Now you see it, now you don’t: Paola green wall does a Houdini

A council-wide decision in July 2023 by the Paola local council led to the removal of a green wall hanging on the Corradino Correctional Facility façade after it became too costly to maintain.

The green wall was set up by the central government in 2020 and cost €30,000 but according to the council the materials used were unsuitable for Malta’s climate.

Paola local council executive secretary Fabian Mizzi said the material was absorbing too much water which should have been used by the plants themselves.

“Its management was an issue since much more water than initially anticipated was needed, and therefore the plants needed to be replaced more frequently and at one stage it was no longer feasible to maintain,” Mizzi said. “Its maintenance costs were covered with the gardening contract the Council had at the time.”

He said there was council-wide consensus to remove it, and despite efforts to “save” the vertical garden, it was no longer feasible to continue maintaining the project.

Asked if the council plans to replace the vertical garden, Mizzi replied in the negative, saying “the newly elected Council has not even discussed the issue in its first meetings.”

The green wall was just one of several similar projects that were carried out through several funding schemes promoted by Ambjent Malta and the Planning Authority’s (PA) Development Planning Fund (DPF).

Government agency Ambjent Malta was tasked with monitoring the wall for the first six months, after which the responsibility was transferred to the local council.