Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533342
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 MARCH 2025 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Pieta pinetum to be fenced and fortifications restored THE Planning Authority has approved the rehabilitation of the Pinetum site in Pieta through a fast-tracked plan- ning procedure on Friday. The works to be carried out by Project Green include the restoration of historical forti- fications and the Nissen huts, a general cleanup of the Pin- etum, tree pruning, general lighting, the installation of a children's play area and the erection of a 1.5m fence along its perimeter. A Project Development Statement presented in 2024 argued the primary goal was to turn the urban green area into a "family-friendly des- tination while ensuring the safety and well-being of visi- tors". According to the report the fencing is meant to improve the safety of children who will be using the new facili- ties in an area surrounded by high-traffic roads. Designated entrance and exit gates will al- low the park to be closed dur- ing non-operational hours. The proposed works also foresee the restoration of the Pieta Lunette, a small ob- tuse-angle structure built on the glacis facing Pieta Creek which was hit by aerial bombs in WWII and still retains the scars in the form of a large breach in the middle of its left face. The bombed areas will be retained as they are today part of "the historic value and added meaning acquired by the site over time". British period graffiti will also be re- tained. The works also contemplate the re-erection of two Nissen huts using salvaged ribs from the original structures and the reconstruction of three other huts using new mate- rials. Originally six Nissen huts were built by the British ser- vices but in 2013, one of the huts, used as store by a tel- ecommunication company, caught fire twice in the span of a few weeks resulting in its destruction. The permit was issued through the fast tracked no- tification procedure which is applicable for greening pro- jects within the development zones indicated in local plans, the installation of playing equipment within greening projects and planting of trees, including the related irriga- tion systems. But the works were given the clearance by the Super- intendence for Cultural Her- itage following the presenta- tion of a restoration method statement.