Parliament committee approves 50-year Ta' Qali concession for Numero Uno site

Parliament’s committee that oversees concessions of public land has approved a resolution paving the way for a 50-year emphyteutical concession on government commercial property at Ta’ Qali in favour of private operator Odel Co. Ltd.

The resolution, presented by Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, was cleared by Parliament’s National Audit Office Accounts Committee, allowing the transfer to proceed in line with the Government Lands Act.

The property in question forms part of the Club Numero Uno site within the Ta’ Qali Crafts Village and covers 5,435sq.m. It includes an area already leased by Odel Co. Ltd. since 1976 for catering and souvenir sales, as well as additional adjoining land the company had been occupying without a formal title but which is covered by a development permit.

According to the resolution, the concession will carry an annual ground rent of €126,212, calculated at 2% of a government valuation placing the freehold value of the site at just over €6.3 million. The valuation was commissioned under regulations introduced in 2024 and updated in 2025 to encourage long-term investment in government-owned commercial property.

Because the company had been using an extra 862sq.m without valid legal title, it must also pay a one-time penalty of €431,000 under the same regulations.

The Lands Authority concluded that the application satisfied the legal criteria for a temporary emphyteutical concession and sought parliamentary approval because the site exceeds the 1,500sq.m threshold requiring a special resolution of the House.

Planning permits covering extensions and structures on the site were previously sanctioned by the Planning Authority, regularising works within the existing Class 4D entertainment venue.

Government policy behind the scheme is aimed at providing commercial operators with long-term security in exchange for updated rents and formalised titles, while generating sustained revenue from public land.

The committee approved the concession on Monday. During the discussion on the resolution, Lands Authority CEO Robert Vella explained that the law on concessions was intended to avoid lenghty court proceedings when a place has been in use for so long. In those cases, the Lands Authority valuates the land and decides on a penalty for the occupation.

Nationalist MP Darren Carabott raised a concern about the noise levels in the area resulting from nightlife activities at Numero Uno. Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, who also serves as tourism minister, said the police are the ones who decide whether action should be taken against noise pollution offenders.

Vella also said that its not the responsibility of the Lands Authority to ensure compliance with noise pollution laws. He said the authority serves as something of an estate manager that obliges the concessionaire to follow laws but cannot enforce the way other entities can.