Marsa mayor Frans Debono suggested that a park would be a suitable replacement for the Marsa power station.

“A park would make a lot of sense, and it is something that has been missing from the community for some time,” he said.

The last remaining two chimneys of the Marsa power station were brought down on Thursday. In total, five chimneys were pulled down after the power station became defunct in 2015 and fully disconnected earlier this year.

Insisting the area has great potential, Mr Debono said Marsa needed more open and modern spaces to “breathe new life into the community.”

He insisted that sustainable projects are needed to attract more people to the area, which has lost half its population in 20 years.

“To have concrete projects for the outskirts of Marsa is not enough,” he said.

Area lost half its population in 20 years

Energy Minister Joe Mizzi alluded to an open area for the Grand Harbour area earlier this year, saying that the government was still evaluating options for the site.

WATCH: Going, going, gone...chimneys come crashing down

Enemalta is expected to attract around €100 million in investment for a project to redevelop the site, the Energy Ministry said earlier this year.

But the ministry failed to elaborate on what the plans will be or where the investment will be coming from. The 65-year-old power station will be cleared out by early 2018.

First to go down was a 42-metre concrete chimney which dates back to the 1970s. It formed part of the first extension of the power station, which included two HFO-fired boilers and two 30-megawatt turbines.

Next in line was 1986 Unit 8 chimney, which was also the largest electricity generator of the power station. The five-metre wide chimney was the tallest structure, standing at 81 metres.

“The remaining structures will be demolished and carted away in 2018 so that we can then look forward to planning new, sustainable uses for this important site as part of the regeneration of Marsa and the inner Grand Harbour area,” Enemalta executive chairman Frederick Azzopardi said.

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