Former Prime Minister and current MEP Alfred Sant has hit out against plans to build a flyover in Mrieħel, insisting that the only people its benefits are “the promoters of the Mrieħel towers”.

“My friend Minister Ian Borg told us to judge on the idea when the plans are made public. I have studied the plans again and I still believe that the protests against the project are justified.”

“I see no added value to the flyover proposal, except for the promoters of the Mrieħel towers,” he wrote on social media.

Farmers and residents recently protested over the proposed development, which will include a flyover. The plans were only revealed to the public during a protest, with farmer Carmel Bonello sharing plans which showed a new road linking to Mrieħel bypass.

The plans, which include a flyover linking Qormi to Mrieħel, will take 20 tumoli of arable land from farmers and destroy one of Qormi’s last green lungs.

The flyover will also engulf the new pedestrian footbridge connecting Mrieħel and Qormi and possibly affect a historical watchtower dating back 500 years

“There is nothing that justifies the destruction of more agricultural land,” Sant said.

Sant is not the only political figure to come out swinging against the project. Former President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca severely criticised Infrastructure Malta for targetting a green belt in the area.