Mayor Anthony Abela, deputy mayor Joe Zammit and environment councillor Anthony Grech were all there to represent Gzira local council.
The council said it had organised the press conference to answer a number of queries and letters that had appeared in the local papers in recent weeks.
On 17 August, said the council, they had sent a letter to Midi CEO Benjamin Muscat requesting the consortium to re-open all the areas it had sealed off to the public.
The council said it requested a meeting with Midi, but the request had not been acknowledged. The council said that any property containing public walkways, which is passed by government to third parties, cannot be closed to the public.
According to the council, Midi denied it was restricting access to public areas, including a small bay.
“We will use all means possible to have Manoel Island open to the public, even if it means going to court,” said Mr Zammit. The council claims that Midi said it had restricted access to avoid people being injured during the construction of the
project and to stop vandals, squatters and people littering the area.
“The consortium has its own private guards on site, so it would be easy for them to control the situation. These guards watch the restricted areas and make sure no one enters,” said Mr Zammit.
Another problem area, said the councillors, was the Gzira public garden. “It’s a disgrace. It is a haven for male prostitutes. Men from Gzira will not even go down there because it is so bad.
“We cleaned up one day and found a full change of clothes – female clothes,” they said.
The councillors also said that the Gzira gardens were advertising on various websites as a meeting place for homosexuals.
“It is full of male prostitutes and just up the road, there are loads of female ones. We want more enforcement,” the councillors said. adding that the current state of affairs was an annoyance, and more, to Gzira
residents.
The local council is asking for a greater police presence and for various areas to be upgraded and embellished.