Through an expenmditure of €350,000, a regeneration project at Pjazza Indipendenza in Valletta has been completed. Works were carried out by the Grand Harbor Regeneration Corporation (GHRC) as part of the Marsamxett regeneration project, partly co-financed by European funds. This was announced by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure, and Capital Projects, Aaron Farrugia, and the Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds, Chris Bonett, in the presence of Valletta Mayor Alfred Zammit and the rest of the local council.

“Independence Square is an architectural space and a culturally significant area, with the Auberge d’Aragon on one side and St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral on the other. For this reason, the works carried out by the GHRC in this area left important results that revived this historic square. A square that previously served as a parking area, with vehicles parked around the monument dedicated to Dun Mikiel Xerri, has now been pedestrianised through a decision taken by the Valletta Local Council. In the coming weeks, the GHRC will be concluding more work in this area of the capital. This work, together with others that have been carried out in recent years, has regenerated and given a new look to this entire area of the capital, Minister Farrugia said.

The project included:

• The reconstruction of all the necessary services, including new lighting and water services that were passed underground.

• New charging pillars for five electric vehicles.

• Around 1,300 square meters of new pavements with lava material respect the architectural heritage of the square and that of West Street, adjacent to the square. This complements the restoration of the Auberge d’Aragon, the Blata area, and the Carmelite convent.

• Other elements, such as the telephone and old letter boxes, have also been restored to maintain the square’s original characteristics.

Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett said that the regeneration of Independence Square is part of the ERDF.06.996 project, which has more than €19 million of European funds specifically allocated for the regeneration of the lower part of Valletta. “We have seen how such projects are helping to coordinate different actions to improve Malta’s sustainable development, particularly that of the lower part of Valletta, while simultaneously improving the quality of services offered to the local community," concluded Dr Bonett.

For his part, GHRC CEO Gino Cauchi said, “As an entity, we are looking forward to continuing to give rise to other projects in various localities in line with the government’s vision to create more open spaces and give back areas to the public in a suitable state, in and around the Grand Harbour and Valletta.”