'Heart of Marsa' to undergo €4.5 million embellishment works

The road in front of Marsa’s Trinity Church and its parvis shall be undergoing embellishment works, which will include more pedestrian space, a cycle lane and trees.

The regeneration project, which is being led by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation (GHRC), was announced on Wednesday during a press conference at Marsa’s local council.

GHRC’s CEO, Gino Cauchi, said that the €4.5 million project proposes regenerating around 9,500 square metres of the area around the church, including its parvis.

He said that the project has already been granted a permit (PA/7916/24) and work is set to begin by the end of August. Cauchi admitted that the project will not be finalised by next year, but would be close to completion. 

“We are restoring the heart of Marsa while improving residents' quality of life. This regeneration is about restoring an important community space, one that reflects its importance to the locality as well as its potential for the future,” Environment Minister Miriam Dalli said.

Currently, the parvis is surrounded by a balustrade and can be accessed from two staircases: one located on Triq is-Salib tal-Marsa and the other on Triq Balbi.

Under the new project, all the balustrades will be removed and the parvis will be surrounded by staircases. Cauchi explained that this new design recalls the church’s original design.

When facing the church, on the left side of the parvis, there is an opening for cars to drive on the parvis. As such, many people have been using the parvis as a parking area, Cauchi said.

The new design will retain the opening, but it will be closed off unless a vehicle has permission from the church to drive through.

Planters will also be placed on the edges of the parvis, and the pavement in front of the church will be repaved and extended.

A digital render of what the wall that runs along Triq is-Salib tal-Marsa will look like. Photo: Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation

The project also includes repaving and embellishing Triq is-Salib tal-Marsa - the part that stretches from the church towards the roundabout – and a small part of Triq Balbi.

A cycle lane will also be added along this road.

There is a wall that runs along part of Triq is-Salib tal-Marsa. Works will be carried out to restore this wall and include a design that runs along it.

32 trees will also be planted along this road, these will include a mix of indigenous and Mediterranean species such as pine, oak, cypress, Judas tree, oleander and lentisk.

The area will also have a new street lighting system and CCTV cameras.