St Julians local council plans to develop old people’s home

The St Julians local council is planning to strike a private public partnership agreement for the development of an old people’s home close to the Regional Road.

The council will provide the land and the private sector will build and run the home. At an estimated cost of €13 million – of which the council will not fork out a cent – the project is understood to be the first of this scale undertaken by an individual locality.

“It is a very ambitious project. Local councils are not only there to see to the changing of street lights and pavements but to enter into private partnership agreements for such projects for the benefit of the local community,” said St Julians mayor Peter Bonello.

The council voted unanimously in favour of the project, which is still in its initial stages. An outline development permit application was recently submitted to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

Mr Bonello said the council was planning to consult the public once the plans were finalised.

The land earmarked for the proposed building is government owned and was passed on to the council to be used for a social purpose. It lies adjacent to the Al Fateh Libyan School at Ta’ Giorni and is spread over an area of 5,200 square metres.

The entrance would be from Anġlu Mikiel Borg Street, the road leading from Spinola Bay up to Regional Road.

The plans are for a five-storey building and an underground car park with a capacity for 105 cars. The home will have 156 beds in a mix of single and double rooms with a garden which would also be open to the public.

Council architect Stephen Farrugia said the plan was to also use the residence as a night shelter for elderly people who may not feel safe sleeping at home alone.

A brand new council office would be built next to the main block and include a public library and the government polyclinic which is today housed in a tiny room inside the St Julians police station.

Mr Bonello said the council was looking into the possibility of using the funds available through the Community Parking Payment Scheme to extend the proposed underground car park. The council would also like to offer a park and ride service between the car park and the town centre.

No timeframes have been set for the project. A call for tenders will be issued once the permits are in hand, the mayor said.

Residents who would like to have a look at the current plans can do so at the council offices. The mayor said nothing was cast in stone and any comments or suggestions would be examined.