I remember, as a child, Wied il-Għomor was much bigger than it is now. Trees grew on both sides of the valley until the two sides were both built up. One side is known as ‘The Village’, although it was then part of Mensija, whereas the other side was named Swieqi.

It was said recently that the government was going to take over the remaining parts of the valley to convert them into a place where families could enjoy themselves together.

Shortly after that a huge area of the valley was closed to the public and signs were put up saying ‘private property’ and ‘no entry’.

Whether who did this is the owner of the area is not known – it is common practice in Malta to make use of public areas and then claim them as ‘private property’ after a year or so.

I believe it is important for us residents of San Ġwann and Swieqi to know if we are entitled to live in peace or not.