Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar welcomes Government’s purchase of Villa Guardamangia, Pieta. FAA has been calling for its restoration for over a decade, in line with Malta’s regulations protecting scheduled heritage buildings. The villa deserves to be restored not only for its historic value, being the only residence of Queen Elizabeth II outside of the UK, but also because of its architectural merit, set in a street that is being restored to its former grandeur. The sensitive restoration of this building will be an asset that adds to Malta’s touristic appeal and to Maltese cultural identity, as it will now be accessible to the Maltese public, bringing us in touch with our rich heritage.
FAA appeals to the Government to continue with such purchases; at a time of year-on-year budget surplusses the public would hugely welcome the buying back of historic public sites that were wrongfully sold to private interests. After two millenia of colonisation, it is time that the public is given access to its own land, rather than being newly-colonised by developers. Manoel Island is a case in point where, rather than a luxury commercial development which will increase toxic vehicle emissions in a highly polluted area, the public will be far better served if Manoel Island is turned into a health-giving green heritage park and open space from which all will benefit.
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