Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1481871
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 OCTOBER 2022 14 COMMERCIAL THE Planning Authority host- ed the final Project Conference of the ThreeT Project, which is part-financed by the European Union under the Interreg Eu- rope programme. The project aimed to identify cultural and natural thematic trails, improve their accessibility and visibil- ity through innovative and eco-friendly mobility solutions and adopting a holistic approach to sustainable tourism. The PA participated in this pro- ject together with a number of lo- cal stakeholders, in particular the Malta Tourism Authority. The Minister for Public Works and Planning, Stefan Zrinzo Az- zopardi said "We are working on and encouraging the adoption of new practices on green mobility, as well as channelling increased investments in the competence and skills of key stakeholders and personnel involved in planning and development. The Minister concluded " We want to encour- age Maltese and Gozitan families to spend more time in the coun- tryside, relax, and be physically active. We promoted the creation of green networks close to and linked to our urban centres." This project included various partners and stakeholders from 8 different countries ranging from the northern most part of Europe – Finland - to the westernmost part. – Tenerife. Ms Suzanne Gauci, EU Affairs Unit Manag- er within the Planning Author- ity said; "Working with such a varied network has provided an extremely refreshing perspective to link heritage assets with green transport modes. It was also an opportunity to disseminate infor- mation on our case studies, all of which were positively received by the other partners. It is believed that having further exposure to similar EU Funded Projects would add value to both the Plan- ning Authority's work and that of related stakeholders. This enables us to show case our successes and learn from other European Countries to enhance our work." Each of the partners has iden- tified a number Good Practices (GPs) consisting of existing herit- age or natural trails and transport initiatives within their territory which are valid examples of im- proved access to the sites through sustainable modes of transport and increase tourism in the area. Lead Partner, Irene Nicotra, from the Province of Livorno stated, 'ThreeT represents one of the best examples of a pan-Eu- ropean project with a strong multiplier effect on the resourc- es assigned, thanks to the devel- opment of the 8 Action Plans drawn up by the project partners. This project is strategic not only in terms of replicability of good practices experienced through site visits in each territory during the first phase of the project, but also for having concretely prac- ticed a true cohesion policy be- tween partner areas, from which benefits will be reaped in the near future. This is a prime example of the valorisation of the European Green Economy. Malta opted for Good Practices covering both its urban and ru- ral environment, to showcase its approaches in different domains with their challenges. The first action consisted of the restora- tion intervention of the historic 'Red Tower' as the main node of the pilot national trail, located in the North-West of the Island. This was followed by the formu- lation of the online Pilot Nation- al Trail is set within a NATURA 2000 Site, whereby the Planning Authority cooperated with Din l-Art Helwa, the Bicycle Adviso- ry Group and Sistemi Territoriali SRL, linking the Red Tower to Majjistral Park. Finally, the actions will provide a legal framework for this work through the Initialisation of the Policy formulation process for National Trails together with the Malta Tourism Authority. Taking forward the outcomes of the ThreeT project and all the knowledge gained from other best practises, the Authority will continue its work to enhance the accessibility of Malta's heritage through green modes of trans- port. Dr David Mallia, the Malta's project leader said, "This Pro- ject has been very useful for the Planning Authority, particularly the ample transfer of knowledge. We have been exposed to various good practices in other European Counties, in how to make herit- age sites accessible for the public using green modes of transport – information which will be used by the PA in its related work. He continued that, "this project al- so enabled the PA to work with various stakeholders and trigger the formulation of an online Pi- lot National Trail which would definitely be positive for access to locals and tourists alike." Thematic Trail Trigger Interreg Europe project Enhancing the accessibility of Malta's heritage through green modes of transport