As Ġzira morphs into a maze of construction sites with builders' trucks, cranes and drillers taking up residence in the locality, residents who have had enough were on Sunday sticking posters portraying their annoyance.

The bright red and yellow posters, mimicking the colours of actual construction site warning photos, are being stuck with black duct tape.

They are being put up in construction sites and call for an end to overdevelopment in the locality.

The posters say: “Hands off Ġzira: Tkomplux tirrovinaw ix-xatt DAQSHEKK (Do not continue destroying the quay ENOUGH)” “Stop killing Ġzira’s soul, the sea, the promenade, the garden and Manoel Island”, and “Warning: Dangerous site, parents are advised to warn their children of the dangers of overdevelopment”.

The posters being stuck in construction sites. Photo: Giulia Magri

The posters have been placed at several construction sites including the entrance to Manoel Island, the public seafront garden, and a concrete wall surrounding a construction site in Triq Il-Ġzira.

Posters stuck on the construction barrier put up at Ġnien il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa. Photo: Giulia Magri

Times of Malta spoke to the residents who were sticking the posters on Sunday.

Saying they wished to remain anonymous, they said "Our message is clear. We speak on behalf of the residents, we are fed up of overdevelopment and pollution.”

The posters echo the calls of NGO’s, residents and local councillors who have called on the authorities to reconsider certain development in the locality.

In June, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Aħjar slammed an application by Transport Malta to construct marina offices and commercial outlets in Ġzira’s seafront garden. FAA said that the garden is the “only intact lung” of the over-exploited town.

Ġnien il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa was already the subject of a long legal battle over the relocation of a fuel station. That application has since been approved. 

And in the beginning of the year, Midi submitted a new masterplan for its Manoel Island project, scaling down the gross area of the new buildings by a third and increasing open spaces following a new archaeological find.

While NGOs welcomed the new plans, they are still concerned about the remaining public open spaces.

Posters on concrete slabs outside Manoel Island. Photo: Giulia Magri