One of the largest sports facilities in Malta is surrounded by neglect – with trailers parked haphazardly along the streets.

Trailers are parked along the streets, obstructing motorists .

As soon as sports enthusiasts make a left turn, ahead of the traffic lights at the top of Corradino Road, heading to Telgħa ta’ Ras Ħanżir, they are welcomed by a wall that seems to be supported by tree trunks.

Part of the wall has in fact collapsed and has been left as is for months, noted Ronnie Calleja, general manager of Assoċjazzjoni Sportiva Hibernians.

Driving on into Corradino Heights, motorists will come across several parked container trailers posing a traffic hazard at some spots, especially corners.

A wall seems to be supported by tree trunks.

Sports facilities at Corradino Heights are surrounded by neglect and trailers.

This issue has been irking people for years, and in 2012, newspaper reader Aronne Calleja, from Paola, had already highlighted that illegal trailer parking at Corradino was rife.

Paired with poor public lighting, the traffic hazard is more grievous at night.

“We are seeing the dark side of the economic boom that Malta is going through, with the number of trailers parked in the vicinity on the increase – a situation which needs some sort of control,” he said.

Mr Calleja was speaking to this newspaper from the ex-military prison built by the British in 1866.

The area has one of the highest concentrations of sports facilities on the islands

For 100 years, the prison hosted English servicemen, and at its peak, all 180 cells were used.

Mr Calleja noted that former minister and Malta’s first female president Agatha Barbara was also kept there when she was arrested during a national strike in 1958 against the suspension of the Constitution by the British government.

The Victorian building was recently partially restored with the help of EU funds and it attracts tourists for events organised on site.

Apart from this jail of historic importance, the area also has one of the highest concentrations of sports facilities on the islands, including the Hibernians football stadium that hosts top division football games and international rugby matches.

The National Hockey Complex is also a venue for international tournaments, as are the two tennis clubs: the Vittoriosa Lawn Tennis Club and the Tennis Club Kordin, with membership running into hundreds of people.

The ex-military prison built by the British in 1866 for English servicemen. At its peak, all 180 cells were booked.

Lino Scicluna, from the Vittoriosa club, noted that discussions were going on with the government to find a solution for the upkeep of the area.

Meanwhile, the Corradino Sports Pavilion in the area is one of the largest indoor sports facilities and can accommodate 1,600 spectators. Next month it is expected to host the futsal tournament.

There is also the Hibernians Football Nursery and the Senglea Football Ground, previously known as ‘the C Ground’. The latter sports facility was built by the British and three years ago underwent extensive renovation.

Mr Calleja said that complaints have been filed through the local council, but the issues fall under the responsibility of different entities.

The main difficulty with the upkeep of Corradino Heights was that different sections fell under the responsibility of the local council, the government, and the Malta Industrial Parks (MIP).

Apart from parked trailers, lighting and trash problems, one of the issues for which there is a potential solution is that of parking facilities.

Considering the high number of people who turn up to practise a sport or watch a game, parking remains a headache. This challenge could be solved by turning an area close to the sports facilities dotted with vacated Nissen huts into a parking lot, as suggested in the past, he said.

This electricity cable has been hanging over passers-by for months.

When contacted, Paola mayor Dominic Grima explained that the local council was in discussion with the Small Businesses Ministry and MIP to decide who should shoulder responsibility for which areas, as it was not always clear which area fell under the remit of which entity.

He noted that meanwhile, because of the council’s limited budget, the government has committed itself to upgrade Triq il-Baċir and Triq il-Prinċipessa.

Questions sent to the Small Businesses Ministry remained unanswered by the time this newspaper went to print.