A project to transform Wied Incita into a day visitor centre and agrotourism venture was recently proposed by the Environmental Landscapes Consortium (ELc) and it has, in principle, been accepted by Government.
The ELC is in the process of reviewing its original contract with Government, ELC chairman Peter Calamatta told The Sunday Times recently.
"Unless we have a reasonable timeframe, a 15- or 20-year contract, nobody will risk this kind of investment, not knowing whether in five years' time our contract will still hold. The authorities need to realise what is behind our intentions," Mr Calamatta said.
Wied Incita is only one of the areas the ELC has in mind. Other potential revenue earners include San Anton Gardens, on which the ELC has already spent a considerable amount of money to bring it up to European standards.
"Big gardens abroad earn a lot of money. But they need a high level of maintenance and income. There is so much research to be done on historical gardens like Argotti, Sa Maison, St Philip's, and Herbert Ganado, near Valletta and Floriana, including implementing old plans to restore them to their original splendour," Mr Calamatta added.
"A skewed arch in Sa Maison gardens, an architectural feat, one of two in the whole of Europe, is falling to pieces and will cost hundreds of thousands to put back into its original shape. But because nobody realises or appreciates enough the importance of these buildings and gardens, the funding never comes."
At San Anton, the ELC has earmarked the area of the Japanese pagoda for an exhibition area to host the Flower and Fur and Feather shows. It will mean that when such exhibitions are held, the garden will remain open to other visitors.
At Wied Incita, the ELC is proposing a traditional-style citrus grove with an ornamental orchard, with a fountain and a little kiosk where people can relax and have coffee. The valley will be rehabilitated and there are plans for a watercourse with a bridge over it. A souvenir shop and a seating area will also be provided.
The accent will certainly be on children's recreation, something which in Malta is severely lacking, especially because of its relationship to the environment.
"Luckily we're in charge of this project so there is a management structure which can deal with it and, hopefully, together with other public areas, Wied Incita will become self-funding," Mr Calamatta said.
The ELC intends to follow the English concept of agrotourism. In the UK, agrotourism ventures are open to day visitors who want to know how plants grow and where the hundreds of thousands of plants in roadways and gardens come from.
"Most people think we still import, but imports are now on the way down. Few people realise that the amount of plants imported to Malta every year runs into millions. This is good, but if it could be supplemented by local production, so much the better," Mr Calamatta argued.
"But we can never substitute it completely because many people still demand mature plants which, if produced locally, will take 20 to 30 years to grow.
These are forthcoming from Europe mostly, except for palm trees which come from Spain or Egypt. But other shrubs and trees, like oleanders and hibiscuses, are all being produced locally," he added. The production of plants for onward planting in roadways, gardens and embellishment areas in Malta remains the primary principle of the ELC.
The initial expense of setting up a visitor day centre and an agrotourism business such as this is indeed very high, but if spread over 15 or 17 years, whether funds come from Government, the EU or the consortium itself, part of the new project will be self-funding.
"With Wied Incita we immediately realised we could have an agro-tourism and visitor day centre. We already have very good public interest in the project," Mr Calamatta said.
Wied Incita has groups of mature people and children who visit regularly. The ELC has also arranged for groups of 150 children to sow their own seed in a pot, grow it, take it home and return it when it has grown to a sapling. School visits are also very frequent and many plant lovers, including tourists, also visit.
"The place lends itself beautifully to these things firstly because of the land. Your biggest asset is always the land because this can be developed. And there is definitely scope for expanding the plant industry here," Mr Calamatta concluded.