchers, bazaars, etc. The rate in which they’re lately closing is alarming. Is it because they cannot compete with the new supermarkets opening around Malta? Is it because of certain taxes or rates that they have to pay? Or maybe because the margin of profit is not sustainable enough to run the business on a full-time basis? Crime is the same everywhere and Valletta has its own. One crime that greatly worries residents, especially the aged, are break-ins and robberies. The pattern varies but Valletta is scourged with certain periods when crimes of this genre rises to a peak. The targets are usually pensioners who are not at home or residents who live alone. Just about all of these victims do not have an alarm, as they’re either too old to manage one either financially or its operation. Although not the solution, but Valletta lacks foot patrols by the forces of law and order and there’s need to join the rest of the world by installing security CCTV, which actually functions! The list is never ending but another comment by residents and visitors alike is that there isn’t enough street cleaning in Valletta. Trash cans only exist within the inner core of the city. Yet skips are placed at certain focal points and become the dumping grounds of all unwanted materials. The ring road around Valletta requires more attention as other to what is generated by the busy traffic conditions, certain trash accumulates in corners and on dead flower beds on the sides of the road. The city has a number of Bring-In sites which are used by all, albeit some uncaring individuals who find them as a good excuse to dump bulky waste rather than phoning the excellent service made available by the Local Council. However, it is neither a good practice that when the Republic Street shops close, the many cardboard boxes and black garbage bags are collected in the same refuse truck which gives doubt whether any separation later occurs! Unfortunately, education amongst some of the residents is very lacking and is the major cause of concern. More has to be done to educate the residents. At the same time hardly anything is being dome for their pleas to be heard. The Valletta Local Council receives many reports and complaints but is not always possible to act, yet the people request replies from this office as it’s the place where they first made their approaches. The Local Council holds an annual meeting with residents, but is this enough? And how many residents bother to attend? But the better question would be ‘why don’t they bother to attend?’ Why do these meeting end up as an exchange of accusations and political slander? Is the Local Council doing enough? Does it have the means to perform the roles it was meant to perform? Is it giving regular feedback to the residents? And not just by a monthly flyer, many of which are not even read and disposed of, if not thrown out on the road by uncaring or spiteful individuals! By all means, these are ongoing problems facing any capital city or large town anywhere. As Valletta happens to be an old, walled and restricted city, the problem escalates even when considering its small size. However, the matter of regeneration, traffic control, safety and security and above all, especially the needs of the residents, are all to be studies on an equal footing. One is nothing without the other.