The Ta’ Qali crafts village revamp, in the pipeline for 25 years, has hit another stumbling block as the government’s application to secure EU funds for this €9 million project has not yet received the green light from Brussels.

An Economy Ministry spokeswoman said in reply to questions sent by The Sunday Times of Malta: “Since March 2015, the application to source the necessary EU funds has been duly prepared and submitted for consideration. Malta Industrial Parks [a State entity responsible of the upkeep of industrial zones] is waiting for the outcome of the evaluation process.

“MIP will commence with issuing the necessary tenders once the necessary EU funds for the project are approved,” the ministry added.

Last year 54 out of the 62 crafts village tenants had taken up a government offer where they were granted a 65-year lease on condition they would finance the construction of their new premises themselves.

The Economy Ministry bound itself to embellish the area with a much needed facelift, with new street lighting, public open spaces, parking facilities and a family area. The project even included the restoration of two nissen huts which were part of the military airbase that was closed down in the late 1960s.

At the time the tenants had been urged to take up the offer by March 31 of last year, failing which they would have had to vacate the place.

Eleven months down the line, however, the momentum behind this project seems to have fizzled out.

At this pace I doubt if the project will ever materialise within my lifetime

Tenants who spoke to this newspaper but preferred to remain anonymous expressed frustration.

“At this pace I doubt if the project will ever materialise within my lifetime,” one said. “Though we have been paying a higher lease price since signing the agreement in March last year, everything is at a standstill and we received absolutely no feedback from the government,” he added. Sources said that the unexpected departure of MIP CEO Joshua Zammit at the end of last year had not help the tenants’ cause.

A stonework artisan said he was planning to invest as much as €1.5 million in a new complex showcasing various traditional crafts like wax making and ceramics. “Having already invested heavily to acquire adjacent property to expand the footprint of my premises, the least I would have expected is for embellishment works to start in a few months’ time. The ball is now in the government’s court,” he said.

Adrian Grima from Bristow Potteries said the village lacked even basic amenities, to the point that part of their own complex included a public convenience.

“Twenty years ago we took a gamble and invested heavily to modernise our workshop. Though we have no regrets about it, the least we expect is for the authorities to get their act together and deliver this project which has been in the pipeline since the early 1990s,” he said.

Last year the Economy Ministry had promised to roll out a scheme assisting tenants to develop their new allocated site and promote artisanship and crafts in Malta. Asked whether the initiative had ever seen the light of day, a ministry spokeswoman said that last year State investment agency Malta Enterprise launched a scheme where tenants could benefit from a two per cent loan interest subsidy up to a maximum of €6,000.

Furthermore, undertakings in possession of a category A certification of producing authentic Maltese crafts by the end of April 2018, that are operating at Ta’ Qali or Ta’ Dbieġi crafts village in Gozo, will be awarded a €5,000 grant over a 24-month period, the spokeswoman said.