Birżebbuġa would gain nothing if the proposed American university were sited at the former Enemalta fuel plant there, Labour mayor Kevin Barun said.

“I am personally against hosting this University in Birżebbuġa. We have nothing to gain from it. It will only benefit businessmen and not the residents. What we need are more open spaces here and not more buildings,” he told Times of Malta.

The Nationalist Opposition and environmental groups have proposed the fuel storage plant, which is being dismantled – about 40,000 square metres of prime land close to the shoreline – as an alternative to the Żonqor Point site suggested by the government. 

PN councillor Herman Schiavone moved a council motion last week for a feasibility study to be commissioned on the possibility of the project being housed in Birżebbuġa, but the five Labour councillors, including the major, voted against. Asked to explain, Mr Barun said they had no instructions from the Labour Party headquarters on what to do. However, he said he felt that the “motion was too rigid and should not have focused on just a university. We must explore other possibilities.” 

Mr Barun said his idea was to have recreational areas, not universities, in the space to be vacated by Enemalta. 

More in Times of Malta and the e-paper on timesofmalta.com Premium.

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