AD warn against Valletta 'car invasion'

AD say that Piano's plans to build a public garden in the Valletta ditch should not be shelved in favour of a car park.

Alternattiva Demokrattika’s environment spokesman Ralph Cassar said that plans for a public garden in the Valletta ditch should not be shelved in favour of a car park.

“Valletta is accessible through public transport. If anything, public transport service should be improved,” Cassar said. “We should not facilitate the invasion of cars into Valletta”.

“If the garden, the most beautiful part of Piano’s project, isn’t built, then pepple will be denied open space in favour of cars’ smoke.”

AD leader Arnold Cassola compared these rumours with the news that a ‘small part’ of the Council of Europe garden in Ta’ Xbiex could be handed over to private operators for commercial reasons.

“It appears that this government is allergic to public gardens,” Cassola said. “In such a small country, the idea of open public spaces is still being kicked to the side.”

“Focus is entirely on the completion of the Parliament building at the moment,” a spokesperson for Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi had told MaltaToday. “Once parliament is operating from the new building, the focus will be turned to the ditch and other related projects.”