Ta’ Qali gravel cost €311,000 and came from Greece

Updated 2.16pm

Controversial gravel laid at the Ta’ Qali national park picnic area cost the government more than €311,000, and was imported from Greece, according to information provided in Parliament.

Responding to a question from PN MP Rebekah Borg, Public Works Minister Chris Bonett said on Wednesday that the cost of “maintenance” on the grounds “and surrounding service roads” was €311,141.84.

An attached document shows that the gravel originated from Greece.

But in a response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by political party Momentum, the ministry attributed the cost – with a difference of four cents – entirely to the cost of the gravel. The FOI response does not specify the labour cost of the procedure. 

The ministry identified the contractor for the works as Bonnici Bros Ltd, which it said had been contracted for the work with a direct order.

It justified the direct order by saying Bonnici Bros was “already carrying out works within the same area”, according to a copy of the FOI request seen by Times of Malta.

The laying of the gravel did not require a permit from the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and was not subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the ministry said.

The final decision to lay the gravel was taken by the park's management "with a team of professionals from the Public Works department and following consultation with other entities".

No grass in sight, yet. Picture taken on Thursday, December 4, 2025. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

In a statement, Momentum said the response and document laid in Parliament “paint a worrying picture of excessive spending and regulatory bypassing”.

“Momentum is alarmed that no environmental impact assessment was conducted, nor were any statutory permits obtained from ERA. Particularly when considering that the gravel covered a massive area of 30,000 square metres and led to the importation of about 5,000 tonnes of non-native rock mixture to Maltese soil.”

The party’s general secretary Mark Camilleri Gambin said authorities had “conveniently sidestepped environmental scrutiny and competitive tendering. Besides the fact that this was completely unnecessary and evidently a failure”.

The manager of the quarry in Greece from which the gravel originated describes it as "sand low fines (0/4)", suitable for "landscaping works, outdoor green space, parks and/or is suitable to be mixed with organic soil material".

Documents provided in Parliament show the gravel came from Greece.

'Illegal' gravel

In a later statement, the Opposition Nationalist Party accused park director Jason Micallef of covering the picnic area with “illegal gravel”.

The PN called the works “unpermitted” while referring to contractor Bonnici Bros as “very close to Prime Minister Robert Abela”.

“Despite all this, the Maltese public is still waiting for the grass in the Ta’ Qali picnic area to grow back, even though [Jason Micallef] ... assured everyone that the first rainfall would restore a natural green surface for families to enjoy”.

“It took a parliamentary question from Shadow Minister for the Environment Rebekah Borg for the public to finally learn how much taxpayer money was spent to strip this picnic area in Ta’ Qali of its natural appearance.”

The party said the picnic area “remains in the same state, with the only patches of green appearing under the trees and in the pathways where gravel was not dumped”, despite bowsers having been previously sent to water the area at night.

The party appealed for “common sense”; it called for the gravel’s removal and for the site to be “restored to its original state so that Maltese families can once again enjoy this open space as they deserve”.

The saga begins

The gravel controversy erupted in August, after actor Thomas Camilleri took to Facebook with two contrasting photos of the park - one from 2021 showing the area covered in lush green grass, and another photo taken this summer appearing to show the site comparatively barren.

Jason Micallef, the head of the unit administering the park, responded to the claims as “nonsense”, while insisting the gravel would help combat dust in the area during the summer while allowing the grass to regrow in the winter.

A subsequent petition to remove the gravel attracted more than 5,300 signatures within its first five days, while Micallef branded the issue “fake news”. Prime Minister Robert Abela later attributed the saga to “miscommunication”.

Micallef later threatened podcaster and producer Trudy Kerr with legal action after she posted a video online criticising the state of the picnic area. She responded that the video had been intended only to express her “sadness and concern” and had not singled out any individual or organisation.

The issue was brought back into focus last month, when a water bowser was spotted irrigating the area under the cover of darkness.

The Opposition has called management of the picnic area “amateurish”, while calling for “immediate action” to remedy the situation.