Activist group Moviment Graffitti has come out strongly against the proposed two-lane road linking Zabbar to Smart City, warning it would cause “irreversible damage” to Malta’s rural and cultural heritage while solving what they claim is a non-existent traffic issue.
Despite revised plans, the project would destroy 5,686 square meters of agricultural land, remove 30 mature trees, and disrupt protected heritage sites, including Notre Dame Gate and the Cottonera bastions. The group criticises the government’s justification – an €8 million contractual obligation – as outdated and harmful.
Moviment Graffitti is urging the public to object to the application (PA/07004/23) by emailing representations@pa.org.mt by Friday, 13th June. They’re calling for investment in sustainable mobility alternatives instead of what they label a “greenwashed, unnecessary bypass.”
The plan, backed by the Ministry for Transport, has also raised eyebrows due to its links to Kevin Deguara who is charged in the Vitals case. As previously reported, Deguara appears to be strategically positioned at both ends of the route, including a controversial long-term land lease granted to Zabbar St. Patrick FC, which he presides over. The bypass is set to run through that same subsidised plot, leased at just €308 a year.
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