PM defends delays to green space pledges, says 82% of manifesto delivered

Prime Minister Robert Abela has defended delays to a series of promised green space projects, insisting they remain a priority despite still being at consultation or planning stage four years after the election. 

Addressing a news conference at the Marsa Sports Complex on Thursday marking the anniversary of the Labour Party’s electoral victory in 2022, Abela was pressed on several manifesto pledges aimed at creating new open spaces in Floriana, San Ġwann and Santa Venera, after stating that the government had implemented 82 per cent of the manifesto. 

On the long-awaited regeneration of St Anne Street in Floriana, Abela said the government had consulted with residents, and that the first priority was the restoration of the street’s arches. 

Plans to transform San Ġwann’s main road into an open green space are also still in the pipeline, with Abela saying discussions with residents were ongoing. 

“There is an intensive process of dialogue with the community and the tender will be issued. The process is moving,” he said. 

Meanwhile, progress on the proposed roofing of the Santa Venera regional road - another project expected to create an open space above - remains dependent on the completion of the nearby Msida Creek project. 

“The Msida project is very close by, so from a traffic management perspective it would not make sense to have two big projects going on at the same time,” Abela said. 

Abela was joined by the entire cabinet at Thursday's news conference at the Marsa Sports Complex. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

The prime minister also pointed to a number of initiatives not included in the 2022 manifesto, saying they demonstrated the government’s broader commitment to community spaces. 

He said the Manoel Island project was in its “final stages” ahead of the signing of a contract, while White Rocks would be repurposed for families rather than development. 

“Every other previous government earmarked it for development, but we will give it to families,” he said. 

Earlier this week, parliament unanimously approved the €43 million deal for the government to reclaim Manoel Island and Fort Tigné from MIDI.

Abela added that five sites in total - including Fort Tigné and Fort San Salvatur - would be opened up for public use. 

The prime minister said that work on remaining pledges – including the opening of new schools, the start of a ferry service connecting Sliema, Buġibba and Gozo, and the formation of a police squad dedicated to Paceville - would continue in the months ahead, insisting that “what has been achieved so far is only the beginning.” 

He also pointed out that Malta had maintained stable energy prices through nearly €1 billion in subsidies and invested more than €6 billion in social measures over the past four years .