Outcry to save Gozo townhouse grows, but Cathedral Chapter says its needs should be considered as well

The public outcry to save a townhouse in Victoria has escalated, with more than 200 representations filed with the planning authority and an online petition getting at least 3,300 signatures.
“Tourists don’t come to see car parks. Look at alternatives for a car park. Let’s not become another Malta,” one objection reads.
“Do we have to park right beneath the Cathedral? Aren’t we capable of walking up to it? It is true that with money you can pave a road in the sea [bil-flus tagħmel triq fil-baħar]… and in Victoria, Nadur and anywhere you want?” another one read.

The house was built in the 1950s by Ġużè Damato, the same architect who designed the Xewkija and Paola parish churches and the MUSEUM headquarters at Blata l-Bajda.
It was sold to the Cathedral Chapter in 2003 and the Gozo Ministry recently filed an application with the Planning Authority to demolish the building and build a three-storey car park and a pedestrian walkway to the Citadel. 
Meanwhile, an online petition calling on the planning authority to stop the transformation of the townhouse into a car park has collected more than 3,000 signatures over two days.
One signatory to the petition noted that the parking lot...