Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/260953
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2014 2014
7
News
New school to be built
instead of planned park
JAMES DEBONO
A 7,000-square metre extension of
the Salina National Park will not take
place, as the land earmarked for the
project is required for the develop-
ment of a new primary school in St
Paul's Bay.
The new school is seen as a neces-
sity, which will cater for the growing
population of the northern coastal
town.
The application for the extension of
the Salina national park, which was
set to be discussed by the Malta En-
vironment and Planning Authority
board on Thursday, was withdrawn
by the government as the land is now
required for the construction of a
new school. Plans for the extension
had already been finalised and a case
officer report was recommending the
approval of the new park.
The planning application was
dropped because of the "urgent need
for the construction of a new primary
school in St Paul's Bay in the same ar-
ea," a spokesperson for the Ministry
for the Environment revealed.
The decision to shelve plans for the
extension of the Salina park was tak-
en following an agreement between
the Minister for the Environment
and the Minister for Education and
Employment.
The school is urgently required
due to changing demographics in St
Paul's Bay area.
Due to demographic pressures,
the new school has to be in place by
2016. The current school cannot be
extended to space limitations.
An aborted park
Salina's popular park was to be
extended by about 7,000 square me-
tres.
The new park was meant to com-
plement and diversify the recrea-
tional product offered by the park
inaugurated in 2008, set to provide
a holistic recreational area which ca-
ters for all ages.
About 5,000 square metres were to
be dedicated to landscaped areas and
another 1,100 square metres allotted
to parking.
The project involved the afforesta-
tion of the whole area, the installation
of playing equipment for children of
all ages, and the construction of a wa-
ter stream leading to the central open
space.
The park was to be accessible from
a new car park accommodating 22
cars.
The site of the aborted park is lo-
cated in J. F. Kennedy Road in an area
known as Tal-Wileg close to Is-Salini
and Kennedy Grove. Presently, the
area consists of arable land and a few
olive trees.
Flanking the other side of the same
road is the existing Salina National.
The exit of the park was to be located
at Qawra Road.
The first plans related to the project
were presented to MEPA in 2011 but
the project was announced to the
public in January 2013 a few weeks
before the general election. A case
officer report recommending ap-
proval of the project was presented in
January 2014. But the application was
withdrawn on 5 February.
From fishing village to urban centre
The St Paul's Bay Primary School
was inaugurated in 1956 to meet the
educational needs of the children of
a small fishing settlement and its sat-
ellite hamlets. Since 2005, the popu-
lation in St Paul's Bay has grown by
23%, making the locality the third
most populated in Malta, behind only
Birkirkara and Mosta.
The school is now catering for the
ever-sprawling settlements of St
Paul's Bay, Bugibba and Qawra.
What was once a summer seaside
resort has now changed into a popu-
lar residential area attracting people
from other places all over the island.
With the influx of foreign people set-
tling in Malta, St Paul's Bay's primary
has attracted a marked proportion of
students of a foreign origin.
Today the school's population hov-
ers around the 800 mark, with around
80 students coming from 20 different
countries. The intake of students
now contains marked characteristic
of cultural, religious and social diver-
sity.
In September, education minister
Evarist Bartolo announced a new
primary school to cater for the grow-
ing student population, with similar
initiatives for Marsascala and Mosta,
two other expanding localities. He
said demographic changes may im-
ply that some schools in prime sites
could be closed down, which in turn
could be used as collateral by the
Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools
when seeking bank finance to build
new schools.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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