An additional 40,000 square metres of open spaces will be made available to the public by the end of this year, Environment Minister Miriam Dalli has pledged.

Villa Portelli Gardens in Kalkara, a new space in Wied Inċita, Spencer Garden in Marsa, and Independence Garden in Birżebbuġa will all be opened by the end of 2024, she said.

The minister was speaking at a press conference held at the Hospice garden alongside Parliamentary Secretary for Public Works Omar Farrugia. This garden, set to open in the coming weeks, will provide a peaceful environment where palliative care patients can meet their families.

Project Green, the state agency tasked with urban greening projects and which Dalli is responsible for, says it has 118 such projects in the pipeline as part of a €350 million government commitment.

Of those, 19 are expected to be completed in 2025.

The Public Works Department also plans to set up 15 additional open spaces in 2025 against an investment of €22 million.

"Never before have we had a government that invested in such projects,” Dalli said. She cited examples in Marsascala, where the government intends to turn the former Sant Antnin recycling plant into a public open space, and Pembroke, where a concrete plot is to be turned into an urban garden.

Farrugia said the Public Works Department would focus on creating spaces that can serve as hubs of activity and life for local communities and is partnering with the University of Malta to plan these spaces.

“Here lies our responsibility, as a government, to invest in a country where open spaces serve much more than mere beautification; we want these to be socially valuable spaces for everyone’s benefit,” he said.