The Chamber of Architects has held a meeting with Transport and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bonett and a separate meeting with Infrastructure Malta civil engineers to explain fresh proposals it made last Sunday for the Msida Creek project.

The Chamber said its president André Pizzuto met the minister on Tuesday and a meeting was held on Wednesday between members of the design team behind its alternative designs and Infrastructure Malta's civil engineers. 

The purpose of the meeting was to explain the urban design and planning concepts behind the project to facilitate its development and implementation.

The parties are to reconvene at a future date to provide Infrastructure Malta with the time necessary for the technical development of the new project, the Chamber said.

The Chamber's alternative plans, reported in The Sunday Times of Malta, would see the busy Msida junction transformed into a tree-filled park.

The Chamber is proposing that plans for a flayover should be ditched and traffic diverted from the area, with just one additional slip road to the Regional Road needed. 

The chamber says its proposal could be completed in less time than the current plans, at no additional cost and with minimal impact to residents during construction, while providing a much-needed green lung in one of the worst-polluted areas of the country. 

On Sunday, a spokesperson for the infrastructure ministry had said that while the ministry “appreciated” the chamber's interest in the project, the tendering and adjudication processes had been completed and works would begin next month.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday evening, the minister said the Chamber's proposal was visually attractive but there were various issues which needed to be discussed, such as dealing with potential flooding as well as traffic flow.

One could not solve Msida's problem by shifting the issue elsewhere, he said.

The plans, however, would be discussed further and he thanked the Chamber for its cooperation.