The government has still not reacted to a widely-supported Bill presented by the Opposition last week to safeguard common heritage, although new projects are being announced on sites the Bill is intended to protect.

The Sunday Times of Malta has repeatedly asked the government whether it intends to support the Public Domain Bill to protect national, cultural and historical heritage for the benefit of future generations presented in Parliament by the Opposition last Tuesday. The only reply received so far was that the Bill was still being studied. 

Meanwhile, plans have been revealed for a hotel in the protected Għadira Bay and a university campus in an outside development zone near Żonqor Point in Marsascala.

The site to be used by the university is on the same stretch of land that was targeted for the development of three hotels to “regenerate the south” – a plan that resulted in a public outcry.

Such development would not be possible without parliamentary scrutiny and strict criteria for the land’s preservation if the PN Bill proposed last week were enacted.

The Public Domain Bill would impose upon government limitations on the use of public land and assets. Described as a “quantum leap” in administration, the Bill empowers citizens and NGOs to recommend land and property to be listed as public domain, meaning it cannot be commercialised and guarantees public access.