WasteServ has issued a call for tenders for the excavation and preparatory construction work to transform the former Sant’ Antnin waste treatment plant into a recreational park.

The Marsascala plant was shut down in December 2022 and the infrastructure has since been dismantled and sent for recycling abroad.

The area hosting the plant - stretching over 23,000 square meters - is being turned into WasteServ’s largest-ever greening project, the agency said in a statement on Friday.

The call covers excavation works for a three-storey car park and an artificial lake. Three reservoirs to supply the project’s irrigation, stormwater, and firefighting needs will also be created.

A third of the excavated material will be reused within the same site. 

A retaining wall - stretching approximately 175 meters - will separate the proposed green park from its surroundings. This feature will help reshape the site and create a natural landscaped terrain with mature trees and shrubs, WasteServ added.

Environment Minister Miriam Dalli welcomed the "milestone" and said the project tied in with the government’s greening mandate. 

“Through this project, the government aims to rehabilitate a site previously associated with waste management into a nature park accessible to all for their enjoyment, similar to the rehabilitation of the landfills in Qortin in Gozo and Wied Fulija in Żurrieq," she said.

Preparations for the project’s second phase are ongoing.

A separate tender for works that include soil delivery, the planting of mature trees, constructing and filling the lake and its wetland filtration system, building the greenhouse with aquaponics facilities, constructing the car park, and establishing the outdoor multipurpose space - is expected to be issued in the coming months.

By the time this call for tenders is issued the excavation works should be nearing completion.