The Water Services Corporation (WSC) said Thursday it has issued a call for tenders for the regeneration of the Gżira Pumping Station and its surrounding grounds.

The works will be carried out in an environmentally friendly manner, preserving the site's historical and architectural character while upgrading it for continued operational use, the corporation said in a statement.

The pumping station is a scheduled Grade 1 Neo-Gothic building, constructed around 130 years ago to serve as the sewage pumping station for the region, and is recognised as part of Malta's industrial and architectural heritage.

The building will undergo restoration alongside interventions to improve the operational systems used by WSC, so that it retains its original utilitarian and infrastructural function.

The regeneration also extends to the surrounding site, which is currently underused. Plans include a public garden designed around the principle of biodiversity, part of the main building hosting the offices of the Gżira Local Council as an anchor for the local community, and the restoration of the site's existing concrete water tower, one of the few of its kind still standing.

Rainwater management, harvesting and reuse are built into the garden design, reflecting WSC's core water management function. The project is built on two pillars, operations and community, balancing the pumping station's role in Malta's water network with the creation of public space for residents.

The design has been developed by AP Valletta in collaboration with WSC. The pumping station is listed as a building of particular historical and architectural interest. The tender forms part of WSC's National Investment Plan, which will see more than €400 million invested in Malta's water infrastructure over the next decade.

"This project brings together the preservation of an important part of Malta's industrial and architectural heritage with the continued operational use of the site, while also creating a new public space for the local community," said Karl Cilia, CEO of the Water Services Corporation. The tender reflects WSC's commitment to safeguarding sites of heritage value within its estate. More information on the Gżira Pumping Station project can be found here: www.wsc.com.mt/gziraps.