Updated | Green NGOs call for new university to be dispersed amongst forts

A group of environmental NGOs have called for the American University of Malta to be sited across several historic forts in the Kalkara-Zonqor region, rather than on virgin land at Zonqor Point in Marsaskala.

“The forts present a golden opportunity for this project to benefit from many hectares of usable space within historic structures that can be restored, regenerated and put to good use,” Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Ramblers Association, Din l-Art Helwa, NatureTrust Malta, Birdlife, Malta Organic Agriculture Movement and Greenhouse said in a joint statement. “In handing heritage structures to a foreign entity, access must be ensured for the Maltese.  Still, it is far better to restore and re-use them in this way, than allowing them to disintegrate for lack of a use, as is happening at the moment.

This challenging project would require great creativity, but the end result would”garner respect from the Maltese public as well as the international community, while offering foreign students the unique opportunity to live and study in a historic building. Housing university students within communities and regenerating dilapidated sites will result in economic benefits for the community and serve as a catalyst for change in a part of the island which requires regeneration.”

They pointed out that large universities, including DePaul University in Chicago is itself composed of several campuses dispersed across an area far larger than Malta. “Proposing the adaptation of different historic buildings all within walking and cycling distance of each other is an excellent solution that contributes to the restoration of Malta’s heritage fabric, while spreading the benefits of the investment and student tourism across different communities in the South of Malta,” the NGOs said.

They argued that 33% of Malta is already built up and that the island cannot afford to lose any more of its open spaces.

“Seriously reducing Malta's scarce natural resource and depriving some farmers of their livelihood from agricultural land does create social injustice,” they said. “As a university that prides itself on having ‘more than 45 specialized centers and institutes focused on addressing social justice issues’ DePaul University must surely not want to be associated with such a serious national injustice.”

Developers give their blessing

The Malta Developers Association (MDA) today expressed its agreement with the construction of a private university on pristine land at Zonqor in Marsacscala, claiming that this project “is in the national interest and will raise the standard of living in the south of Malta by generating a positive domino effect.”

While underlining the project’s potential in creating new jobs and increasing commercial activity, MDA said the construction of the 100,000 square metre university will also increase the value of buildings, while giving an impetus for abandoned buildings to be rehabilitated.

“It appears that, in this case, Government has managed to attract the investment without a purely speculative project being created,” MDA said.

But the association added that “if possible, a site that is not so pristine should be found, although this is not so easy.”

“On the other hand, if the project is executed on undeveloped land, attention should neverthless by paid in particular for the project to respect the skyline of the vicinity where the development is happening and the topography of the terrain, and for high buildings to be avoided,” the statement said.

The government and Jordanian investor Hani Saleh signed an agreement for the setting up of the American University of Malta earlier today.