The government has denied allegations made by a section of the media that 2,000 trees are to be chopped down at Kennedy Grove to make way for a new road project.

The trees, the government said, which were chopped down are referred to as abruxelli which are spread along a 7.3 kilometre stretch and are not just at Kennedy Grove as was stated in the article, along with ‘invasive’ trees such as akacja which cannot be replanted.

Other trees which were uprooted were placed in other localities such as Pembroke, Marsaxlokk, Sta Venera, Dingli and Ta’ Qali while other rare species were given to local nurseries or placed at Argotti Gardens.

Worthy of note, the ministry said, is that a number of indigenous trees which will be planted instead of the ‘invasive’ ones will be much more than the indigenous trees which existed before the project got going.

The interventions were conducted after intense consultations between Transport Malta and Directorate of Mepa, the government said.

The government also highlighted that it would be investing no less than 300,000 euros in recreational facilities at Salini so as to compensate for the inconvenience caused as a result of the widening of the Coast Road.