Naxxar parking area up for sale
Trade Fair centre lot is put out to tender
The parking area around the Naxxar Trade Fair centre is up for sale. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier
The vast parking lot around the Naxxar Trade Fair centre is up for sale and could be turned into a built-up area.
The land, covering more than 6,000 square metres, is owned by the Malta Trade Fairs Corporation and the Fairs and Exhibitions Limited, which is trying to dispose of its assets to close down the business.
Corporation chairman Paul Abela, who is the company’s president and also president of the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU, confirmed the land was up for sale by tender.
Interested parties have been asked to submit their offer for the land, which according to the architect’s valuations costs “millions”.
However, Mr Abela refused to divulge the precise cost or how much the corporation was expecting to make of the sale as he said this could prejudice it.
The area being sold is adjacent to the trade fair centre, a 44,000-square-metre complex which hosted the annual trade fair for more than 50 years. It is one of the few remaining open areas in the heart of Naxxar and is surrounded by a vast garden in the grounds of the historic Palazzo Parisio.
The complex, owned by the heirs of the Marquis Scicluna, will not be sold, and neither will “parcels of land” the corporation owned within the complex, Mr Abela confirmed.
The area around the complex is within the planning scheme designated for development, Mr Abela said. The corporation and the Fairs and Exhibitions Limited had purchased this land in the 1970s.
Asked what instigated the sale, Mr Abela said there was “no scope” for the existence of the company and the corporation which eventually had to be “dismantled”. To do so, they had to dispose of their assets.
The Malta Trade Fairs Corporation was first set up in 1955 as an organising body for the Malta Trade Fair, which later took on the name of the International Fair of Malta.
The corporation’s shareholders include the GRTU, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, the government, the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and the Trade Fairs Exhibitors Association.
The latter organisation was recently involved in a number of court cases to fight the right to use the Naxxar premises as a venue for the holding of fairs.
A recent appeals court judgment confirmed that a permit to hold the fair in 2010 should have been issued. The annual trade fair was moved to Ta’ Qali in 2007 after being held in Naxxar for 50 years. But in January 2010, a legal tug of war ensued between the company and the Commerce Division after the latter refused to grant a licence to hold the fair again.
Asked whether it made sense for the association to fight a legal battle if the parking area was going to be sold, Mr Abela said the company was not stopping anyone, not even the association, from purchasing the land, thus being able to retain it as a parking area for possible future trade fairs.
Documents related to the land sale can be collected from the GRTU offices in Republic Street, Valletta, against a fee of €100. Offers must be received by October 5.
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42 Comments
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L. Chircop
Aug 4th 2012, 17:39
The state should buy it and donate it to Naxxar Lions Football Club so they too would have a football pitch where their kids could practise the National Sports. 2012 and Only Naxxar, Comino and Filfla do not have a football pitch of their own. ''Weghdi Pozi u paroli fil Vojt kemm trid imma Fatti Le'' ''Basta nghajtu fuq l-ahbarijiet bil Pitch in-Naxxar'' Don't you think that it is high time Naxxar people have their own football ground so the club would save money of having to rent other Localities Pitches every single day and I am not talking about a stadium. I know I'm just blowing in the wind ''ghax kif jghid il-Malti hanqa ta Hmar qatt ma telghet is-sema !!! ''
Joe Fenech
Aug 4th 2012, 19:39
Don't be ridiculous! We don't need any more football pitches. There are enough. It is for clubs to establish a rota for pitch usage. It is ridiculous that a tiny village-size rock has to have a cemetery, a church and a football pitch in every village. When is Malta going to start having some proper urban planning? This site should be a nice green area for people to have a stroll and breathe some fresh air.
Mr Stanley Fenech
Aug 5th 2012, 15:14
@Joe Fenech And don't we have enough flats (pigeon holes or whatever one would like to call them). At Naxxar, and in most villages, we lack open spaces (and I am not talking about trade fairs neither). Spaces where one can go for a walk, spend some time reading, enjoy some quality time with his family. Floriana has the Mall, the Argotti Gardens, Rabat has a number of gardens too, Sliema with all the flats and high rise buildings, has its open spaces and the promenade, Attard has got Ta' Qali, Santa Lucia has got the Chinese Garden, and the small park adjacent to the Tal-Barrani road. At Naxxar we are left with the Mount Maghtab which some time very soon is going to be converted to a garden (although I have to say that from what was smelt yesterday evening on passing from the coast road, it is destined to remain an empty park, and the large number of quarries around the village. So yes, I'd rather have a football pitch (possibly together with other sports facilities) as that is what the area was meant to be according to the MEPA policy plans from 2006.
A. Mifsud
Aug 4th 2012, 16:47
How dumb (or shall I say smart?) of the corporation to put this land up for sale now. Land prices are at their lowest levels for the last decade or so. Some 'bazuzzlu' will grab this land at a bargain. Many developers are strapped out of cash, so I'll bet very few will bid for this prime patch of land.
Government should intervene, purchase and re-nationalize this land, rather than allow another concrete urban jungle to spiral upwards.
Mr Andrew Grech
Aug 4th 2012, 13:34
What a mess. First the Central Local MEPA plan gets over ruled and the ex-trade fair ground was once again in the spotlight for a possible comeback and now the parking area directly outside the trade fair complex is up for sale. Rather conflicting unless the area is purchased by the directors of TFEA Ltd...
So, if the land does not sell, will it be rented out as a car park? The Old Trade Fair should be demolished and restored to its former beauty as a garden. With regards to the adjoining land, well, a garden will definitely add value to the area...having the Trade Fair complex as your neighbour, not really!
Mr Stanley Fenech
Aug 4th 2012, 16:14
Very well said Andrew.
J Galea
Aug 4th 2012, 13:27
Why not government buy it up and turn it into a park? Everywhere is being built up. Yesterday I was driving past Manikata. Before you could see the wonderful church from the valley. now? Now you can't see the church unless you're right in front of it. Maltese people are sure good at killing the golden goose.
Joseph Sammut
Aug 4th 2012, 11:42
Government should buy it and develop it into a parking/garden space for all public to enjoy. We have enough empty houses/apartments, what not! Let Malta breath again.
Joe Fenech
Aug 4th 2012, 12:51
of course! Malta will be worse than Hong Kong in a couple of years' time.
Pierre John Agius
Aug 4th 2012, 14:33
@ Joe Fenech
Have you ever been to Hong Kong? Talk is cheap!
Joe Fenech
Aug 4th 2012, 19:09
Yes, Pierre, on business. And it's appalling!
M Mallia
Aug 4th 2012, 11:15
Almost all the comments left so far predicting what will become of this land, will eventually be proven to be precise. The sad thing is that corruption and stupidity have reached such high levels in our country that no-one will do anything about it as it would be useless. (not referring to any particular political party)
Elvin Muscat
Aug 4th 2012, 11:15
This is why the Government years ago should have set up a fund and a Committee for these eventualities, to buy such properties or land. Rather than expropriating for peanuts and then sell to businesses as they did at Marsa, they should have a Committee of responsible persons with no vested interest to buy such lands or property. But then again maybe I am asking too much.
Joe Fenech
Aug 4th 2012, 10:55
MALTA = THIRD WORL COUNTRY.
Even Spain has a problem with empty houses they'd built in the boom. An their are not ugly flat and horrid villages... It is impossible to teach the Gahan!
Joe Fenech
Aug 4th 2012, 11:46
and they are not ugly flats and horrid villages.
ANTHONY PAVIA
Aug 4th 2012, 11:52
Government should requisition it for a public purpose which would be a public garden and rest area. After all these people had bought the land from tax proceeds or tax concessions awarded (?) by central Government.
cesco di luigi
Aug 4th 2012, 10:52
it's a great site for a crematorium
Borg D
Aug 4th 2012, 13:04
Where do you live Cesco?
Bet you wouldn't want a crematorium in your backyard right? Plus...you wouldn't make such a suggestion if you were a shareholder of this land right?
Joe Fenech
Aug 4th 2012, 10:52
Ibni Gahan!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Il-Malti ma jitghallimx. Aghmlu gnien minflok!
clive borg
Aug 4th 2012, 11:54
You can always buy it and give it to the government for free to construct a playground!
Feel free to do so - you can be the first one Mr. Fenech....
By constructing a playground, what income will you get from it? Nothing .... Exactly paying millions for a land to get nothing back - forsi jitla l- PL u jirnexilu jizviluppa b xi sistema ta Public–private partnership (PPP)!
E. De Marco
Aug 4th 2012, 10:50
Is there enough space for a new power station? Or maybe an olympic size swimming pool? Or a refuse dump..it's not too far away from Maghtab!
Mark Busuttil
Aug 4th 2012, 18:50
Very funny!!!! .. Shall we do this refuse dump near you instead? .. By the way i live just a few meters away!!!
A Cachia
Aug 4th 2012, 10:48
Buy back the land and turn it into a park!!!
Lawrence Fenech
Aug 4th 2012, 10:32
M'hemmx dubju permessi kollha qabel l-elezzjoni issa l'aktar li ma hemmx Falzon.
Jonathan Camilleri
Aug 4th 2012, 10:26
What is the estimated market value of the parking area being tendered?
What is the estimated market value of the land in the area, including that surrounding Palazzo Parisio per square metre?
Frederick Cutajar
Aug 4th 2012, 09:42
I would like to make a suggestion to the owners of the land. Donate it to the Naxxar Local Council , so that they will develop it into a Park, for the residents of Naxxar. That way, they would be saying thank you, for the inconvenience caused, throughout the years, that they have organised the fair, to the Naxxar residents. Have courage and do it. Money is not everything in life.
Toni Borg
Aug 4th 2012, 10:03
You're kidding right????
David Farrugia
Aug 4th 2012, 10:10
No way my friend....these greedy capitalists see only money money and money. They don't care about the community. They don't care about you too.
Mario Busuttil
Aug 4th 2012, 10:18
Nahseb li l owners ser jisimaw minnek,,,,nahseb li inti hekk kont taghmel ,galantom izzejjed...
Charles Vella
Aug 4th 2012, 10:20
Erm... Padre Pio? LOL This is business mate, not some charity!
Steve Zammit
Aug 4th 2012, 10:39
mhux ekk tellaw blokk appartamenti mela, Frederick ghandu ragun, imma fid-dinja nies fil-flus biss jahsbu
Patrick Zammit
Aug 4th 2012, 10:40
I would not trust the Naxxar LC.
Do you know that they wanted to spend public money renovating a private yard/garden, if not mistaken, belonging to the Church?
Joe Fenech
Aug 4th 2012, 10:53
TOni Borg. While this is unlikely, Mr Cutajar's suggestion is perfect, although this should be bought by the government.
R Mallia
Aug 4th 2012, 10:59
U ejja come on, like if anyone of you owned this land, worth who knows what will give it away free!.
I am not a business man but if I inherit a piece of land I would definatly sell it.
Mr F J Brincat
Aug 4th 2012, 11:07
Bit "Thank you"ma naghmlu xejn hanini. Shareholders li nvestew flus matul is-snin issa jridu flushom lura. Il-Flus mhux kollox, vera....imma kwazi.
clive borg
Aug 4th 2012, 11:55
Would you donate your property for free!
Colin Stanley
Aug 4th 2012, 12:51
are you for real?
Borg D
Aug 4th 2012, 13:08
@ Steve Zammit
Dik hi...blokka flats ha jitilghaw. Il-Malti misslu l-but u jirribella Zur Zammit...!
J. Abela
Aug 4th 2012, 14:04
If you have a prime piece of property would you donate it, Mr Cutajar? They are businessmen/women not Mother Thereza
Frederick Cutajar
Aug 4th 2012, 14:42
I would never imagine, someone donating a plot of land like that, if it belonged to a private individual, but this land is owned by two national bodies, and that is why I made the suggestion. This project if it had to materialise would certainly, be something to be proud of to both organisations. My suggestion was in good faith.
R. Cilia
Aug 4th 2012, 09:33
Expect hundreds of flats to be built in the near future.
Borg D
Aug 4th 2012, 13:10
To be accurate....Hundreds of pigeon holes.
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