Our commitment to a greener tomorrow | Steve Ellul

Project Green was unveiled in January 2023, an initiative fulfilling an electoral pledge. Our aim was to enhance people's quality of life by creating open spaces where they could relax and enjoy time with their families. Our primary objective has always been to provide accessible open spaces for people, situated within 10 minutes of their residences.

This approach ensures children and the elderly have convenient access to open areas, while also reducing reliance on cars.

Over the past year, we have made significant progress in environmental regeneration. We successfully opened and revitalised over 40,000sq.m of green spaces across Malta, with special attention given to urbanised areas.

Accessibility has been a crucial consideration for our agency. When designing our projects, we prioritise making these open spaces inclusive, even for individuals using wheelchairs and pushchairs, ensuring that everyone, including families with small children, can enjoy these spaces.

The largest park in the south

In the initial months of our operation, we transformed a 17,000sq.m area into the largest park in the south of Malta, located in Bengħajsa. Instead of having an area with 4,000 Freeport containers, our agency replaced it with 4,000 new trees and shrubs, significantly improving the environment for the residents of Birżebbuġa and the surrounding areas.

This park features new obstacle games designed for young children to play in a natural environment.

These games, constructed entirely from sustainable materials, complement the surrounding natural environment, providing a unique experience for children.

Recognising that many families have pets, we also established a dog park within the Ġawhar picnic area in Ħal Safi, offering a safe space for furry companions.

Prioritising youth

Our agency strives to engage young people by providing them with spaces dedicated just for them. The Green Open Campus, located near the Mosta MCAST campus in Millbrae Grove, is the first of its kind in Malta, equipped with charging stations and open WiFi to facilitate studying and work.

To address the physical and mental health of young people, we opened the first public obstacle course in Malta at San Klement Park in Żabbar. Spanning 2,700sq.m, this open space features 10 different obstacles designed for sports enthusiasts aged 13 and over.

In our mission for a better environment and to mitigate the risk of flooding in Malta's urban and rural areas, we took significant steps to strengthen the ecological balance of the country's vital valleys. Throughout the year, our efforts focused on removing discarded waste, eliminating invasive species, and clearing excess sediment from various valleys.

In several projects, we ensured to include salient features promoting renewable energy with solar powered lighting, kinetic foot paths and even a small wind turbine in the form of a tree. The concept of a zero-emission space was firstly introduced in Rinella Garden and will be extended to Xewkija in Gozo.

In the first quarter of 2023, we unveiled the Community Greening Grant, the largest environmental scheme ever implemented in Malta. With a €10 million investment, the government allocated 80,000sq.m of land across approximately 16 different localities for public enjoyment. The Community Greening Grant has also catered for better water management systems to ensure the open spaces are sustainable in the long run as well.

The criteria in the application process were drafted in a manner to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to the surrounding areas in cases of flooding whilst systems were designed to ensure the garden is maintained throughout the year, naturally.

What's next?

Through extensive consultations with residents, enterprises, organisations, and local councils, we aim to ensure that projects like those in Vjal ir-Rihan in San Gwann and Bormla, near the AUM, address the needs of the people.

Progress has been made in relation to these projects, but more is yet to come in the coming year with the start of works.

European funds will breathe new life into over 135,000sq.m of open spaces in Fgura, Bormla, Baħar ic-Ċagħaq, and Birżebbuġa, creating the largest open space in the south of Malta with the Fgura District Park and the Cottonera Garden project, which is twice the size of the Ta’ Qali Family Park.

All these projects, which have been launched this year will be developed in tandem with newly identified sites which are currently in Development Zones that can be turned into green open spaces.

This is a step forward in the right direction, in which government is showing its commitment to a better environment.

Project Green provides for a holistic vision that considers the needs of today's and tomorrow's society, firmly believing that open spaces are not merely areas but opportunities to enhance people's quality of life.