The Swieqi Local Council has complained about the government depriving the residents of Swieqi from having more open spaces, the Nationalist Party said in a statement on Tuesday.

PN MPs Rebekah Borg, Bernice Bonello, and Stanley Zammit said that the community of Swieqi is facing a crisis when it comes to open spaces. The MPs said that there is a great need for investment aimed at the residents' enjoyment and that Swieqi lacks accessible environmental spaces where people can appreciate the natural environment.

They added that buildings in the locality have "increased drastically" over the years and that the need for spaces where the community can gather for social purposes and events is now greater than ever. "We need more open spaces in our country. Open spaces with a plan through which the whole community can enjoy," the MPs said.

The Opposition said that due to the lack of public land in Swieqi, the responsibility is on the government to come in and acquire land for the residents which can be used for "open, safe, and accessible spaces" for various community purposes.

The PN said that it is not realistic for the government to continue not intervening and expecting the owners of private land to regulate the imbalance between development and open spaces.

Borg, Bonello, and Zammit said that the "continuous and rapid increase in Swieqi's population is continuing to increase the urgency for investment in open spaces".

The MPs concluded that it should be a task handled by the government to "give particular importance to the genuine interest of the common good" through solid investment to ensure that every locality has properly planned open spaces.