Over the last few years the residents of Attard have been looking on with growing concern while our village is slowly but surely being transformed from a charming green neighbourhood to a chaotic building zone.

Since the new height limitations were increased to three storeys, Attard has been in the grips of a building frenzy, with storeys going up even within the very village core. It breaks our heart to see that the wonderful view of Attard parish church's unique and ancient domes is now obliterated from the Rabat approach.

The explanation given for this rampant development is the fact that Attard is a desirable residential area. Well, at this rate Attard is fast becoming an undesirable area with street after street of houses and flats without any green space to provide the residents with some "green relief". Moreover, scores of these properties are vacant, as may be confirmed by the vast number of properties on the market in Attard.

Pity the children who live in these new apartments have nowhere to play. San Anton Gardens and the Railway Station playground are more than a kilometre away from many homes, an impossibly long walk for a mother with two young children or an elderly person. It is not only a long but also a highly dangerous walk, as part of the stretch lacks pavements and the final crossing by the American Embassy residence roundabout is a suicide dash, with cars shooting out from all directions including a blind corner. No wonder the residents are so anxious to be granted a closer public garden which would be a safe haven for their children to play and meet their friends. However, one of the few remaining open spaces, that at Ta' Fgieni which was at one point planned as a car park- cum-garden, has for some inexplicable reason now been scheduled for the building of yet more flats.

This is in spite of the fact that the Attard Local Plan clearly states that Attard has much less recreational space than other towns and significantly less than what Mepa's own studies recommend! Permits are currently pending on these plots and their granting would be the death-knell for all the neighbours' aspirations for a healthier and more pleasant way of life.

The Save Attard Petition has given residents the opportunity to express our frustration at this state of affairs, because we believe that Malta is already so over-developed that we need to retain each and every available public open space in order to retain a modicum of balance to our quality of life.

We invite all those who feel as we do, to sign the petition at www.saveattard.com. The new administration has promised to make the environment a priority and the residents of Attard sincerely hope that this policy will give us our long-awaited public open space at ta' Fgieni.