Flowers bloom in Cottonera

The government invests almost Lm500,000 in a beautifully organised 55,000-metre-square open area in Cospicua. But the mayor and most of the councillors stay away. Just because of a spat over a name. A name!

In its derelict drug-ridden erstwhile self, this garden used to be called Cospicua Nursery. Now, marvellously made up, 55,000 square metres of pleasant well-structured recreational space for the whole region, it's called Cottonera Garden.

Rather than attending to show a modicum of appreciation to taxpayers and the government for investing so much in Cottonera, the mayor turns down the invitation, calls the press and tells journalists he disagrees with such names as Cottonera Sports Complex. He says his council contributed five per cent of the funds for the new garden, as if that money did not come from the national government and taxpayers' pockets as well.

Petty. Complaining about a gift. That's what it is. Personally, I am one of a few people who integrate a Cottonera side with a Sliema side, my mother having come from Cospicua. I have been photographing the area for decades now.

What is glaringly obvious in the photos is the recovery that Cottonera has been going through in the last two decades. People might get used to steady developments. But taking a snapshot of Cottonera now and comparing it with the same 20 or 25 years ago reveals a huge difference.

Cottonera was neglected. People were moving out fast. Cospicua's population dropped from 9,000 to 5,500 since the late 1960s. The three cities' combined population has declined from 18,000 to 11,500 in that time. This is no joke. That's a drop of 40 per cent, when the population of Malta was increasing by 30 per cent.

But things are getting better, with the distinct prospect of not only stopping that decline but also boosting the number of people living in this beautiful and historic area.

The government has taken the lead. Most importantly, the Vittoriosa waterfront is now shaping up to the elegant area it ought to be. Restoration works abound, not least the old bakery, now the Maritime Museum, but also Cospicua Gate, Zabbar Gate and many other historic buildings. Cospicua front has been opened up. The number one dock project should add momentum to a steadily improving zone. The Cottonera Sports Complex has been a major social investment. So was the Verdala secondary school.

These are the kind of services that should keep people in the area and attract outsiders. The Cottonera Garden was another piece of the jigsaw. But there's more. The yacht marina is enriching the area and will develop further to get much needed cash into Cottonera.

Top notch developments have been contributing to this as well. But not only at the higher end. Community services have improved the quality of life for long-standing Cottonera residents. Social housing and the home for the elderly can help maintain Cottonera as a living community, with deep roots and branching upwards.

The biggest thrust, creating work, is there to be seen as well.

SmartCity was specifically targeted by the government for Cottonera. There will be all kinds of work there, boosting economic growth and jobs in Malta and in Cottonera.

The government-led impetus in Cottonera has attracted the private sector as well. Young people who never dreamed of visiting Cottonera even occasionally, now do so frequently, for entertainment and more. And there is a perceptible amount of young Maltese couples moving into Cottonera.

The government is fully committed to Cottonera, and it shows. Yet the Labour-led Cospicua council was small-minded.

The government's commitment means that Cottonera is, finally, on the way to becoming the jewel it should be.

But Labour keeps showing the petty, mean attitude that was its mark in government when Cottonera was in a much worse state.

A degree of appreciation and gratitude would be too much to expect of Labour today, but Labour did not even make it to the minimum of at least not being mean and petty.