Manoel Island: Let the public interest prevail

The announcement that government and MIDI plc have reached an agreement for the restitution of Manoel Island and Fort Tigne to public ownership is good news.

It is true that the government will have to fork out €43 million in compensation for restoration works MIDI plc completed over the years but the settlement means lengthy court litigation has been avoided. It means the island and Fort Tigne can return to public custodianship in a few months’ time.

It seems to be a fair price to pay given the restoration works carried out by MIDI on Fort Manoel and Fort Tigne, apart from the archaeological investigations undertaken on the island.

The deal has to be approved by parliament before it can be inked and once that happens, Manoel Island and Fort Tigne will formally be transferred to public ownership.

It is easy today, with the benefit of hindsight, to argue that Manoel Island should have never been handed over to private interests.  But over the span of three decades, hindsight can be misleading. Back in the late 1990s, the country was seeking ways and means to bolster its economy through projects that could add value to the tourism product and the islands. Both Labour and Nationalist administrations at the time agreed with the commercialisation of Tigne and Manoel Island and ensured the developers got what they wanted. This is why any partisan comments by either side today are puerile.

What does make sense, however, is the argument made by campaigners last year that over 26 years the circumstances in the region and the country have changed dramatically. The Gzira, Msida, Sliema and St Julian’s conurbation has grown immensely and today is home to more than 100,000 residents and thousands more office workers, tourists and visitors. The area also houses numerous other luxury developments and apartments that were absent three decades ago.

Additionally, apart from the lengthy promenade that characterises these localities, the area lacks large open spaces where people can unwind, destress and simply enjoy nature. In this context, Manoel Island offers a refuge from the hustle and bustle.

This is why returning Manoel Island back to public ownership makes sense today.

However, government must make sure now that the island does not end up cannibalised by competing interests. The illegal development of padel courts by Gzira Utd FC does not bode well. The commitment that had been given to the football club to have its pitch restored should be adhered to but the government must ensure the facility is built legally and does not end up into a mega development of sorts.

Manoel Island should remain a public, open car-free space but it should also be cared for so that vandalism and abuse are avoided.

It would be a shame if the island is left to its own devices and ends up a dump, or worse, a no-go area because of undesirable people.

Furthermore, Heritage Malta should develop a plan so that the historic buildings on Manoel Island and Fort Tigne are put to good community use.

This leader would like to applaud the campaigners from Moviment Graffitti and Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, who got the ball rolling last year. The reasoned arguments they made convinced more than 29,000 people to sign up to the petition.

We also commend the actions taken by former Gzira Mayor Conrad Borg Manche who some years back spearheaded the campaign to restore public coastal access on Manoel Island. It was that action which allowed people to start enjoying Manoel Island again and taste the possibility of what it could be like if left undeveloped.

Kudos also goes to Robert Abela, who finally saw the light of day after initially expressing opposition to the requests made by campaigners last year. The prime minister has delivered but the more important work starts now and we hope that going forward, in every consideration, the public interest will continue to prevail.