Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today Manoel Island must remain a green lung, and he refused to rule out any course of action, amidst controversy over the development consortium Midi’s latest plans for the island.
“We have had various presentations by the developers, and our reaction has always been that they should speak to the community,” Dr Muscat said today, fielding questions from journalists.
“The community is angry and should not be made to feel excluded from Manoel Island. We would like to see the least possible development and the most possible open space.”
READ: Hotel, shopping complex, casino planned for Manoel Island
Asked about calls for the government to buy back the concession, Dr Muscat said nothing could be ruled out but later clarified by saying: “it is not simply a matter of seizing people’s property”.
Stressing his unequivocal support for Gżira mayor Conrad Borg Manché, who has spearheaded opposition to the development, Dr Muscat said the government would for the moment continue to assess the situation.
“I hope a compromise can be found for Manoel Island to remain a green lung for the area without becoming overdeveloped,” he added.
Controversy over Manoel Island has flared up again over the last week after Midi presented its latest masterplan for the site, which includes a hotel at Fort Manoel, extensive luxury retail outlets and a casino-hotel at the historic Lazaretto.
The consortium has insisted 62 per cent of the island will be designated as public open space, including an 80,000 square metre park.
The plans have been described as “completely unacceptable” by Gżira mayor Conrad Borg Manché, who said the proposal would create “another jumble of retail outlets and commercialized space”.
Alternattiva Demokratika have called a full investigation into the contract between the government and Midi. The party said that if any conditions were found to have been breached, the island should be returned to the government and turned into a national park.
The Partit Demokratiku have also said the 99-year concession granted to Midi in 2000 should be bought back by the government, while more than 5,000 members of the public have signed a petition calling for the island to be turned into a national park.