St George’s Bay alleyway’s €133,000 price tag

A Lands Authority call for tenders has put up for sale a public alleyway at St George’s Bay leading into the Ħarq Ħamiem valley, starting at €133,846.

The wording for the call for tender does not exclude construction of a “5.5m tunnel” above or beneath it, raising concerns on the price tag for land that could be turned into a tunnel with overhead construction.

The land is adjacent to the Villa Rosa area that is scheduled for high-rise development. Bidders have till 24 March, two days before the country goes to the polls, to present their offer.

The Lands Authority has not replied to questions from MaltaToday on how valuation was carried out, and the public purpose behind the sale of the alley.

The neighbouring Moynihan House and Dolphin House will soon make way for commercial development, running alongside new plans for a 34-storey tower near Bay street, and another 27-storey tower in the middle of the 50,000sq.m Villa Rosa site.

The project is a mix of hotels, serviced apartments, offices, recreational facilities, shops, bars, restaurants and a multi-purpose hall. While a considerable part of the site is designated as a public open space, the Environment and Resources Authority has expressed concern at the “significant”  intensification of development proposed on-site.

The public open space will be located between the proposed buildings and the coastal promenade, but intensive development will be immediately bordering the sensitive valley area. The ERA expressed concern that excavations are proposed well within the established buffer zone of Ħarq Ħammiem cave, with additional excavations to the west of Moynihan House bringing interventions closer towards the area of the upper chamber of the underlying cave system.

In view of this the ERA has decreed that an Environment Impact Assessment is necessary before plans for the development are evaluated.