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James Debono
The SmartCity@Malta project hailed by Minister Austin Gatt as the largest ever job creator in Malta’s history may serve to offer the Dubai-based investors lucrative opportunities in real estate and a golf course, MaltaToday can reveal.
The project may well turn out to be a far cry from the IT dream world presented to the press when the investment was announced earlier this year.
A massive stretch of public land along the derelict Ricasoli shoreline has already been earmarked for the project and the government has presented a draft project development statement to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.
The Ministry for Investments and Information Technology would not reveal which percentage of the land area is earmarked for IT-related activities and which percentage of the land area is dedicated to real estate and golf course development.
“It would be premature to make such disclosures at this stage,” ministry spokesperson Claudio Grech told MaltaToday.
Asked whether he excludes that the project also caters for real estate and golf course development, Grech insisted on not disclosing information.
The ministry’s spokesperson added that the government stands by statements made in connection with the project by the ministry on the date of signing of the preliminary agreement.
On that occasion no reference was made to real estate and golf course development, but Minister Austin Gatt had also declared that the project will be accompanied by new state-of-the-art use of the environment of the site with the development of a hotel, a lodging area and other activities to help attract knowledge-based operations to the area.
The minister also announced the project would create 5,600 new jobs in eight years, 65 per cent of which will be new jobs in Malta’s knowledge industry. Remaining jobs were purported to be created in areas such as administration, hospitality, retail, maintenance, security and logistics.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has set the ball rolling to pave the way for the SmartCity@Malta project by initiating a revision of the Grand Harbour Local Plan (GHLP).
The government plans to get the new plans approved by parliament by the end of October, pending a successful outcome of negotiations with Tecom.
The GHLP earmarked the shoreline between the Ricasoli fort and the sea as a recreational area for the public and Wied Ghammieq as the site for a sewage treatment plant.
But this is all set to change if plans for SmartCity are approved.
In the beginning of August, MEPA invited individuals and organisations to send preliminary submissions on revising the GHLP in connection with Smart City.
The deadline for submissions on revising the plan on August 18, right in the midst of the Santa Marija holiday lull.
In response to MEPA’s call for submissions, the Ministry for Investments and Information Technology has submitted a draft of the project description statement of SmartCity@Malta.
Neither MEPA nor the ministry would reveal the contents of these plans.
According to a spokesperson for MEPA, Enemalta Corporation also presented submissions.
Once the ministry concludes discussions with Tecom the draft final deed will be submitted to Cabinet for its consideration. Following this, a parliamentary resolution will be submitted to Parliament by the end of October.
Minister Austin Gatt had already fast-tracked two substantial areas in Kalkara, one on the shoreline between the fort and the sea and another in an area known as ta’ San Pietru in the new development schemes.
Both areas were included in the new scheme during meetings of the parliamentary planning committee after the public consultation period had been concluded.
In its call for submissions MEPA has identified a number of policies which need to be changed to accommodate Smart City.
One of the policies set to be revised states that the coastal area behind the scientifically important shoreline between Xghajra and Fort Ricasoli was designated as the Rinella Recreation Park.
According to the plan the shoreline area was not intended for development of any type and was simply intended for “quiet enjoyment of the open air by the public.”
Another policy set to be revised is that regulating building heights in the area presently occupied by the industrial estate.
MEPA is also set to amend another policy, which identified Wied Ghammieq as the site for a sewage treatment plant.
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