Momentum Calls For Transparency On Ta’ Qali Park’s Gravel Works
Political party, Momentum, has renewed calls for greater transparency over recent works at the picnic area within Ta’ Qali National Park, after a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the Ministry for Transport and Public Works went unanswered.
According to the party, more than 20 days have passed without any response. No documents have been provided and no explanation has been issued for the decision to cover the park’s family-friendly grounds with sand and gravel.
Momentum’s general secretary, Mark Camilleri Gambin, said that the public deserves to know which official authorised the works, what environmental or cost studies were carried out, how the material was procured, and how much it cost.
He argued that silence from the government only fuels suspicion that the project lacked rigour in procurement or environmental justification.
In response, the Parliamentary Secretary for Public Works, Omar Farrugia, defended the intervention. He stated that sand of a high-quality, water-retentive nature was laid to prevent the soil beneath from drying out and turning to dust during Malta’s summer months.
He added this measure will help promote regrowth of grass ahead of winter rains and assist in reducing flooding that has historically affected the picnic area.
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Party (PN) has labelled the gravelling works as “illegal” because the relevant planning application (PA/08356/24) is still at screening stage and no permit has been granted, meaning the public was never consulted.
The PN claims the application only referenced a few gravel paths, yet the entire area was surfaced with gravel and new concrete toilet structures were built without permits from at least February 2025.
Activist group Vuċi Kollettiva has also organised a protest picnic at the site, citing the transformation of one of Malta’s few remaining large green spaces into a gravel-covered area as a major loss for families, children and dog-owners.
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Credit: Thomas Camilleri via Facebook
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