Copyright maltatoday
A new roundabout is being proposed on the exit (off-ramp) leading to the Santa Venera roundabout in Valley Road, Msida. The proposal, aimed at improving both road capacity and safety, is expected to take up to 357sq.m of existing agricultural land and landscaped areas in the undeveloped space flanked by two large reservoirs on either side of Valley Road. None of the oak trees in a neighbouring tree protection area will be affected, but trees and shrubs in the existing landscaped areas will be impacted. Although linked to the Msida Creek Project, the proposal was submitted as a separate application, which is now being recommended for approval by the Planning Authority’s directorate. A final decision by the Planning Board is due on 30 October. The application was originally intended to be approved before that of the Msida Creek Project due to the ‘urgency’ of the works, but it is now being processed separately. According to documents submitted by Infrastructure Malta, the new roundabout junction is intended “to address, improve, regularise, and channelise the traffic movements” occurring at this junction. It is also expected to improve safety by addressing limited forward visibility issues and acting as a traffic-calming measure, as vehicles will need to reduce their approach speed at the roundabout deflection. Currently, there is no specific junction design, and according to Infrastructure Malta, this poses an increased accident risk in the area. The boundary walls facing the agricultural area will be constructed as traditional rubble walls, and all measures will be taken to avoid overspill onto the surrounding agricultural land. Plans also foresee an upgraded stormwater system. Separately, an application for a football pitch, spectator area, and cafeteria instead of the reservoir by the FKNK office is still pending. The application was recommended for refusal by a case officer in May for breaching policies protecting reservoirs in the area, but no decision has yet been taken. The controversial application, which was objected to by the Environment and Resources Authority, was presented by Sports Malta.
