Valletta’s colonial gem set to receive a total makeover

One of Malta’s few remaining specimens of Victorian-era cast iron structures, which has been neglected for decades at Valletta’s Old Market, will be saved from extinction if Mepa approves a restoration project.
Dating from the period of British colonial rule, the structure is part of what is popularly known as Is-suq tal-Belt – an iconic building in the heart of the capital that has seen better days.
The planning authority is today expected to give the go-ahead for a €7 million project in which supermarket chain Arkadia Co. Ltd will rehabilitate the site and restore its remaining parts.

The investor has been granted a 65-year lease by the government and will lease out commercial space to retail outlets and catering establishments.
The mid-19th century building was severely damaged during World War II when a third of it was destroyed by enemy action on April 7, 1942.
Repair works focused solely on the structural aspects, compromising the aesthetic qualities of the building, whose roof lost its elegant symmetry.
The project will involve the manual dismantling of various accretions of no historical value dating back to 1980s. The cast iron pillars supporting the structure will be...