The Valletta Ditch project is moving ever closer to completion, with the concrete base now laid on which paving can soon be laid.
Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said that around 2,500 square metres of paving stone from Gozo would be used.
Replying to a Parliamentary Question from Robert Abela, Dr Mizzi said that the landscaping would involve 42 indigenous trees and 4,400 plants, adding that delays were the result of complications with underground services, archeological finds and occupational health and safety concerns.
He also said, in reply to a separate question, that €225,725 was also being spent on the apertures of the residential blocks overlooking Freedom Square. He said that the contract, which was awarded after a public tender, involved upgrading 24 balconies, 67 windows and 18 doors.