Infrastructure Malta takes legal action over neglected Marsa-Ħamrun green wall

Infrastructure Malta is taking legal action against The Doric Studio, a private contractor responsible for maintaining a green wall along the Marsa-Ħamrun bypass.

The agency stated that the contractor neglected its obligations under a five-year maintenance agreement, resulting in the wall’s degradation.

The legal action aims to enforce the contractor’s responsibilities and have the maintenance carried out at their expense.

The green wall, which was inaugurated in late 2020, stretches 350 meters and consists of over 27,000 plants. The project, which cost almost €480,000, includes an automatic irrigation system linked to a reservoir and CCTV cameras to deter vandalism.

It was designed to enhance the aesthetic of the area and improve air quality, according to then-Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg.

However, the wall is in poor condition, with plants overgrown, browned, and dying. This follows a pattern of green wall failures in Malta, including a €30,000 installation near Paola’s prison, which had to be removed after the plants died, and a similar issue with a green wall in Luqa that drew public criticism in 2021.

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