A site that had previously been earmarked for development as part of the expansion of the American University of Malta in Cospicua will instead be turned into a public garden with underground parking, Environment Minister Miriam Dalli announced on Wednesday. 

Currently in use as a car park, the area will be transformed into a green lung for the area, with over 3,000 square metres set to be turned into a green open space for people of all ages to enjoy, Project Green CEO Steve Ellul explained. 

The project will incorporate an underground parking facility that can accommodate up to 240 cars, he said. 

Situated behind AUM, off Triq San Pawl, the area is currently used as a car park.

How the area looks now: a car park. Photo: Google Maps

How the area will look in the future: transformed into a public garden. Photo: Project Green

What could have been: these plans, for AUM student dormitories, were quashed.

As this area was once the site of an open market, the architecture chosen for the garden will reflect some of the original features of this long-lost market, with the construction of an arched cloister that will serve as a buffer between the road and the garden.

Ellul said that some significant changes had come to the project following a public consultation with residents of Cospicua as well as the greater Cottonera area, with architects carrying out a placemaking exercise to make sure that the project would meet the needs of the communities that make use of the area. 

The garden will include a play area for children, a so-called nature hut that will allow children to learn about the plants in the garden, a parkour area aimed at youths, a nursing area for parents as well as a meditation and relaxation space. 

Plans for the garden have already been filed with the Planning Authority, with preparation work expected to begin at the end of September. 

Dalli said it was satisfactory to see that the park would be prioritising mental health as well as physical health, all the while providing a much-needed green lung in the heart of Cospicua. 

Photo: Project Green

Consultation, she added, was key in tailoring the amenities and the design of the park to suit the needs of the community. 

“We want to make sure that investment in communities meets the needs and wants of those communities,” she said. 

“We did not come to the residents with a final project, but we were open to suggestions and the conversation that we had led to our initial plans changing to reflect the aspirations of the community.”