A Mosta monument slated to relocation to make way for a seven-metre high statue of the Virgin Mary could remain in its current location, after minister Ian Borg distanced Infrastructure Malta from the proposal.

According to the plans, the statue by Anton Agius at a roundabout junction between Triq id-Difiża Ċivili and Triq il-Missjunarji Maltin would move to a spot just outside the Mount St Joseph retreat house, with a seven-metre high Virgin Mary statue atop a pedestal taking its place.

The plans were included in a planning application which the roads agency submitted for works at the junction and reported by Malta Today on Tuesday.

On Wednesday morning, Borg made it clear that the plans had come from the Mosta council, not Infrastructure Malta.

Borg said that the agency had included the statue relocation proposal in its planning application at the request of Mosta council and that it was under the impression that all those involved, including artists, agreed with the proposal.

That appeared not to be the case, Borg said, noting that media reports had prompted “broader discussion” about a proposal that fell outside of Infrastructure Malta’s remit.

“We have therefore informed the local council that seeing as it was their request, they should proceed with the matter themselves if they would like it to go ahead,” he said.

“We will continue to focus on improving junctions in the area, as ultimately our job is to improve infrastructure,” Borg added.