A call for private commercial entities interested in conserving and managing a number of government properties that have been abandoned for years could lead to a racetrack on the outskirts of Mġarr.
The facility could be located on the site known as Tal-Busbesija, which served as anti-aircraft battery to protect Ta’ Qali airfield in World War II.
The site is among the four properties included in a call for expression of interest which opens on Monday and closes on October 24.
The other sites are the Marfa Palace in Marfa, Strickland House on the outskirts of Mġarr, which is also known as Charlie’s Castle, and the Isolation Hospital in Mtarfa.
Planning Parliamentary Secretary Michael Farrugia said yesterday these properties would be leased for a period of between 45 and 99 years.
Malta is not Monaco
He said a short lease would not make sense considering the financial outlay involved to restore the properties that had been neglected for years.
Dr Farrugia said properties in question were identified as part of a stock taking exercise of government properties. Another call for expressions of interest involving four or five more properties was in the pipeline, he added.
He remarked that the Government was open to all kind of proposals as long as these were environmentally friendly, socially and economically viable.
“We are inviting interested parties to put forward their ideas, which might even include a racing track,” he added. Such a development, he noted, would only make sense outside built-up areas, jokingly remarking that “Malta is not Monaco”, which hosts the Formula 1 grand prix in the heart of the city.
Dr Farrugia said that, since taking office, he had been approached by a number of people about the sites.
He said that the Marfa Palace, originally built as a coastal battery in Wied Musa in 1716, was probably the most sought after.
Throughout the years, several modifications and extensions were made to the Marfa building, which served as hotel in the first half of last century. Until recently, the palace was used as a summer residence by the St Joseph Home of Santa Venera. Unfortunately, it has also been vandalised by squatters.
The Isolation Hospital was built by the British Services in 1924 as part of the nearby hospital and barracks. About 15 years ago, parts of the building suffered considerable damage when it was set on fire. The structure was scheduled as a Grade 2 national monument in 2008.
Dr Farrugia said Strickland House was not big enough to be considered for agritourism projects because the new guidelines being issued by the planning authority in the coming weeks would stipulate a minimum of 60 acres of agricultural land for such ventures.