Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar objects vehemently to the usurpation of the basement and part of the crypt of Casa Lanfreducci in order to extend the roofless theatre’s underground backstage facilities including dressing rooms, showers and toilets.
This basement is an extension of the crypt of the neighbouring Our Lady of Victories Church, the first structure built in Valletta. It was also the place where La Vallette was first buried, and to date Casa Lanfreducci’s basement still contains the remains of those who died at the time of the Great Siege as has been forensically established. Moreover, this space is embellished by a unique vaulting system and an ancient water drainage system which will be severely impacted by the works envisaged and which will change the character of this structure which dates back to the 16th century. It has become normal practice for developers – in this case the Government – to extend the footprint of an initial application by submitting subsequent applications. In this case, further to Planning Application PA/03521/09 (City gate, Parliament and Roofless Theatre) several other applications including PA 2815/10, PA 4101/10 and DNO 951/10 have been slipped in.
The Royal Opera House site was claimed to be too small for a proper theatre, and yet now it is being given backstage facilities beyond the huge space available under the Police Station in South Street. The irony of all this is that enormous backstage facilities are being created for a non-theatre.
Malta is literally flushing its history down the drain! No other country, civilized or not, would desecrate the memory of those who fought to keep Malta free.
