Supporters of top-tier club the Naxxar Lions are up in arms as their dream of having their own synthetic football pitch is in jeopardy, due to plans for a €12 million disability hub on the same site earmarked for the pitch.
Located a short distance away from the former Trade Fair Grounds, the site, spread over an area of 10,300 square metres, has already been transferred to the Kunsill Malti għall-Isport, which in turn signed an agreement to lease it to the club for 49 years.
The KMS-Naxxar Lions deal was signed on October 23, 2012, and two months later the government transferred the land in question to the sports council through a legal notice.
Contacted by this newspaper Naxxar Lions president David Vella confirmed that the government had approached the club over its plans to build a disability hub, but sounded a warning to the authorities.
“We will not relinquish our plot of land as the two alternative sites offered were not financially viable to simply develop into a football pitch,” he said. “The only way we could consider such locations would be to include some sort of commercial aspect, whereby we could start recouping our huge investment.”
Asked about their intention if the government would forge ahead with its plans for a disability hub, the Naxxar Lions president said they were keeping all options open, including going to court. “Naxxar children have every right to enjoy the same facilities found in neighbouring localities like Mosta, Għargħur and San Ġwann,” Mr Vella said.
While the senior team trains at the Sirens football pitch in St Paul’s Bay, the only option available for the nursery was a crammed five-a-side pitch at the Naxxar Higher Secondary School.
We will not relinquish our plot of land, as the two alternative sites offered were not financially viable
Sources said that one of the alternative sites offered by the government, situated right across from the McDonald’s outlet in Għargħur, could pose additional problems as it lies outside the development zone. They added that the second location offered was in a quarry in the Naxxar outskirts.
Both sites have been turned down by the club because the challenging terrain would warrant an addition financial outlay.
The issue has been raised in Parliament through a number of questions filed by Opposition MP Robert Cutajar, most recently last Monday, when the Prime Minister said the site still belonged to the KMS.
In a separate reply Social Policy Minister Michael Farrugia said that preliminary screening in preparation for the development application had already started with the planning authority.
However, he declined to table the site plan and an artistic impression of the project saying such request could not be acquiesced at such an early stage.
His reply raised eyebrows in the wake of the fact that on October 22, a detailed, six-minute feature showcasing three-dimensional views of the complex were uploaded on TVM’s news portal.
Asked for his reaction Mr Cutajar questioned how the government had forged ahead with this project even though the site was still in the hands of the KMS. He noted that no parliamentary resolution had been approved to transfer this land back to the government.
Mr Cutajar also pointed out that the Malta Football Association had already allocated €400,000 for this project.
Questions sent to the Social Policy Ministry last Tuesday had not been answered by the time of writing.