Fourteen NGOs and a group of residents are calling for the public to support a €20,000 crowdfunding effort to pay for a last-ditch attempt to stop the Central Link road works project approved last week.

The legal actions being considered include an appeal to the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) but may go beyond this, they said.

Money raised will cover part of the procedural and professional fees but will not be enough to cover all the "exorbitant" expenses, they said. 

NGOs and residents have long been arguing that the project will have a negative effect on people’s lives and the environment. They say various alternatives have been proposed to authorities' plans, but none were reflected in the final version.

What is the Central Link project?

Two new carriageways are going to be developed along the thoroughfare between Rabat and Mrieħel to relieve traffic congestion. Around 30,000 people drive through the area every day.

The project will take up nearly 50,000 square metres of land, of which 22,000 square metres will be landscaped spaces and another several thousand square metres will be dedicated to cycle lanes and footpaths.

The €55 million project will see Infrastructure Malta uproot almost 550 trees – half of which are protected species. 

Who is behind the crowdfunding?

Fourteen NGOs have listed themselves as being behind the appeal: 

Bicycle Advocacy Group
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Friends of the Earth Malta
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Futur Ambjent Wieħed
Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi
Għaqda Siġar Maltin
Isles of the Left
Malta Youth in Agriculture Foundation
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Ramblers Association
The Archaeological Society Malta

People may donate online or by bank transfer to:

Bank Account: Bicycle Advocacy Group
Bank Name: Bank of Valletta
BIC/SWIFT: VALLMTMT
IBAN: MT21VALL22013000000040021393468