THE TELEGRAPH: Malta's citizens are up in arms over plans to rebuild the centre of their historic capital, which was bombed during World War Two.
It was built in the 16th century as a city fortress capable of withstanding attacks by marauding Ottoman Turks, but 500 years on a new battle is raging over the future of Valletta, Malta's historic capital.
A £90 million project envisages transforming the historic entrance to the World Heritage-listed city – a medieval gem which has remained little changed since it was built by the Knights of St John in the 1560s.
The avant-garde plan has been drawn up by world renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, who has worked on the Pompidou Centre in Paris and Berlin's Potsdamer Platz. It was given the green light last month by Malta's government and is due to be completed by 2012 but has sparked a ferocious row among the Mediterranean island's 400,000 inhabitants.
It entails building a brand new parliament building, tearing down the existing city gate and turning Valletta's ruined Royal Opera Theatre into an open-air performance space.
The theatre, constructed in 1866, was badly bombed by the Luftwaffe in the siege of Malta during the Second World War and has lain in ruins ever since.
The then British colony was collectively awarded the George Cross by King George VI in 1942 in recognition of its bravery and resistance to the German and Italian onslaught, which brought the island close to starvation and surrender. >>> Nick Squires in Valletta | Saaturday, May 08, 2010
