Environmentalist Astrid Vella has come out in defence of the Transport Ministry and Transport Malta after claims that up to 2,000 trees were destroyed in Kennedy Grove.

Speaking to The Malta Independent, Mrs Vella said the number of trees that were destroyed was actually six or seven, and insisted that this was inevitable.

“The first development plans for the area showed that some 60 to 70 trees were going to be uprooted. Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar immediately objected to this and the transport authority cooperated fully with us and replanned the whole area to incorporate the trees in the project.”

More than 60 of the trees, which form a unique canopy, were saved.

Mrs Vella said that the trees that had to be cut down could not be incorporated into the plans for safety reasons. “They tried to transplant them but they couldn’t as the roots had grown around the old water mains that lead to St Paul’s Bay. Even we had to concede that there was no other way around this problem. But we are happy that another sixty trees were saved through the good will of Transport Malta.”

The FAA coordinator said that claims that 2,000 Kennedy Grove tress had been destroyed was “ridiculous” since the number of trees in the popular picnic areas is much smaller. “The 2,000 figure includes trees and bushes planted all along the Coast Road from St Andrews to St Paul’s Bay, most of which have been replanted elsewhere.” Some of the uprooted trees were of the invasive acacia species.

The Transport Ministry last week also denied these reports and insisted that many of the non-invasive trees uprooted from along the Coast Road were replanted elsewhere. “Interventions on trees were carried out after consultation with TM and MEPA.”

The Ministry also noted that it is investing €300,000 on recreational facilities and embelishment in the Salini Park to make up for the inconvenience caused by the Coast Road project.