The Gudja local council has dropped plans to shift its office building from its current location in to part of a public garden in memory of murder victim Raymond Caruana.
Concerns were raised about the prospect after drawings were presented to a council meeting in November showing the new council building within Ġnien Raymond Caruana.
The garden lies between Triq Pietro Gagliardi, Triq Bir Miftuh, Triq il-Magħsar, Triq San Mark and Triq William Baker behind the Gudja primary school.
Council minutes for the November 7, show that the mayor presented “plans and drawings for the council building and Ġnien Raymond Caruana” that an architect from public works had drawn up.
It is understood that there was some disagreement amongst councillors owing to the fact that these plans would eat away at a public space.
The garden is one of several spaces dedicated to the memory of Raymond Caruana, 26, who was gunned down while attending a reception at a Nationalist Party club in Gudja on December 5, 1986.
Mayor Marija Sara Vella Gafa told Times of Malta that plans for the space had since shifted and that the council intends to issue an expression of interest to find an alternative property to house the local council.
Vella Gafa said that plans to build a community building that respects the existing height limitations in the area had started during the previous legislature, however, during the last council meeting an expression of interest to find a suitable alternative was discussed.
Photo: Chris Sant Fournier“I believed that an alternative was required, given the fact that it was being proposed within a public garden that residents enjoy,” she said.
“During the last council meeting, I put forward a proposal to fellow council members suggesting the issuance of an Expression of Interest. The EOI would assess potential privately-owned properties that would fit the criteria.”
She added that finding an alternative location for the local council is still a priority.
“The current premises are not fit for a community building: there are structural issues and is not equipped to cater for individuals with mobility problems and the elderly, amongst others,” Vella Gafa said.
Vella Gafa added that in parallel the local council has recently secured a planning permit to regenerate a currently dilapidated open space near the scheduled Palazz ta Bettina, also known as Palazzo Dorrell, into a green area for the enjoyment of residents.
The local council, she said, has put forward a master plan that intends to upgrade paving at greening in the Gudja village core, while the council is also working on an underground parking project that is planned to be topped by a roof garden.