Ta’ Qali picnic area grass will be back in winter, Jason Micallef insists
Before and after photographs sparked concern about the area
A controversial layer of gravel laid down in Ta Qali’s picnic area will not prevent grass from growing back in winter, according to the head of the park’s unit, Jason Micallef.
As one of the few open spaces in Malta, the picnic area is popular with families and dog owners. But in recent weeks, some have complained that the area, which has been undergoing renovation since April, looks lifeless since the gravel was added.
On Thursday, actor Thomas Camilleri took to Facebook to post two contrasting photos of the park – one from January 2021 showing the area covered in lush green grass, and another photo from this summer in which it appears comparatively barren.
Camilleri said that from autumn to spring, the area was “a large, safe, green space for children to play in and dog walkers to let their pets run free in one of the only spaces of its kind in Malta.” He said whichever entity had sanctioned the gravel was “idiotic.”
His post was shared 73 times.
Contacted by Times of Malta, Micallef, the head of the ministry of public works’ Ta’ Qali National Park Unit, called Camilleri’s claims “nonsense” and insisted the picnic area was never covered in grass in the height of summer, while referring to an image from Google Maps to support his assertion.
He explained that as part of the works being carried out on the area, a layer of imported coloured gravel commonly used in parks abroad had been laid down to prevent the parched soil from turning into dust and causing an inconvenience in the hotter months.
“We received a lot of complaints from the public regarding the dust, which would also get kicked up and cause respiratory problems whenever concerts and festivals were held in the area,” he said, claiming that grass had already started sprouting.
Micallef also pointed to other improvements made to the area, including 30 toilets, new fences and gates, upgraded underground drainage systems and the removal of illegal structures.
The former ONE TV chairman said that around 75 per cent of the 2020 Ta’ Qali master plan has been completed. As part of the masterplan, an underground car park with around 400 spaces is being constructed, while the final phase of the project will be an elevated cycling and running track.
Speaking to Times of Malta, festival organiser Howard Keith Debono said the dust was indeed a problem when concerts were held in the area, but time would tell whether the new solution would be effective.