The Privatisation Unit’s proposal for the development of three hotels on virgin land in the south is “not the gospel” and nothing is set in stone, according to Labour MP Silvio Parnis.
Mr Parnis, who is the chairman of the Consultative Council for the South, said the brief, which had been prepared on his request, was being discussed atcouncil level.
The three proposed hotels, stretching from Smart City to Żonqor Point, would together offer some 700 rooms and will be accompanied by a promenade and a beach club, all built on public land outside development zones.
Addressing a Budget dialogue event by Social Dialogue Minister Helena Dalli in Valletta, Mr Parnis said this was one of the initiatives being taken in favour of the south.
“I asked the Privatisation Unit to compile the report and they passed it on to us. What it proposed is not set in stone and it’s not the gospel. We are discussing it to establish the way forward,” he said.
It is not the gospel. We are discussing it to establish the way forward
He was reacting to the outcry that followed a Times of Malta story that revealed the contents of the unit’s proposals, which aims to create what many described as a Buġibba in the south.
Consultative council members include the Malta Developers Association president Sandro Chetcuti, who is backing the development. The three hotels proposed would consist of a five-star hotel close to Smart City, a boutique hotel located within Fort Leonardu “for a unique experience”, and an iconic hotel that would “symbolise a truly romantic Mediterranean backdrop” at the furthermost tip of Żonqor Point.
During the event, when she was questioned by Joseph Vella, a single parent who earns €635 a month as a security guard, €400 of which goes to pay the rent, Dr Dalli admitted that the war on precarious work had not been won. “But at least there’s the commitment.” She added that the blacklisting of companies who offered these conditions “will start soon”.
The public was only allowed five ofthe 14 interventions. The rest of the time was taken up by Labour MPs and chairman of various government departments and authorities falling under Dr Dalli’s political responsibility.