It may have aspirations of transforming itself into an upmarket financial district, but the Mrieħel industrial area today looks more like a neglected dumping ground than a future Canary Wharf.

A walk around the area – which hosts some 6,000 employees in hundreds of businesses – reveals poorly maintained roads and discarded waste on every corner, as well as haphazard parking and construction work.

The Mrieħel Business Foundation, later renamed the Central District Business Foundation, was set up by the government and private sector in early 2016 to establish a “deserving environment” for businesses in the area.

But two years later, the area remains synonymous with the “confusion and congestion” that the government highlighted in its long-term revitalisation plan.

This despite projects that were announced by the foundation including cleansing campaigns, waste collection, lighting and road maintenance. These were to be followed by traffic management plans, centralised CCTV systems, new roads and water catchment measures.

Apart from the many businesses that have already moved into the industrial area, Mrieħel can expect a further influx due to its designation as a location for high-rise development.

The Gasan and Tumas development of four interlinked towers is nearing the end of a lengthy planning appeal, while Malta Industrial Parks has applied for a 17-storey development nearby.