Civic Centre to be built in Swieqi

P Borg

Oct 26th 2011, 10:53

i was present during the consultation meeting held a few weeks ago... i fully support the project and hope to see it materialise in a few months time..

Ray Muscat

Oct 26th 2011, 09:34

It is good to know that the Swieqi local council exists!!!! If the government had to organise an award for the worst local council on the islands with no doubt this council will take the award year after year. I have been living in swieqi for these last 20 years and i have never seen any improvement in the area. On the contrary when i moved in swieqi i thought that it was a beautiful spot to live in since it used to be very tranquil. Unfortunately by time thanks to our beloved MEPA this area has transformed into a building site with dust everywhere. We have cranes all around the place and swieqi is in a total mess. The streets in swieqi are not in good condition and triq il hemel is the new psaila street. A hot spot area of this road is next to st. Andrews pharmacy because there is no continuous pavement. It is extremely dangerous to walk for pedestrians especially for parents with pushchairs or for people with special needs since they need to walk in the street in a bottle neck of a very busy two way road, and the cars, trucks, buses and all the rest drive by at a very high speed since there are no sleeping police in the area except for one that is further up and no one seems to notice it. Vehicles especially during shop hours are always in double parking and no warden is ever to be seen. The traffic congestion is unbelievable and in my opinion this part of the street should be set as a one way in or out to reduce the problem of obstruction. Furthermore on weekends Swieqi is always invaded non residents who park their cars to go to paceville; Therfore all those unfortunate residents who do not have the luxury to own a garage end up parking their car long way from their residence. I guess that the mayor does not have a similar problem and must have her own parking place otherwise I am sure that something would have been done to solve this mess. Concluding, I think that to make some pavements, hire a warden to check some areas and make some parking for residents only will cost much less than 800,00 euros. So please before the local council starts boasting on these projects i think it is best to take a good look around swieqi and do the first things first and help out the residents.

emma tranter

Oct 25th 2011, 23:11

As a Swieqi resident who lives very close to this field, PLEASE plant more trees than is shown in the impression

Julian Boffa

Oct 25th 2011, 23:09

Why is there a playing field in this long-awaited project? Do not get me wrong, I am not against children having their playing space, but another playing field is literally a corner away from this site!!
What is needed is more and more GREENERY to act as the lung of this place which has now become one huge construction mess thanks to the government allowing the increase of height limits in the area from 2 to 4 storeys. Swieqi and Ibragg have become a jungle of empty flats with nice villas being torn down and fields turned into unliveable apartments. Please stop this rape and let us have our own little central park.

Paul Borg

Oct 25th 2011, 22:58

Isn't this the same project being promised every time an election of some sort is coming up ???? this is the 8 th time it has been announced. You want to impress us, Get it done before summer 2012.

Anthony Pace Gouder

Oct 25th 2011, 20:30

......... can we see the plans , elevations , perspectives or Artist Impressions of the Civic Center , please !

raymond scicluna

Oct 25th 2011, 20:05

Dear Minister, for heaven s sake pl stop such projects with immediate effect cause Joseph and the pl will weep and cry that they have nothing to do since roads, the city gates, mater dei, public gardens etc are all settled and done. Eh u iva he will spare the money for his usual excuse!!more money for the operations at mater dei......as if maltese are being left dying!!

Ivan Micallef

Oct 25th 2011, 19:56

does anyone see anything resembling a sports facility of sorts? A multi purpose gym for example. Opps sorry to avant garde.

Andrew Cumbo

Oct 25th 2011, 19:27

Just meters away from where this Civic Centre is planned, the above picture made me take into account another projection picture nearly a year ago, the White Rocks Sports Complex. I deem the plans of this government like his promises and don’t configure unless they really materialise. Hope this will not be another planned project like the White Rocks Sports Complex, that it also guaranteed hundreds of jobs by Dr Gonzi. That I don’t be surprised either, that we will start to hear about this sports complex again now the General Election campaign approaching!!

Ralph Agius Fernandez

Oct 25th 2011, 19:22

Thank God we'll finally have something other than rats and rubbish. I think this is the only positive news we've had about Swieqi in years.

However, a few questions...

1. Why weren't any of the groups and associations in Swieqi informed of the launch? Is it perhaps because they've undertaken several correspondence with the local council throughout the years but this new project is omitting their requests to be granted suitable allocations within the new civil centre to carry out their activities which aim to involve the public and invite youths in the locality to participate in friendly activities, etc?

1. Will ALL the land be converted for this use? Or will that part which belongs to private individuals remain the barren land it is today (and inevitably, apartment buildings)?

2. Are the Swieqi residents guaranteed that this project will not only be a new local council with an adjacent park but also see to the needs of the local community; eg. police station, berga, post office, etc.

3. And why weren't any of the groups and associations in Swieqi informed of the launch? Is it perhaps because they've undertaken several correspondence and hours-long meetings with the local council throughout the years but this new project is omitting their requests to be granted suitable allocations within the new civil centre to carry out their activities which aim to involve the public and invite youths in the locality to participate in friendly activities, etc?

I guess if we're finally going to go for this project we might as well get it right from the start!

Eleanor Pace

Oct 25th 2011, 19:11

Surely enough the plan is a good one but why are there only two swings planned? There is lots of place for more swings and even more trees for shade. When there are only two swings, one for babies and another one for older children it means that if there are more children they have to wait a lot. In Birzebbuga we have around ten swings which are often full on Saturdays and Sundays.

F Goodwin

Oct 25th 2011, 18:19

What percentage of that is from EU funding? That is a strange thing to omit from this report. I doubt this would be happening if there wasn't a significant contribution from the EU. Is the Times Eurosceptic? :)

In any event, that looks like a wonderful facility.

Edgar Gatt

Oct 25th 2011, 17:57

Well done to Minister George Pullicino for proposing this project together with the Swieqi Local Council. Finally this land which is a rubbish dump, will be turned into a much awaited civic centre which will incorporate a recreational area. The usual negative comments from people outside Swieqi should be ignored and may this project be completed in the shortest time possible.

lilly vella

Oct 25th 2011, 17:50

il passat garanzija tal futur. jigi jiswa d doppju mela.

Steve Zammit

Oct 25th 2011, 17:39

Why don't they turn the whole area into a park with loads of trees planted? The photo looks like there's gonna be more concrete then greenery

Swieqi is full of traffic and cars...its good idea the locals there enjoy a bit of open space and their kids have a safe place where to play and enjoy nature

David Mifsud

Oct 25th 2011, 17:30

The area is a total waste right now and a haven for vermin and litter louts. Very well done for finally planning to use it . However there is a recreational area in Triq il Hemel/Sejjieh literally around the corner! Now that place has not been upgraded for a while - vide the absolutely disastrous state of the tennis court for one thing. So I feel it makes more sense to use the area outside the civic centre as a further garden/wooded area....Swieqi is very densely populated and full of cars so we can do with more lungs if you ask me.

Paul Pace

Oct 25th 2011, 17:02

Is this a recreation area like Gnien Indipendenza and Gnien George Bonello Du Pius?
I would have imagined there is going to be a Police Station, a Health Centre and without any doubt the Swieqi Local Council unless all these are hidden underground.

M Cauchi

Oct 25th 2011, 15:38

Too much concrete and not enough greenery.....

M Cauchi

Oct 25th 2011, 15:38

Too much concrete and not enough greenery.....

Steve Borg - Marsascala

Oct 25th 2011, 15:36

What is the percentage from the €800,000 that the Ministry is going to fork out?

Paul Cauchi

Oct 25th 2011, 15:20

I still think that trees should be planted instead; but still, it's a good initiative.

Mr John Borg

Oct 25th 2011, 15:19

Ahhhh isn't it nice to have elections round the corner!

I'd rather Government reduce my taxes as promised rather than go squander them in such difficult times!