Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1057934
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 DECEMBER 2018 KARL AZZOPARDI FLORIANA councillor James Aaron Ellul has expressed frus- tration over the state of his town's historic granaries, the Knights-era storage for grain which now serve as one of Malta's main plazas for mass gatherings. But a bid by MaltaTo- day to search for the authority responsi- ble for the upkeep of the granaries proved futile, as one authority after the other passed the buck. The square has host- ed the largest national gatherings, with po- litical mass meetings, the Isle of MTV concert, and tenor Jo- seph Calleja's summer concert making this area the draw for thousands of people. But Ellul, a Nationalist coun- cillor, is insisting that appro- priate care required to preserve the Granaries is not being pro- vided, and that even govern- ment authorities were not tak- ing ownership of the historical site and that the square is yet to receive a damage assess- ment over its constant use as a mass meeting place. "This goes beyond politics. We need a collective effort which properly recognizes the place's national and historical importance," Ellul said Ellul said the local council's remit on the upkeep of the site was little to none. "We have minimal responsibility and even if we did have more re- sponsibility, we do not have the financial power to deliver on such a responsibil- ity." In fact MaltaTo- day attempted to contact various enti- ties to request what responsibility they had on the upkeep of the Granaries. An e-mail was sent to the Floriana Local Council inquir- ing about the jurisdiction of the granaries. No reply was re- ceived. Then this newspaper email Heritage Malta, which did not reply to the email sent. The Maltese Heritage Foundation referred MaltaToday to Herit- age Malta. The Superintendence for Cul- tural Heritage itself suggested that the newspaper contact the Lands Authority, which has itself not yet answered Mal- taToday's questions. And the spokesperson for the ministry for justice and culture, Etienne St John, has not yet replied to an email sent on 13 November Ellul said the legislation un- der which the Granaries falls is outdated and that permits for hosting mass gatherings there are issued for a paltry €11.65. Additionally, the coun- cil received no form of revenue from any of the events held in the square, except from kiosks or stalls installed around the area during events. "When you consider the potential income that could be gained from the events held in the square, we are receiving nothing from that," Ellul said, who thinks the commercialisation of square should allow the council some form of solid income to pro- vide proper maintenance and upkeep of the Granaries. In a proposition made by the councillor himself, Ellul has put forward the introduction of an insurance policy to pro- tect the Granaries from any damage during mass events. The funds gathered from the insurance policy payments would be used also to maintain the upkeep pf the Granaries. "Some of the granaries have NEWS Councillor says nobody ownership for damaged The square is yet to receive a damage assessment over its constant use as a mass meeting place Floriana councillor James Aaron Ellul