‘No Vision, Just Asphalt’: Moviment Graffitti Slams ‘Useless and Destructive’ Smart City Road
Moviment Graffitti is strongly opposing to the proposed construction of a new two-lane road linking Żabbar to Smart City, which “threatens to inflict irreversible damage on Malta’s rural and cultural heritage under the guise of solving a non-existent traffic problem”.
“Despite revisions to the original plan, the project will still destroy 5,686 square meters of agricultural land – half of which remains productive -disrupting local ecosystems and further eroding our already shrinking green spaces and agriculture,” the NGO wrote in a public statement.
The road will also lead to the removal of 30 mature trees and shrubs, to be replaced, with 40 new indigenous species.
“But this kind of ‘greenwashing’ ignores the decades it takes for ecosystems to mature. Biodiversity isn’t restored with saplings – and in the meantime, local habitats and climate resilience are further degraded.”
The public can object to this proposal by sending an email to [email protected], by Friday 13th June, quoting the application number PA/07004/23 in the subject line.
Moreover, this road will pass through and disturb an area rich in history and protected heritage, according to Moviment Graffitti.
The project’s route threatens the context of Notre Dame Gate, the Cottonera bastions, the Capuchin Convent, and the surrounding scheduled structures – some of which are Grade I-listed and located in Areas of High Landscape and Ecological Importance.
“Transport Malta claims this €8 million road is necessary to relieve traffic congestion. Yet the facts tell a different story. Traffic toward Smart City does not warrant this intervention. Existing roads already provide adequate access without destroying farmland or encroaching on historic sites.”
“The government’s justification – that it is contractually obliged to build this road as part of the Smart City agreement – is a failure of leadership. Outdated contracts must not be allowed to dictate harmful developments that go against today’s environmental realities and national interests. We urgently call on the authorities to reconsider and renegotiate – rather than bulldoze ahead with a project that sacrifices our environment and heritage to serve the speculative interests of a wealthy few,” the organisation continued.
It stated that the addition of a cycling and pedestrian lane cannot disguise the project’s fundamental flaw: this road is not needed. It said that instead of spending €8 million on a “damaging” bypass, the government should invest in forward-thinking mobility: expanded public transport, safe cycling routes using existing roads, and incentives that reduce car dependency.
“The proposed Żabbar-Smart City road is a textbook example of outdated thinking disguised as progress. It sacrifices farmland, heritage, and the environment to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.”
Moviment Graffitti ultimately called on the authorities to urgently rethink these plans, realign them with the nation’s present-day priorities, and put the real needs of the people first.
The €8 million investment was announced back in April. Transport Malta noted that 1.6km two-lane bypass will cut through parts of existing roads and a concrete rural track before passing through a field underneath the St James and St Louis bastion walls in Żabbar – ending near the Notre Dame Gate.
Architect Antoinette Conti from Transport Malta further noted that the 3,000 square metres of agricultural land – that will be taken as part of this new route – is a major reduction from the 14,500 square metres proposed in a 2007 four-lane plan. Conti emphasised that the older proposal would have bulldozed straight through agricultural land – this one focuses on upgrading what’s already there.
What are your thoughts on the development of this road?