The Qui-Si-Sana story

During the weekend I took my young son to play in the new George Bonello De Puis gardens in Qui-Si-Sana. I was impressed. Compared to many other playing fields in Malta left in a state of rusty neglect, Qui-Si-Sana is paradise.

Since memories in Malta are short it is worth reminding how a previous Nationalist government pushed plans for a car park and a commercial zone in Qui-Si-Sana before its conversion on the way to Damascus.

The car park proposal dates back to 1999 when a draft brief issued for public consultation proposed a stand alone car park. But the final development brief issued in 2002 allocated 7,000 square metres of space for “innovative tourist related/leisure development”. Plans subsequently presented by the C&F Contractors included a 24-lane bowling alley, a 120-seat theatre, an exhibition centre, an open air restaurant and bar, a childcare centre, an exchange bureau, health spa and gym, juice bar, cafeteria, newsagent, a sandwich bar and other unspecified retail areas attached to a car park.

In a stormy meeting in February 2006 which I attended as a journalist, Sliema’s Nationalist-led local council decided they had no objection to the developers’ latest plans for the contentious Qui-Si-Sana car park, as “long as they conform to the development brief.” The only persons I recall fiercely opposing the plans were Labour councillors Martin Debono and Maryanne Aquilina and AD councillor Michael Briguglio.

The Qui-Si-Sana issue exploded on the eve of the March 2006 local council elections, when a public protest was attended by a large number of residents, mostly Nationalist voters. The local elections saw the PN losing 10 percentage points as turnout dipped to an all-time low.

A week after the drubbing, the Prime Minister met residents from the Qui-Si-Sana neighbourhood for a two-hour meeting on the contentious car park project, organised by former Sliema mayor and Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo. Subsequently, even the developer dropped his plans for commercial development, although the application for the car park was not officially dropped.

The Qui-Si-Sana car park issue fizzled out from public debate as residents were unofficially informed that the car park plans had been shelved. The issue did not even feature in the last general and local elections .

Ironically George Pullicino the Minister who defended the development brief earmarking this area as a car park/commercial complex is now taking credit for opening the new garden. C’est la vie.