The size of the Ta' Qali national park is to double with the inclusion of 52,000sq.m. of derelict land - the size of 60 football grounds - that will be converted into a green space, the government said today.

The land in question used to house an abandoned concrete factory that was demolished by the Planning Authority.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today that the Ta’ Qali National Park will undergo an infrastructural and landscaping upgrade to turn it into one of the largest open spaces available to be enjoyed by the people.

“This area will be converted from one having an abandoned concrete factory which attracted illegal dumping and abuse, to one which will cater for the people’s wishes of having more green open spaces,” Muscat said.

The €20 millon upgrade will see the area nearly doubling its open space from 270,000sq.m. to 450,000sq.m.

The park’s area will be around one third of London’s Hyde Park, the Prime Minister said.

The government aims to also make use of pockets of land which had otherwise been inaccessible by people, in order to maximise the area’s usage.

The Malta National Park will be maintained by Ambjent Malta, whose personnel will be patrolling the park using electric cars.

A footpath leading to Chadwick Lakes will be built as part of the park’s nature trail, while the existing dog parks in the area will be made larger.

A new campsite will also be built, fulfilling another electoral promise, Muscat said.

Cycling and jogging trails will also be part of the project.

Environment Minister Jose Herrera said that despite the various sector’s criticism of the government's lack of environmental contribution, new projects continue to be put forward.

Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said that it is good to have a strong economy, but the country needs more clean and open spaces.

“For years, this site was only used for dumping, a fact that drew little attention from the people. However, this Government noticed and took action so that this site could be given back to the people, and we were not satisfied giving it back to them in the state it was in. To the contrary, like always, we saw how we could give added value to this site, how we could give the highest quality infrastructure to people who deserve it, how to achieve the maximum benefits from the space we have taken back,” Borg said.

 

He said that this space will incorporate several different concepts "because this is a Government that understands that everyone has different needs and desires, and such a large space can cater for a lot of these wishes".

“The Malta National Park is a place where our families will be able to spend an entire day, as they will experience one thing after the other in a tranquil place away from busy everyday life, a project towards more work-life balance, because we believe that Malta and the Maltese people deserve all that is good and positive. Today we are here because this Government wants to give Maltese people everything they deserve, because this Government cares about families, youths, the elderly, children. This is the Government that cares about the people’s quality of life. From 2017, as a Ministry, we will have given the people almost 70 new or improved open spaces and today we are announcing the largest one – a national open space to be enjoyed by everyone, where our diverse communities can come together and meet to enjoy our environment with facilities befitting the people of a leading country,” Minister Borg said.