ON THE 30TH SEPTEMBER, THE HON MINISTER FOR THE ECONOMY AND INDUSTRY, SILVIO SCHEMBRI HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT.
The Minister praised the many infrastructural projects embarked upon by the Central Business District Foundation during the first 5 years since it was formed. He noted with satisfaction that 12 million euro were spent to re-generate an area which was largely dilapidated and neglected. He emphasized the importance of the Central Business District as an investment and employment hub and noted that both investment and employment were to continue to increase substantially in the future. The Minister also emphasized the need for sustainable growth and noted the shift to green infrastructure such as LED street lighting, electric charging points and green public spaces and made reference to another site within the Central Business District which is earmarked for a second temporary car park. In conclusion, he thanked all the stakeholders of the Central Business District and made special reference to the benefits brought about by the upgrading of the infrastructure to the residents in the area. The CEO of the Central Business District Foundation also addressed the Press Conference.
The Foundation held its fifth annual general meeting (‘AGM’) on 3 March 2021. Due to the outbreak of COVID-9, the AGM was held virtually. Mr. William Wait chaired the annual general meeting and highlighted that the Foundation continues to work to improve the Central Business District. Once again, this year, the Meeting was attended by Ms Nancy Caruana, Permanent Secretary Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses.
The Chairman provided Founders with an update on the current number of Founders of the Foundation which now include thirty-eight businesses from the initial 18 Founders. One of these thirty-eight members is the GRTU which continues to act as a Founder representing micro-SMEs operating in Mriehel.
The CEO presented to the Founders the projects the Foundation concluded in 2020 and presented to the Founders the projects planned by the Foundation for 2021 and noted that the Foundation will continue to improve and upgrade the roads in the Central Business District, is working to install a CCTV system in strategic points, aims to launch a web and mobile app with information on the Central Business District and is also working on a second temporary parking space which will cater for approximately 400 parking spaces.
The Founders were informed that that the capital commitments for the projects to be undertaken by the Foundation in 2021 is expected to be in the region of EUR2.4 million.
The Members were informed that certain revisions to the changes to the Deed of the Foundation were required. These proposed changes were presented to the Founders for approval at the Meeting and these were unanimously approved.
At the meeting Founders were also presented with the financial statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2020. These were also approved by the Founders present.
Before closing the meeting, the Chairman thanked the Government for its assistance to the Foundation, the Board of Administrators, the Members of the Foundation and the CEO for their work and commitment towards the Foundation and the Central Business District during 2020.
The formation of new roads, the upgrading of existing ones as well as regular maintenance and repairs to the road network within the CBD remains a foremost priority for the Foundation.
Construction of the new road that links Triq L-Intornjatur with Triq L-Industrija as well as works on Triq l-Innovazzjoni have now been completed. This project was done in collaboration with the Foundation and was funded by Government (Infrastructure Malta).
Works on the reconstruction of Triq Pietru Dacoutros is well underway with approximately 60% of the works completed while works in Triq l-Esportaturi is now completed.
Furthermore, the Foundation has overseen numerous interventions including upgrading, repairs and patching works in several roads.
During the current year, the street lighting project was finally completed. This challenging project which was initiated and planned during 2018 and executed during the course of 2019, 2020 and 2021, has transformed the way the CBD looks at night time. The project involved the upgrading and replacement of existing luminaries and holders by LED lamps, the digging of trenches and re-asphalting, the installation of new poles and additional lighting in order to illuminate previously unlit or poorly lit areas. The entire lighting system is controlled by a dedicated software system which has an inbuilt reporting function. In this way, the staff of the Foundation can remotely report any fault or error and this is rectified within 48 hours by Enemalta according to the terms of the maintenance agreement signed with the Foundation. It is also worthy of note that along with the many benefits brought about by Street Lighting Project in terms of better illumination, accessibility and security, this is part of the Foundation’s objective for a more sustainable and greener Central Business District.
The current temporary car park agreement was extended by a further 3 years as the current agreement was set to expire in July of this year, thus ensuring that over 240 current car park spaces have been safeguarded.
A site for a second temporary car park has been identified and is situated at Triq in-Negozju. The site is owned by the Lands Authority and discussions are taking place to secure the site on ‘encroachment terms’ which will be extended on a year to year basis. The site would be capable of accommodating over 350 motor vehicles. If this proposal materialises, a study will be carried out in order to have a temporary parking together with an internal bus route / park and ride system.
It is of great satisfaction to note that Gnien il-Haddiem is being appreciated and frequented by both stakeholders within the CBD as well as B’Kara residents in the vicinity of the Garden. In order to prevent potential vandalism as well as to increase security within the Garden so as to provide a safer environment, 10 bullet CCTV cameras have been installed within the gardens to monitor the entrances and exits of the garden as well as to survey and safeguard the garden shrubbery and furniture within. The CCTV project has been extended to include the provision of Free Public Wifi. The Free Public Wifi initiative is part of an EU sponsored project which was made available through the B’Kara Local Council. The Foundation has instructed the CCTV contractor to include minor additional works in order to accommodate the free Wifi initiative. Both the CCTV and the free public wifi have now been installed and are fully functional.
