Fort San Leonardo, located on the stretch of coast near the controversial proposed university in the south, will be restored as part of plans for an adjacent nature park – but at taxpayers’ expense, a government spokesman has confirmed.

Sadeen Group CEO Hani Salah. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Sadeen Group, the investors behind the American University of Malta, have expressed “a willingness” to contribute to the park as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility, but there is no concrete financial commitment.

Meanwhile, the precise location of the new university project, planned over 91,000 square metres, and the adjacent nature park is today being revealed by The Sunday Times of Malta.

The site earmarked for the university site, which is equivalent in size to around 12 football pitches, would be next to the old Marsascala waterpolo pitch and metres away from residential housing.

University project only feasible on ODZ land

The nature park, planned on around 615,000 square metres, includes the foreshore previously targeted for the development of the three hotels by the South Consultative Committee.

The Prime Minister has said the university and the nature park should be considered together.

The protection of the coast targeted for development is being regarded as compensation for the take up of public Outside Development Zone land. This spells an end to the long-standing debate on a road linking Żonqor Point to Smart City, which would open the coast to development. Yet, the coast already enjoys a degree of protection, with laws guaranteeing public access if observed.

The American University of Malta project is controversial and opposed by different sectors including residents, NGOs and academics since this newspaper revealed the project is only financially feasible if assigned to land Outside Development Zone.

The environmental cost of using up more countryside is being disregarded

Such land is valued at a much lower price than development zones, bringing down the costs of the government’s financial investment in the project.

Yet, the environmental cost of using up more countryside is being disregarded, according to Din l-Art Ħelwa. The land is being given to the investors as a concession on emphyteusis and the period of time has not yet been determined.

The area is not “abandoned agricultural land”. While most of it is not farmed, the top half is used by farmers who live off the land but the government has not yet considered how many farmers will be impacted by the project.

Farmers grouped yesterday to form an alliance opposing the project, telling The Sunday Times of Malta they learnt about the plans from the media and no government official had yet spoken to them. When this newspaper put this to government, a spokesman said farmers would be given land elsewhere. Since the site plan is being revealed for the first time today, the farmers were as yet unsure whether the land they were using was included in the site allocated for Sadeen Group.

Around 11 per cent (10,000 square metres) of the allocated land is privately owned by individuals linked to former Labour Minister Lorry Sant, including Michael Axisa (il-Lay Lay) and Piju Camilleri.

This newspaper yesterday revealed the government has budgeted up to €500,000 as pay-off for expropriation and land owners will not be allowed to jeopardise the deal.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised on the planned university’s accreditation and whether this project would just be a land grab for investors.

De Paul University, which was contracted by the investors to develop the curriculums, has said it will not be involved in the operation of the university.

It is the investors who will select and appoint staff as well as run the university – the target is wealthy students who can afford to pay some €40,000 for a degree.

The government is ruling out building hotels in the nature park coastal area, although a dormitory is required for the university.

It is understood that it would like the old Jerma hotel site nearby to be developed.

The government is saying the project would result in a one per cent contribution to the economy based on an analysis by economist Gordon Cordina.

Part of that contribution is based on the expectation that the project will bring in an additional 200,000 tourists and increase bed capacity by 10 per cent.