€10 million to be spent on Paceville redesign with input from stakeholders

A good turnout of stakeholders have met with tourism minister Konrad Mizzi and consulting firm representatives to share ideas on the Paceville embellishment programme, a €10 million investment in the St Julian’s area.

Mizzi said that surveys have shown that 600,000 tourists per year visit the Paceville area and they have lodged complaints with regards to pavements, general level of security, traffic and cleanliness.  

“The design concept will be contemplated over the next 3 months and it will look at new attractions, amenities, CCTV installations, and embellishment of public spaces,” Mizzi said. “A total of €10 million will be committed to regenerate the area.” 

Deloitte partner Raphael Aloisio spoke at a press conference at the Hilton, where he said 25% of tourist arrivals were choosing their accommodation in the Paceville and St Julian’s area. “36% of five-star hotels are in Paceville and 50% of bed-stock for the five-star category is also in Paceville,” he said.  

He said a different demographic also chooses Paceville as its accommodation area with 41% of English-language students choosing to stay in the area.  

Aloisio argued that despite this, the restaurant sector in Paceville registered the lowest gross income, which is indicative of the changing profile of tourists. Most tourists preferred Valletta. “Paceville is a significant area,” Aloisio said, “that warrants the investment being contemplated in this programme.” 

Prof. Peter Sharratt, head of strategic consulting at engineers WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff – who are leading the Paceville embellishment project - said that tourism contributed to some 30% of Malta’s GDP. “Teh tourism sector is a huge part of the economic future of Malta... but how do you balance this growth with such a constrained space?” 

Sharratt will be working with Grimshaw, world-renowned architects and landscape designers, to bring WSP’s global experience to the Paceville project.  

“Paceville presents a number of challenges. The quality of public space matters. It has an economic impact, so we need to embellish Malta’s connected, smart, and distinctive public spaces to make it an exemplar for the Mediterranean.” 

He said that he would not be glossing over the design concept of the embellishing programme because WSP does not have it yet. “We do not have a pre-set idea of what Paceville will look like. We are relying on stakeholders to come up with it.” 

Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi agreed with Sharratt and said that Paceville faces many challenges, including parking, cleanliness and traffic. “We have to make good use of this investment,” Mizzi said. “Given its significance to the economy, we are starting with Paceville but will hope to embellish other areas as well.” 

MHRA President Tony Zahra had words of praise for the fact that a serious plan for the Paceville area was being brought up. “It’s been two years since the launch of the Paceville masterplan,” he said. “Since MHRA had supported an eco contribution charge introduced in the 2016 budget, we had asked the government for money to be spent on embellishment. Today, all revenue generated from that initiative is being directed exclusively to upgrade and embellish the Paceville area.”