The feasibility of turning Floriana into a garden city will be examined in studies commissioned by the environment ministry.
Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia is “very interested” in the project, which has been given renewed impetus after a similar proposal was planned for Paris’s Champs-Élysées.
A spokesperson said a call for tenders for geotechnical surveys will close on Tuesday and the results of the studies will determine whether the St Anne Street project will go ahead.
The project, which dates back to 2014 and has consistently generated public interest, is “not on the backburner”, the spokesperson said.
Floated by four architects from Floriana-based DHI Periti, the project proposes the removal of vehicular traffic from the avenue through an underground tunnel that would free the surface for landscaping to create a recreational area.
Cars would drive down into the tunnel at the Lion Fountain and re-emerge just before the roundabout leading to Valletta, while Pope John Paul II Square would also be regenerated.
Plans to transform the famous avenue in Paris into an “extraordinary garden” reignited interest in the similar proposal for a much shorter St Anne Street by the four architects, who criticised Malta’s “lack of vision” when it seemed Paris would pip the project to the post.
But Farrugia has reiterated his keen interest in the pedestrianisation of the main artery in and out of Valletta, already expressed in a meeting with the promoters last March.
The ministry said the next step depended on the geotechnical studies, which investigate the stability and safety of any excavation work.
“The minister is very interested in the project, of course. Otherwise, the studies would not have kicked off,” it said.
“But further information and plans would depend on the conclusions of these surveys. Such projects, in theory, are in line with his vision for greening urban areas.
Paris’s green-lighted project reignited hope in the possibility of transforming Floriana into a green urban project, converting St Anne Street into an attractive hub by addressing the heavy congestion and pollution it generated.
The regeneration of the busy road into a public green area through a sustainable approach that would improve traffic circulation around Floriana built on government policies and could be a trendsetter for other localities, lead architect Ian Camilleri has always maintained.
He said it would also inject new social life into Floriana, while contributing to its economic growth and value, enhancing the town’s experience, spurring the regeneration of the existing buildings and creating another tourist centre.