“Today is the first day of a fantastic project for families” – Prime Minister Robert Abela
Prime Minister Robert Abela, together with Minister for the Environment Miriam Dalli, launched a public consultation on the three national parks, inviting the public to share their ideas on the website, parksinmalta.mt .
At an activity at White Rocks, together with 80 children from three different colleges, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that today is the first day of a fantastic project for families through which we will, among others, give White Rocks back to the people. He explained that the Government wanted to begin consultation with children and young people who will be among those who will enjoy these beautiful open spaces and therefore we want to hear from them how these places should be transformed into national parks.
Dr Abela explained how in Malta we have more than two hundred open spaces. The country today has a strong economy that allows it to do everything possible so that even where there are obligations that were made in the past, the Government manages to give back to the people three places for families to enjoy with their loved ones. Here he mentioned the White Rocks, Manoel Island and Fort Campbell on which Prime Minister Robert Abela gave a political commitment that they be given back to the people.
Minister Miriam Dalli explained how, through tal-parksinmalta.mt , people are being invited to give their ideas on what they would like to see in these sites. “This public consultation is part of this Government’s plan to turn White Rocks, along with Manoel Island and Fort Campbell, into national parks. We believe that to truly give them back to the people, these parks must be designed according to the wishes of the people, of our children at the forefront”, said Minister Dalli.
The first public consultation activity was held at White Rocks, a 369,000 square metre site, which until recently was earmarked for economic development. The Government will be withdrawing the public call for the development of White Rocks, to instead turn it into a national park for the enjoyment of the people.
Among the ideas that the children presented to the Prime Minister this morning was that sports facilities such as a basketball court and a skatepark be created in the White Rocks National Park as well as places where traditional sports and games such as bocce and passiu are practiced. It was said that the National Park should include areas dedicated to children with autism and appropriate accessibility for persons with disabilities. Other students mentioned the need for White Rocks to have facilities for picnics and areas for domestic animals, with an emphasis on the conservation of natural flora and fauna and the protection of indigenous insects and plants, an agricultural project for the growth of fresh vegetables and cultural museums in existing buildings.
Through an ‘idea wall’, students from Santa Clara, Marija Reġina and San Nikola colleges had the opportunity to be the first individuals to share their aspirations for this park. They were given the chance to discover more about the place and imagine what could be done. This was thanks to a number of activities that Project Green organised specifically for them as part of the consultation process.
The public is invited to participate in this first phase of public consultation by visiting parksinmalta.mt .
