Think tank suggests four alternatives to Zonqor for university site

A recently-established independent think tank has suggested four alternative sites to Zonqor Point for the ‘American University of Malta’ project.

In a document presented to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat last week, the National Independent Forum for Sustainability recommended that the university be spread out across three forts around Kalkara, within the Inner Grand Harbour, at a quarry near Marsaskala, or at the ex-Malta International Airport in Luqa.

‘A spread campus across fortifications’

Following the advice of environmental NGOs, the NCIF suggested that the private university be dispersed across three historical forts in the area around Kalkara- Fort Ricasoli, Fort St Rocco, and Fort San Salvatore.

“Adapting a historic site to a new use poses a range of complex challenges, but that is not a reason to shy away from this possibility,” the NCIF said. The vast military infrastructure that Malta has inherited may only be sustainably maintained if new and compatible uses are found for these spaces. The reuse of these buildings must be conservation-led, with robust safeguards in place to ensure that not only is the original fabric carefully preserved, but also, that the authenticity, legibility, and sense of place of the whole and its context is fully respected.”

The NCIF added that a thorough and professional Conservation Plan would be required for each of the three historic buildings, to ensure that their values are safeguarded.

‘Inner Grand Harbour crying out for a new vision’

The NCIF also urged the government to seriously consider the siting of the AUM in the inner end of the Grand Harbour, particularly in light of the winding down of operations at the Marsa Power Station and the Malta Shipbuilding Yard.

“The presence of the Marsa Power Station and other heavy industries have, over the decades, resulted in the progressive degradation of this area,” the NCIF wrote. “This has contributed directly to an impoverishment in the quality of life and well-being of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Within the area itself, the residents that remain are the ones who have no choice; either the very poor or the residents of the Marsa Open Centre.

“The area is crying out for a new vision, which needs to be debated across all sectors of our society, before the country gets to work on its delivery. A bold and well-integrated vision can transform this area, in a short space of time, from one of the most depressed and degraded districts in the country to a highly desirable district that can accommodate a mix of uses that benefit various sectors of society.”

‘Quarry and Jerma ruins to reuse scars on the landscape’

As a third alternative, the NCIF suggested siting the university at the Wied iz-Ziju quarry site in the outskirts of Marsaskala, while renovating the nearby ex-Jerma Palace Hotel as a dormitory for students attending the new university.

“The quarry is over 80,000 square metres in size and is well-connected in terms of infrastructure with the Marsaskala bypass close by,” the NCIF wrote. “Using it and the Jerma ruins would be an excellent exercise of reusing sites that are currently scars on the landscape or are, in the case of Jerma, a hazard, and utilizing them for a better purpose without going beyond the urban footprint of Marsaskala.”

‘Ex-airport to benefit all communities of the south’

The NCIF also suggested locating the AUM at the site of the ex-Malta International Airport at Luqa, with over 120,000 square metres of under-utilised or unused space and currently only used to house offices belonging to the civil aviation department.

“The area is located at the centre of the ‘South’ and its central location would be of benefit to all of the communities of the south,” the NCIF wrote. “The economic benefits derived from the students’ residence would likewise be for all the communities of the South because it is feasible for different student populations to reside in diferent villages of the South.”

They added that this would lower the social impact of having a large population of foreigners in one locality, arguing that the number of foreign residents impacts greatly on perceptions and unease of a village community.

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