The PN mayor of Victoria has defended his decision to support a road project that will lead to almost 100 trees being uprooted, saying the project will mean fewer cars pass through the Gozitan capital's centre.  

"The proposed road will provide an alternative route, so anyone travelling from the side Mġarr can avoid Republic Street and go straight to Marsalforn without passing through the centre of Victoria," Joseph Schembri said.  

The mayor's views go against those of his party, which has strongly come out against the road project.  

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Nationalist Party said the project is an example of how tarmac and traffic come before the environment.   

Preserving agricultural land and the environment should be an absolute priority, Rebekah Borg, shadow minister for the environment, Joe Giglio, shadow minister for the infrastructure and Gozo, shadow minister Alex Borg, insisted.  

The Environment and Resource Authority recently greenlit plans to transplant 62 trees as part of the project. The ERA permit also allows authorities to uproot a further 37 trees, provided they are replaced with compensatory trees elsewhere. 

Sources told Times of Malta that the PN's representative on the Environment and Resource Authority board voted against the decision.  

Victoria mayor Schembri says the trees that will be uprooted are technically not within Victoria. 

"The proposal to join Triq Gorg Pisani with Triq Patri Giacintu Camenzuli and to properly maintain Triq il-Kapuċċini are in the confines of Victoria," Shembri said.

"The rest of the Marsalforn road mentioned is in part of Żebbuġ and Xagħra and, therefore, not in the confines of Victoria. It is in these parts of the road that the removal of trees is proposed," he said.

The Gozo and Planning Ministry says the project is intended to widen the road, eliminate dangerous bends and introduce walkways and a cycle lane.  

A new road will also be built to bypass traffic away from Victoria's centre.

Echoing mayor Schembri's views, a Gozo Ministry spokesperson said the new road will reduce traffic congestion in central Victoria.  

However, objectors and NGOs say the project will eat into roughly 11,000 square metres of arable land, remove mature trees and disrupt Gozo's biggest watercourse, il-Wied ta' Marsalforn.   

Questions on Schembri's position were sent to the Nationalist Party.