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James Debono
Investments Minister Austin Gatt presented a motion to parliament’s standing committee on planning and development, earlier this week on Monday, to include the land earmarked for Smart City at Ricasoli for inclusion in the new development schemes.
The committee has asked the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to indicate any constraints on the Smart City plans.
The land in question had not been available to public scrutiny during the public consultation stage. But on 14 June 2006 agricultural leases on 40,793 square metres of land lying outside development zones were terminated to make way for the SmartCity@Malta project in Ricasoli, the internet city pioneered by Dubai investors Tecom.
The termination of agricultural leases and the inclusion of the area in the new building schemes before plans for the project have even been made public could be an indication of the “fast track” approach taken by the government to approve the project.
Minister Austin Gatt has already indicated that he intends to fast-track the application through MEPA for Smart City.
A spokesperson for the Ministry for Home Affairs confirmed the leases are being terminated in connection with the Smart City project. A substantial part of this land lies between the existing industrial zone and an open space known as San Pietru, along St Leonard Street, named after St Peter’s Battery, the ruins of which are still found in the area.
Smart City is projected to be one of the largest ever private sector projects and foreign direct investment, as well as the greatest ever source of knowledge-based jobs to be secured by Malta. The project is set to create more than 5,000 new jobs.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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