€7 million shooting range being proposed at Ta’ Kandja for shooting athletes

If re-elected to a second term, the Labour Party is pledging to develop a new national shooting range at Ta’ Kandja.

The shooting range, developed over 90 tumoli of land close to the Police Academy, would cater for the trap and skeet, the 25-50m ranges, the 300m rifle ranges, dynamic ranges and paintball.

It is estimated that the range would cost €7 million, part of which will be publicly funded.

Flanked by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and MP Luciano Busuttil, parliamentary secretary for sports Chris Agius said that chosen land is derelict, part of which was used as a scrapyard.

To claps of sports organizations present, Agius said that the government’s original plan was to extend an existing shooting range but this was not feasible due to a number of factors.

“The site will be situated away from residential zones. All ranges will be landscaped and an innovate system will be introduced for the collection and recycling of lead pellets. Additional to the range, recreational spaces open for all will also be developed,” Agius said.

The junior minister added the shooting range will make of Malta “a hub” for shooting sports.

Presenting the Labour Party’s proposals for the sports sector, Agius also said that Valletta F.C. will be getting a new football ground. The new football ground will form part of the bigger rehabilitation of the old landfill in Luqa. The area will be regenerated to include a family park and an industrial zone to be used by SMEs.

“No agricultural land will be touched,” Muscat said, adding that the site will be developed in conjunction with Malta Enterprise, the Malta Industrial Parks and Sport Malta.

The Labour leader explained that the chosen site had already been allocated to the Valletta football club in the past, but millions of euros are required to clean the area. The ground will be passed on to the club on an emphyteusis.

Other proposals:

• SportMalta’s after school programmes will be offered for free to children, until the age of 16, coming from low-income families
• Commercialisation of sports facilities
• Sports organisations, registered with SportMalta, will be exempted from paying the tariffs and expense related to applications submitted with the Planning Authority in relation to sports projects
• Registered sports organization will be given financial incentives to reduce utility bills
• Encourage registered sports organisations to invest in alternative energy
• Paid sports leave for national athletes
• The construction of a new sports complex in Qawra
• Initiate talks for new waterpolo pitches in St Julian’s and Marsaxlokk
• New rugby ground in Ghajn Dwieli, in collaboration with Hibernians F.C.