The grand plans to transform the Magħtab landfill into a recreational park, announced by the Nationalist government seven years ago, may end up on the rubbish heap.
The current government is looking into the feasibility and potential hazards of having families spend time next door to the still active Għallis landfill and a recycling plant under construction.
“Various alternative options for site rehabilitation are also being considered at an inter-ministerial level,” an Environment Ministry spokeswoman said.
Various alternative options for site rehabilitation are also being considered at an inter-ministerial level
However, general landscaping works would continue at Magħtab and the area will look green from the Coast Road, the spokeswoman said.
The plan to create a recreational park at the rubbish dump, notorious for its foul odours, was announced by a Nationalist government in 2007.
The design, selected in an international competition, proposed to convert Magħtab into a sweet-smelling park complete with a “perfume wall” of vegetation, including thyme, lavender and rosemary.
The concept included an expanse of land for paragliding and hang gliding, areas of peace and spirituality, an open-air theatre on the Magħtab plateau, a sand wave to link the park to the sea and picnic areas.
The project was to cost €30 million from EU funds and cover a footprint of 59 hectares. It was to be split into three phases so that it would be completed over some 20 years.
The project progressed no further and no calls for tenders were issued to turn the area into a park.
Yesterday the newspaper l-orizzont, quoting Wasteserv CEO Tonio Montebello, reported that the government had “abandoned” the plan because it was neither feasible nor possible.
Questioned on this point, the ministry spokeswoman insisted that no decisions had been taken.
“Landscaping works will proceed as planned so that the Magħtab area will look green from the Coast Road.
“Such works, which are part of an EU-funded project and involve among others the capping of disused landfills, are in fact still ongoing and will be completed as per original contract,” she said.
However, she added, plans for that part of the site earmarked for the park were being reviewed and the government was analysing the options according to a number of criteria.
One of the factors that will come into the decision is that Wasteserv is building a new recycling plant in the area that will start operations in January 2016.
Besides, the Magħtab landfill, though capped, contains gas that is still being extracted and treated, while the nearby Għallis landfill is fully functional and “one must keep in mind that an open landfill is inherently a dangerous area”.
Asked why the government was still “evaluating” its options once it believed the area was an “inherently a dangerous area”, the spokeswoman said: “We are not ruling anything out particularly since, as already mentioned, we are evaluating all options.”
She said the ministry had nothing more to add.