Ħal Far racetrack hits a snag as studies take longer to complete

A screening application for the development of a racetrack in Ħal Far has been withdrawn because a sound and light study was not presented within established timeframes. 

But the Malta Motorsport Federation insists the application will soon be back on track after the completion of these studies. 

Contacted by MaltaToday, Malta Motorsport Federation President Duncan Micallef said the sound and light study took longer than expected after it was decided that it should assess the cumulative impact of the new circuit track together with that of the already approved Kwart ta’ Mil drag racing track and the karting facility. 

“We want to do things properly, and these delays are understandable, especially when one considers that in terms of scale, this is probably the largest project ever to be assessed by the relevant authorities,” Micallef said. 

Ongoing works at the quarter-mile drag strip

Micallef also explained that other components of the project including the drag racing track remain on track. Moreover, the extensive area identified for the new circuit track has been cleaned up while the government is carrying out infrastructural works in the surrounding area to facilitate the project. 

“We should not forget that in the past few years, more work has been done than in the previous 50 years. But as happens all over the world with projects of this scale, bureaucratic delays can be expected,” he said. 

Moreover, Micallef said he remains optimistic that the studies will be completed soon, which, according to him, would put the application back on track. 

“The original target was to get planning approval for the project by the end of the year. We are doing everything possible to respect this target, but one has to consider unforeseen circumstances which are hard to predict with a project of such a scale,” he added. 

The promise to develop a motorsport track has featured in the electoral manifestos of both major political parties in the past three general elections. In September 2022, government sources had told MaltaToday that the racetrack would be “nearing completion by early 2024”. 

However, in his 2023 budget speech, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana gave more latitude, promising that the circuit would be “built and completed in this legislature”. 

Furthermore, on 12 October 2025, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that the surface of the quarter-mile drag racing track at Ħal Far, which has already been granted a permit, will be completed by the end of 2025. He added that the full project is expected to be ready by the end of 2026. 

The application presented in 2022 was still at screening stage before being withdrawn. It is not uncommon for screening applications to be withdrawn due to unforeseen delays, only for the Planning Authority to re-activate the application under a new number after the requirements are met. This is because screening letters include a deadline for the submission of all the studies or plans which are required. It is only when all these requirements are met that an application is validated and issued for public consultation.  

Two similar cases involved the development of a new church school in Ħal Għaxaq and a land reclamation project by the St Julian’s Waterpolo Club. 

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) had exempted the motorsport project from a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) but requested an Appropriate Assessment (AA) to evaluate the impact of the racetrack on the protected cliffs and bird colonies including the Scopoli’s and Yelkouan shearwaters.  

The track is being proposed at a distance of more than 700m from the cliffs but only 200m from the boundary of the Natura 2000 site. 

ERA also required a detailed investigation of noise emissions and vibrations during racing activities—modelling different scenarios with and without mitigation—using a methodology approved in advance by ERA. Additionally, the authority asked for a lighting plan to ensure that illumination during both the construction and operational phases is fully contained within the site to prevent light pollution in the surrounding environment. 

The motorsport saga 

The 2022 application concerns the development of a completely new circuit racing track in Ħal Far alongside a drag racing and go-karting tracks and their facilities have already been approved. 

As proposed, the track—designed by German specialists Tilke GmbH & Co. KG—covers an area of 82,900sq.m and includes a 2,000-metre-long circuit with 12 turns (six right-hand and six left-hand), a 472-metre start-finish straight, and over 4,800sq.m of paddocks, grandstands, and access roads. 

Previously, five other sites had been considered for the racetrack: Bengħajsa (Birżebbuġa), Ta’ Ħlantun (Ħal Safi), Magħtab (Naxxar), San Niklaw (Siġġiewi), and Ta’ Qali (Attard). These were excluded either due to greater ecological impact or their proximity to residential and recreational areas. 

According to the project description statement, the chosen site—mainly industrial and government-owned land in Ħal Far—was deemed to have “a low social impact on surrounding residential development” given the limited number of nearby dwellings. However, it acknowledged proximity to the Ħal Far refugee centre, which accommodates asylum seekers and irregular migrants. The PDS even suggested that these facilities should be relocated. 

In 2023, MaltaToday revealed that the racetrack was further expanded by an additional 20,000sq.m of industrial land following design changes to address safety issues. 

“Without this additional land, we would have been at a standstill,” Micallef had acknowledged at the time, thanking the government for resolving the issue by allocating more public land for this purpose. 

Another application to upgrade the drag racing track was approved in February last year. That application included the reconstruction of spectator stands, a 705sq.m retail shop, and a four-storey block comprising administration offices, two catering outlets, a multipurpose hall, and a VIP hospitality box. 

At the time, environmental NGOs such as BirdLife Malta warned against a piecemeal approach to development in the area and called for all components of the project to be assessed under one holistic application. The current decision to assess the cumulative impact of all components partly addresses this concern.