IM dubs Cassola claims of new Burmarrad road ‘an outright lie’

Updated at 2:15 pm with Infrastructure Malta reaction

Infrastructure Malta has denied Independent candidate Arnold Cassola’s claims that the roads agency wants to build a new road from the St Paul’s Bay roundabout outside Burmarrad, crossing into the fields behind the Kiabi complex.

Cassola said an Infrastructure Malta whistleblower had revealed to him plans for a new road starting from the Erba’ Mwieżeb roundabout, going all the way behind Kiabi complex, and ending at Burmarrad football ground, next to Piscopo Gardens.

“The scheming CEO of Infrastructure Malta, Frederick Azzopardi, is preparing a nice surprise for Burmarrad residents... after the elections are over,” Cassola said. “Basically, this is another Central Link screw-up in miniature.”

Reacting to Cassola’s statement, Infrastructure Malta denied the allegations, calling it an “outright lie”.

“The agency states that since its establishment in 2018, it has never considered, designed or planned any new bypass road in Burmarrad and its surroundings, as alleged in Prof. Cassola’s statement,” it said. “The alleged road as described by Prof. Cassola does not feature in the area’s current local plan and no request or proposal for its planning or construction has ever been presented to Infrastructure Malta.”

Cassola said the new road would destroy fertile arable land and unspoilt countryside, that amount to various tumoli of agricultural land. “This part is also the only open space they have for some exercise in the fresh air. The area has already a very busy main road and the coast road. Residents do not need another road.”

Infrastructure Malta said the road, as describe by Cassola, “is not sustainable from a traffic management and an environmental point of view.”

“Had it actually been proposed to the agency, it would have turned it down outright,” it said.

The agency said that after the independent candidate’s statement, it researched past plans and identified a 1988 plan for Burmarrad in which a road similar to the one described was being considered by previous administrations.

“The indicated road did not subsequently feature in the 2006 North West Local Plan, confirming that this proposal dating back 33 years was dropped over a decade ago,” it said. “Cassola is basing his unfounded allegations on a 1988 proposal which never got off the ground.”