Updated at 3pm
Activists are planning to protest against the Central Link road project on Sunday, with some pledging they will tie themselves to some of the protected trees that will be uprooted as part of the project.
The €55 million project is intended to alleviate traffic congestion in Attard’s village core and stretches from the Mrieħel bypass to the foot of Saqqajja Hill on the outskirts of Rabat, incorporating new lanes, junctions and other infrastructure.
A decision by the Planning Authority to greenlight the roadworks has been the subject of widespread criticism, amid concerns over plans to uproot almost 550 trees – half of which are protected.
The action planned for Sunday morning also encourages people to hang banners and posters on the trees to express their disagreement. Campaigners plan to tie themselves with rope around the trees for around three hours.
A separate crowdfunding appeal
Attard residents and activists are also planning to launch a crowdfunding campaign to appeal the decision. They could need to raise as much as €20,000 to cover all legal expenses, campaigner Andre Callus said.
The crowdfunding appeal is separate to the protest planned for Sunday and being coordinated by a different set of activists.
They could need to raise as much as €20,000 to cover all legal expenses
Activists plan to appeal the decision with the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal, but if they are not satisfied with the outcome, they could then take the decision to court, Mr Callus added.
MEP Roberta Metsola also said she is looking into what can be done at an EU level to address the environmental concerns.
Besides the uprooting of trees, 49,000 square metres of virgin land would have to be sacrificed for the project. Some of the land is worked by farmers, who have lamented the lack of consultation on the project.
Several historic structures close to St Paul’s Chapel, in Attard, will also have to make way. The government has defended the project, insisting other alternatives had been considered, but none would manage to deliver the benefits of final plan.
Traffic congestion would worsen and could reach dangerous levels of emissions within a decade without the project, a government architect told the PA board last week. A social impact assessment had found more than four in five supported the Central Link project, he said.