What makes the Qawra/Buġibba promenade attractive to many Maltese and tourists is the panoramic view of the sea and its outlying shores which extend up to Selmun and the eastern coast of Gozo.

But alas, for a long stretch of the promenade the view of the sea is obstructed by the number of wild trees which take up the area between the promenade and the seashore. To those who are strolling along the promenade or are sitting on one of the benches to relax, these trees are not seen as an embellishment of the landscape. Replacing these trees by a garden on similar lines to the one on the Sliema front would provide an unobstructed view of the sea and a much better dress-up to the landscape of this promenade.

While at it, I would like to make a point about the bad structure of the benches. I am sure that the maker of these benches was never assigned to design an ergonomic chair.

Judged by the degree of comfort these benches afford to those who sit on them, he/she would have scored very low marks. To those suffering from backaches theses benches tend to make the pain worse, whereas to others they may be a source of back pain. In order to ease the pain, some locals carry a cushion with them to lay it behind their back while sitting on one of these benches. Is it possible to make some alterations to make them more comfortable?

Having an unobstructed view of the sea lapping St Paul's islets, the shores beneath Selmun and the eastern coast of Gozo while relaxing on a comfortable bench or while strolling along the promenade, would go a long way in blunting the vulgarities of the kitsch for which Buġibba has become renowned.