The Planning Authority (PA) said it has committed €240,000 to build a new green play area in Naxxar.

In a statement on Thursday morning, the PA said an area next to Naxxar's Divine Mercy Church "will be transformed into a recreational green area" as a result of the authority's funding. 

The project will see the area become home to a "modern, accessible playing field," play equipment, shading canopies, safety flooring and benches. 

Recycling bins, fences, gates and CCTV cameras will also be installed in the play area, the authority said. 

The project is being realised through the PA's Development Planning Fund (DPF). The fund's chairperson Sandra Magro said it was committed to providing funding for projects that "enhance community vitality."

The project will be executed by the Naxxar Local Council in collaboration with the Northern Regional Council.

This is not the first park to be funded by a government department; in May, a LESA-backed 'garden extension project' in San Ġwann attracted a wave of criticism for its abundance of concrete. 

And while the project in Naxxar looks set to be considerably greener than the San Ġwann offering, it may do little to quell criticism of the PA which has had a complicated relationship with green spaces in the past, facing backlash for approving several projects in such areas.

In November, it approved a zoning application in Kalkara’s rural conservation area (RCA), allowing development to take place on the site - the same month it approved a controversial 4,000 square metre, 109-unit apartment block in Mellieħa's green lung.