The contribution of grant schemes towards the public understanding of cultural heritage in the Maltese context

Abstract

Considering the immediate take up of the grant scheme Irrestawra Darek combined with the recent public outcries about the ‘uglification’ of the urban environment, an objective of this long essay has been to discover whether the grant scheme has had an impact on the urban environment within the Urban Conservation Areas of the Maltese Islands. A secondary objective has been to assess any educational benefits the scheme might have had, in order to better understand the more intangible cultural value of the scheme. This research has been carried out by first analysing whether the grant scheme guidelines are at par with the policies. Following this, interviews have been carried out with architects and planners, some of which are beneficiaries of the grant scheme themselves. These interviewees have been chosen since they are directly involved in the process of the scheme and also because they are in direct contact with the beneficiaries of the grant schemes. The resultant outcomes, albeit being somewhat negative regarding the operational aspect of the scheme, are encouraging to the planners. To be noted is that the arising issues, being experienced by both architects and planners, have yielded common results when it comes to regulations, aesthetical improvements and educational benefits, despite each group having a different standpoint. In this regard, improvements to the grant scheme criteria, its processing and its educational benefits have been recommended. It has been concluded that a proactive way forward for the protection of cultural heritage, whether through grant schemes or otherwise, is through the participation of the public in well thought out and sufficiently funded Public-Private Partnerships.