Independent MP Marlene Farrugia is to table a motion calling for a moratorium on large-scale developments until a master plan for the area stretching between Pieta' and Bahar ic-Caghaq is in place. 

Ms Farrugia, who announced her intentions in a Facebook post, said that she will also seek to freeze the divestment of any more public land to private investors. 

"Piecemeal development and short-term planning by subsequent governments has to stop," she wrote. "We need to safeguard our country, our people's quality of life and give investors a level playing field with clear cut briefs within which they can plan and operate."

She proposed involving all stakeholders, including NGOs and civil society, in the drafting of the master plan. 

Her announcement comes in the wake of bubbling controversy over plans to hand the  former ITS site to a private investor to develop into a large-scale project including two towers. 

The Sunday Times of Malta today reported that investors are up in arms about the plans, saying the request for proposals was "intentionally misleading".

Marlene Farrugia's Facebook post.