The Cottonera Bay under St Angelo - Give it back to the public!

THE RAPE OF BIRGU (Part 1).

If ever you thought that you knew anything about the fate of Birgu because you either read the papers, watched the news or visited just the customary mainstream area, you are gravely mistaken. Get off the beaten track and pass round to the not-so-shiny domains.

But, before you embark on any fact-mission of the city of Birgu , you may do well to have a view of the famous (or infamous?) Tigne Point development from the opposite Valletta waterfront or from over the waters, so you’ll know what this is all about and its true meaning! If you could imagine anything more calamitous, imagine the rape of Birgu!

To know the real truth hidden within, you must mingle with and talk and listen to the residents, especially the older generation who knew much better times when Birgu was still a place called a ‘home and town’. You do realise that they can tell you a thing or two as they have been long enough in the drink. However, you must act promptly as most local citizens are being dislodged and bought out by foreign settlers. You would be extremely lucky to find a young couple, offspring of the previous generation, who were fortunate enough to acquire a residence in their father’s hometown! What’s the use to the local residents of Birgu of embellishing a part of their city and then hawking it all to commercial manipulation and to foreign ownership?
Is this what the people of Birgu really want?

The Waterfront
Starting off with the ‘renowned’ but totally misplaced Yacht Marina! Whoever thought and authorised the project must have had a severe lack of any appreciation for Heritage Towns. How could anyone mingle a modern Marina with a renowned historical city. Have you ever viewed and noted the historical waterfront of Birgu from either Valletta side or better-still from the neighbouring Senglea waterfront? What a pity! All you now see is a forest of poles, shrouding out its entire aesthetic heritage and the beautiful facades (that are now being continually eroded), leading off from the renowned Bakery right up to the fortifications of Fort St. Angelo. Once the pride and recreation ground for locals, (at least it gave them some breathing space) it has become a zone for constant private commercial scrambles with total disregard to any inconveniences to the residents or any respect to all historical heritages.

It was thought that following the departure of the British Forces from Malta , the Birgu waterfront would once again revert to the benefit of the locals and all. However, this high hope was short lived as speculators pounced on the opportunity of developing the area to their own ends. Don’t we remember all the squabbling between the two main political parties for covering up the excuse of giving this expanse to private development. Is further encroachment of public areas of Birgu in the pipeline? Wasn’t there enough?

One must also take into consideration the resulting setbacks and health hazards. The constant smelly stagnant water is no help neither, as evidently the need for dredging is earnestly calling, besides the regular monitoring that no waste matter is furtively and illegally disposed off in the water by resident crew members on berthed and moored vessels. Although this may not sound so alarming to visitors, it is definitely annoying and detrimental to the few locals who regularly frequent the area to try to enjoy a breath of fresh air especially during the hot summer months.

You will witness that the majority of the few strollers in and around the city, are not the Birgu people but outside visitors. The Birgu people are drifting away as their hometown has been taken from under their feet!

Stifling a City.
It is well known that the city of Birgu lacks any wide open spaces and most of the typically narrow streets fortunately end up facing the waters of the Grand Harbour. The residences on the western peripheral area of Birgu had the benefit of enjoying open views of the port and the blessing of marine air to mitigate the summer high temperatures. That is to be no more! The building of the Casino and now the looming construction of the Hotel are ensuring that the residences would be hemmed in and thus depraved of any light and air they have since, preciously enjoyed. The previously open and airy part of inner St. Lawrence street (you would know it, as it has been dug up for almost 6 years – yes years, no mistake there – and never resurfaced) is now being turned into a dark an airless alley, closed in by the towering height of the atrocious enclosing walls of the proposed hotel. Pity that, besides, this is also a regular passageway to all visitors going to lower from higher Fort St. Angelo or onwards to Victory Square. Anything to please speculation but nothing in consideration of the needs of the locals! Can one understand how for, obtaining a simple permit for any small commercial outlet one must first obtain the assent of the neighbouring residents, and for such a horrendous, distasteful and detrimental building no consultation with the residents was necessary? Was, at least, the blessing of the Council sought and granted?
The British colonisers, during their 200-year stay, treated the residents much better and were, at least, more considerate, besides respecting the environment immensely better than us today. They never dreamt of constructing (though they could have, as the residences gave onto their grounds overlooking all ongoing) such damaging and hurtful constructions thus blocking off all the residences to the detriment of the environment and the benefit of the residents.

Evidently, the city of Birgu does no longer belong to its residents but to open and unchecked speculation. Hopeless and helpless, the City is turning into a truly a free-for-all commercial scuffle. Government, political parties, Local Council and all relevant Authorities seem oblivious of all these goings-on or perhaps they are quite unconscious of the irreparable harm being done to a great historical City.

The Maltese citizens definitely deserve to be treated better and the citizens of Birgu no less!
(to be continued).

October, 2011
Joseph M. Cachia
Email: jmcachia@maltanet.net.
31, St. Lawrence Street
Vittoriosa
ID: 698736 (M).
Tel: 21807566 - 99866151.