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14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 AUGUST 2022 NEWS Marsaskala Older but still growing 2011 2021 Inhabitants/sq.km 2,057 3,126 Average age 38.2 41.8 % ounder 14 20% 15.2% % over 65 9.5% 13.4% % not Maltese 6.1% 27.7% Total population 1 1 , 0 5 9 16,804 MARSASKALA, Malta's most populous seaside town along the southern coast, has kept growing mostly thanks to an in- flux of foreigners who now account for 28% of its population, up from just 6% a decade ago. But its population is slowly ageing, with the average age increasing from 38 to 42 in the last decade and the per- centage of children under 14 decreasing from 20% in 2011 to 15.2% now. And in an indication that it is foreign- ers who are mostly fuelling the demand for increased property development in the seaside town, while the number of Maltese has increased by 1,770 the number of foreigners has increased by a staggering 3,975. Yet unlike Sliema, Marsaskala has not seen a decline in its Maltese resi- dents. But more five-storey blocks and over-development are taking up more open spaces. In fact population density has in- creased drastically from just 887 in- habitants per sq.km in 1995 to 3,126 inhabitants per sq.km. Significantly this increase in density precedes develop- ment on rationalisation sites like the one in Zonqor, which are set to further increase the urban sprawl. Overall the locality remains one of Malta's fastest growing localities with its population growing from 4,770 in- habitants in 1995 to 9,346 in 2005 and to 16,804 in 2021. Incredibly back in 1985 the the southern seaside locality had less than 2,000 inhabitants. This means that Marsaskala has seen an eightfold increase in population in 25 years. Santa Lucija The decline of a housing experiment 2011 2021 Inhabitants/sq.km 4,112 3,623 Average age 43.5 48.6 % under 14 11.7% 10% % over 65 20.4% 32.1% % not Maltese 0.6% 2.5% Total population 2,970 2,617 ONE of Malta's newest towns, estab- lished in 1961 through an article in the Government Gazette naming the area between the Tal-Barrani bypass and the Luqa bypass after a nearby 16th century chapel, is now in chronic decline. Composed of a cluster of housing es- tates mostly established in the 1970s in a pleasant environment characterised by gardens and open spaces, the local- ity was already in decline with its pop- ulation shrinking from 3,605 in 1995 to 2,970 in 2011. In the past decade it lost a further 353 inhabitants. Moreover the average age of the locality has increased from 43.5 and 48.6 and the share of over 65s has increased from one-fifth in 2011 to 32.1% ten years later. This suggests that the original inhabitants are getting old- er without any signs of regeneration by new arrivals. Santa Lucija has attracted a minimal amount of foreigners, who constitute a tiny minority of 2.5% in the locality. The Santa Lucija experience suggests that however pleasant the surroundings, lo- calities built around social housing pro- jects which tend to attract a population of low-income earners tend to decline over time, unlike localities which at- tract a more mixed social make-up. Gharghur From old village to suburbia? 2011 2021 Inhabitants/sq.km 1,292 1,856 Average age 38.9 40.1 % under 14 18.8% 19.2% % over 65 11% 12.2% % not Maltese 4.6% 13.4% Total population 2,605 3,741 GĦARGĦUR stands out in the locality with the highest percentage of children, in what can be an indication that mid- dle-class people with the intention of bringing up a family are moving in an old village transformed into a suburb surrounded by the countryside. This has come at a cost, with more five-storey blocks enveloping the town's charming historic centre. This is also reflected in a considerable increase in density: from 1,292 persons per sq.km in 2011 to 1,856 persons per sq.km now. Significantly the town continues at- tracting Maltese people. While the num- ber of Maltese residents has increase by 754, the number of foreigners has in- creased by 382 in the past ten years. The locality has consistently grown nearly doubling from just 1,991 resi- dents in 1995 to 3,741 residents now. And with an average age of 40 and on- ly 12% aged over 65, its population re- mains relatively young. Gharghur St Paul's Bay Valletta