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Royal opera house project shelved

By Miriam Dunn

There may be a number of exciting capital projects in the pipeline, but the renovation of the bombed-out Royal Opera House in Valletta is not one of them.
In fact, it is now an open secret that the project to renovate the remains of the opera house has been put on hold indefinitely.
Speaking in an interview in last week’s issue of Sunday Circle, the minister responsible for capital projects, Francis Zammit Dimech, expressed his regret that the project looked as if it wasn’t going to get off the ground.
Asked to comment on some of his disappointments during his political career, Dr Zammit Dimech cited the fact that the renovation work hadn’t got underway, but added that he was philosophical about the government’s financial constraints.
"I would have liked to see the commencement of works on the rehabilitation of the old opera house site," he said. "But the present financial situation which is effectively addressing our problems means one has to prioritise with projects and identify what’s needed most within budget perameters.
"This means the project has to wait for some time and that’s a disappointment for me, since I had a dream to see both St James Cavalier and the opera house site restored to their glory."
The renowned architect Richard England had also questioned the length of time it was taking for the Royal Opera House project to get moving.
During an interview with this newspaper, he had cited the renovation project as one he was looking forward to embarking upon, although he admitted it seemed to be stalled.
"The project was approved by Cabinet a long time ago and a tender was issued to prospective developers," he said. "But I believe we’re waiting for the funding."
Prof. England said that he believed the restoration of the Royal Opera House would help give the nation’s capital a great boost.
"Yes, Valletta has many problems, such as vacant dwellings, the fact that it is an office more than a residential city," he admitted. "But the opera house could help by giving it a symbol of reawakening. And the best place to put that is at the entrance."