A newly renovated extension to Żabbar’s San Klement Park is now open to the public, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli announced on Wednesday.

The refurbished 2,300 square metre area features over 250 new trees of various species including olive trees and black mulberrys (Siġra tat-Tut), the latter being a species synonymous with the Żabbar area.

Of the 250, 140 trees were donated by the locality’s band club, Project Green CEO Steve Ellul said during the unveiling of the space.

“It was totally abandoned… this area used to be a dumping site,” he said, pointing close to the northern entrance of the park that now features sustainable benches and budding trees.

The space will be accessible by the public until sundown, as the park will be closed during the darker hours of the day.

Miriam Dalli: "Project Green has made this place safer and more comfortable for everyone". Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Dalli noted that the park extension was completed less than one month since Project Green - the government's new agency to implement urban greening projects - had been formally inagurated. 

The park conforms to Project Green’s three pillars: cooperation between the project and local councils and stakeholders, sustainability in the materials used while also creating a high-quality green area for the public, Dalli said.

Ellul added that the park was in line with Project Green's target of ensuring that, within seven years, anyone will be able to walk to a public open space within a maximum of a 10-minute walk.

With its extension and new entrances on either side, San Klement Park is now easily accessible by over 11,000 people in Fgura, Cottonera and Żabbar within that distance, he said. 

The San Klement Park will see further renovations, Ellul said, with the agency CEO saying an obstacle course will be ready within the year.

Ellul would not say how much the extension cost, saying only that all costs were covered by Project Green's allotted €700 million budget.