Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 February, 2023 at 2:17 pm by Andre Camilleri
“About 90% of San Ġwann residents will have access to an open space less than a 10 minute-walk from their homes.”
Steve Ellul, the CEO of Project Green, said this during a public consultation meeting with residents of this locality, about the Agency’s proposed Vjal ir-Rihan open space project. This was the second consultation initiative about the project this month, following an earlier meeting with commercial entities operating in the same area.
Project Green will continue discussing this project with different interested entities in the community, before finalising designs and presenting them to the authorities for the necessary permitting processes.
During this consultation meeting, Mr Ellul explained that this area of Vjal ir-Rihan currently includes an open space of 2,183 square metres. Through the proposed new green open space, Project Green will increase it threefold to 7,200 square metres. This project will also ensure that the two sides of San Gwann, which are currently separated by Vjal ir-Rihan, one of Malta’s busiest thoroughfares, are reconnected with safer, car-free pedestrian connections. This means that residents will no longer have to travel by car to enjoy a green open space close to their homes, less than a 10-minute walk away.
This open space is also being adapted to the social and cultural requirements of the residents living in San Gwann and the surrounding areas, with several new features such as a sensory garden, an aquatic garden, an amphitheatre, and a sustainable playground.
San Gwann Mayor, Trevor Fenech, stated that the local council has already unanimously approved the need for this project in the past, and is looking forward to working with Project Green in its implementation. This investment will be giving back to residents an open space in the heart of the community instead of a main road filled with cars and pollution. It will be creating a new green lung in the centre of San Gwann, improving quality of life for all residents in this locality.
During the consultation meeting, the residents presented different ideas, as the Project Green team answered their questions on the proposals and the eventual works required to create the new open space.
For more information about Project Green, follow the agency’s Facebook page – https://fb.me/projectgreenmt.
