There has been much discussion and even government-sponsored full-page advertisements showing very limited views of some areas covered by the Paceville regeneration plan.

Having studied this plan, can I make a suggestion that, since St George’s Bay is the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Paceville area, serious consideration be given to fulfilling many of the plan’s design principles by building a garden with access to the sea for the enjoyment of all residents, permanent and visitors, businesses and tourists.

This has been done before in Sliema, where Independence Gardens, alongside Tower Road, is a relaxing place for all to enjoy. Paceville needs the equivalent. Constructing three high-rise buildings on what is now Cresta Quay on the edge of St George’s Bay is a nonsense from a construction, legal and, most importantly, public enjoyment point of view.

A garden would maintain the open aspect of the bay for all to enjoy. It would not infringe on the foreshore, it would incorporate the proposed public walkway and the green space proposed near the Westin and it would certainly drastically reduce the future traffic issues.

In short, it would be a better usage of the limited land available and cause far less disruption to the whole area for that forgotten group of stakeholders: the residents, temporary or permanent, and the public.