Valletta waterfront transformation to come alive within a year

Valletta Waterfront project's vision is to provide top quality leisure and entertainment facilities for cruise and ferry passengers and the public in Malta. The Valletta waterfront will include cafés, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shopping spaces that will offer a variety of products for people of all ages, pockets and tastes.

The facilities at Pinto Wharf will certainly be an attractive investment opportunity for operators in the leisure and entertainment business. Valletta waterfront will provide a unique 24-hour destination in a historical setting with great views and a guaranteed market of over 500,000 cruise liner passengers every year. These facilities will also be fully accessible to the Maltese public.

"In the coming days, Valletta Waterfront will be issuing a call for all those who are interested in leasing property here to make their interest known," Valletta Waterfront CEO Chris Falzon said. "This will be followed by more detailed briefings when prospective tenants will be invited to view the facilities and then submit their business plans.

"We are determined that by November all tenancy agreements will be concluded, giving operators the time they need to have their facilities ready to open in June 2005."

The cruise liner terminal is just one part of the Valletta Waterfront project, which is set to revitalise the Harbour area and turn it into one of Malta's main social and cultural centres. Apart from the permanent leisure and entertainment facilities, Valletta Waterfront is also set to make the area a prime location for annual festivals to suit many different tastes. The first of these festivals is set to take place in the next few weeks.

"The backdrop of Fort St Angelo and the historic setting of Pinto Wharf provide a magnificent setting for all sorts of different activities, from dining al fresco to arts and music festivals," Valletta Waterfront business manager Dirk Spiteri Lucas said.

"As from June 2005, Valletta waterfront will be one of the main commercial centres in Malta and anyone who is interested in making the most of this investment opportunity will soon have the opportunity to learn more."

The project is made up of five sectors, including the cruise and ferry terminal. Other sectors include the atrium, which will be located at the centre of the project. It will include a major attraction as well as a crafts centre, bar, various family entertainment areas, gaming centre and other entertainment facilities.

The reconstruction of its façade, destroyed during the Second World War, was completed last year. It is now also the home to Grand Master Pinto's bust, a bronze replica of the original.

The Forni shopping area will be located within the Forni Stores, built by Grand Master De Vilhena in the 1720s. The façade of the stores has been beautifully restored and the shopping area will be completed by 2006.

Along the waterfront, various pubs, cafés and restaurants will be located in the 252-year-old vaults built by Grand Master Pinto. These vaults, which used to house supplies for the Knights' galleons, will now offer a unique setting for the various food and beverage outlets.

A great al fresco venue just at the water's edge is located in the newly excavated Laguna. The Laguna will also have a walkway. The night life area, located just behind the waterfront, will be set in rooms dug into the rock, providing an ideal spot for late night entertainment. These venues will make the Valletta waterfront a 24-hour destination.

"Valletta waterfront will not just be about cruise liners and leisure," Mr Spiteri Lucas said. "There will also be office space on the first and second floors of the Pinto Stores.

"This space will surely be unique, set in historic, spacious rooms with a magnificent view of the Grand Harbour. Any company wishing to set up business at Valletta waterfront will benefit from being in one of the most impressive and prestigious locations one can imagine."

There are two further important aspects to the Valletta Waterfront project. These are the redevelopment of the old Power Station, which includes various vaults, cisterns and a marvelous 800 m2 hall. The restoration and redevelopment of this building is set to be complete in 2007.

More activity at Valletta waterfront will attract more people to the capital city. Careful consideration has already been given to the issues of traffic management and parking.

Transportation between Valletta and the Valletta waterfront will be provided primarily by the proposed cable car that will link the waterfront to the Upper Barrakka.

The cable car will also link Valletta waterfront to the proposed park and ride area in Blata l-Bajda that will have 900 car spaces. Parking at the waterfront will also be plentiful, particularly during the evenings when the quays will serve as additional parking areas.

Other parking spaces will be included in the soon to be built car park next to the sea passenger terminal that will host 250 cars.

"The cable car will also be one of Valletta waterfront's attractions," Mr Falzon said. "Apart from the convenience of this innovative transportation system, it will also provide locals and tourists an unparalleled view of Grand Harbour.

Grand Harbour, one of Malta's greatest assets has been underutilised for far too long. The Valletta Waterfront project will bring back to this area the bustle and activity for which it was so famous in the past. This time next year, we will all start to benefit from the results."