More than €500,000 are being invested in a scheme that will enable 260 Birżebbuġa residents to replace their old windows with double glazed ones for better protection from the surrounding noise pollution.

The scheme is being wholly funded by the Freeport Corporation and will be managed by the Regulator for Energy and Water Services, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli and Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said on Thursday.

Announcing a similar scheme in September 2019, then Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi had said Birżebbuġa residents are to be offered a grant of up to €2,000 for double glazing as part of a government drive to reduce the inconvenience of noise pollution from the nearby Freeport. Residents in 33 streets had been eligible to benefit from that scheme.

Dalli and Schembri said more than 260 residents had applied to partake in the new scheme which will cover 90% of the eligible expenses up to a maximum of €2,000.

They said that while the 2019 scheme had had an allocation of €300,000 and was only available to residents in specific roads, the new one, launched towards the end of 2020, had been open to all residents.

Dalli said that the scheme was also helping the public invest in more efficient energy. Schemes to encourage investment in innovative renewable technology for homes and businesses were also being considered, she said.

Schembri said that works on a €3 million car park in the locality, also being funded by the Freeport, will start this month.