The Superintendent of Cultural Heritage must immediately make use of his powers to call on developer Paul Gauci to restore Villa St Ignatius to its original state, Partit Demokratiku said.
In a statement on Thursday, PD said the application to replace what remained of Villa St Ignatius with a square clarified the extent of the contempt that developer Mr Gauci was expressing towards Malta's heritage, its citizens, its laws and its authorities.
Since the partial demolition of Villa St Ignatius, any doubts as regarded the vast heritage value of Villa St Ignatius were cleared by the Sliema Heritage Society and other NGOs, which detailed the location's rich history beyond doubt, being one of the first buildings of note in Sliema.
The fact that buildings of great value failed to be protected in time or at all through the relevant mechanisms, such as scheduling or emergency conservation orders, proved that, if nothing else, Malta's authorities were completely failing in their obligations as laid down in the law.
The Cultural Heritage Act made it clear that the Maltese state was failing in its obligations.
One of the problems which PD shall seek to raise awareness about and rectify was that laws which were designed to protect heritage and environment were currently merely guidelines, and were written so as not to be of use in a court of law.
Therefore, it is PD’s intention to make the relevant article of the Constitution and other relevant legislation count, so that the government, through the Planning Authority, may be taken to court over its gross negligence and questionable priorities.
The Cultural Heritage Act states: "Every citizen of Malta as well as every person present in Malta shall have the duty of protecting the cultural heritage as well as the right to benefit from this cultural heritage through learning and enjoyment. The cultural heritage is an asset of irreplaceable spiritual, cultural, social and economic value, and its protection and promotion are indispensable for a balanced and complete life."
It also states that: "The protection, promotion and accessibility of the cultural
heritage shall be given very high priority in deciding public policy in all fields of activity in Malta."