Parks Malta has kickstarted a drive to rehabilitate open spaces within the communities. Under the direction of Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli, Parks Malta is strengthening its collaboration with local councils to help urban communities develop green lungs.
Announcing the new collaboration between Parks Malta and the San Ġwann local council, Minister Dalli said that the regeneration entity will be directly assisting the local council in the transformation and maintenance of the identified area in Triq ir-Rand, which is currently neglected.
“Open spaces in urban areas provide a green lung to the locality and a hangout spot for the residents, to read, to study, to listen to music or to simply take a break from the daily rush. The idea that we want to push through our work, and with the collaboration of local councils, is that open spaces can also be found inside the localities,” Minister Dalli said.
Minister Dalli explained that the San Ġwann project is one example of what Parks Malta intends to do, based on the needs as expressed by local councils and the community.
The concept behind such regeneration projects is to increase small to medium open spaces in urban areas throughout Maltese localities for the benefit of the public. The area identified in San Ġwann will include benches, trees, a fishpond and a variety of herbs to provide an aesthetically pleasing recreational space. The chosen plants are ideal for the Maltese climate as they are easier to grow and maintain.
San Ġwann Mayor Trevor Fenech described the soon-to-be new open space as yet another example of the positive collaboration that exists between the Parks Malta and the local council for the benefit of the residents. A previous project saw the planting of 5,000 trees and shrubs around the neighbourhood of San Ġwann.
“I thank Minister Dalli and Parks Malta for their constant help and support in pursuing the beautification and cleanliness of San Ġwann, as well as striving to create additional open spaces for the benefit of our residents,” the Mayor said.
On his part, Parks Malta Director Adrian Attard said: “Through such collaborations, Parks Malta is conveying the vision to increase open spaces throughout our localities. We are committed to assist local councils in the regeneration of open spaces in order to give residents better recreational opportunities.”
