Update 12.22pm - video added
The long-awaited regeneration of the Ta’ Qali crafts village, in the pipeline for 25 years, is finally set to go ahead after the government announced it had secured the necessary EU funds for the project.
Parliamentary secretary Ian Borg announced this morning that €14 million in EU funds had been allocated to upgrade the area into a centre of excellence for traditional artisanal crafts.
Some 50 operators will receive funding, although the operators will also be expected to carry out their own investments to complement the project. The total investment by the operators is expected to amount to some €4 million.
Dr Borg would not give a specific timeline for works to get underway, but said the process of procurement would begin almost immediately, with works expected to follow shortly after.
Crafts village operators who spoke to the Times of Malta expressed relief that the funds were finally in hand for the project to begin, having been forced for years to operate with substandard and outdated infrastructure, which they said gave a poor impression to tourists who came to the village.
Dr Borg making the announcement. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina
Last year 54 out of the 62 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.
Until now, however, the project has been held up as the government was still awaiting the green-light from Brussels for the allocation of funds.
Meanwhile, Dr Borg also announced this morning that the Xewkija Industrial Park in Gozo would be extended in a €16 million project also financed by EU funds.
The 5000 square metre extension will see the creation of 15 new premises for financial services, research and IT businesses in the area known as Tal-Ħofra.
Moreover, Trade Malta will benefit from a €900,000 investment to develop an “internationalisation knowledge platform”, providing some 130 SMEs with capacity-building support to internationalise their product.