The Jordanian investors planning to develop a university campus in Marsascala had first asked for a larger tract of land, Times of Malta has learnt.

Spokesman Kevin Deguara said most of the university models Sadeen Educational Investments had looked at required a minimum of 100,000 square metres and some were even spread over a minimum of 120,000 square metres. However, the company settled for 90,000 square metres after the government asked it to reduce the original requirements, Dr Deguara said.

He cautioned that finding an alternative site could impact the project’s feasibility and timelines.

The university, dubbed the American University of Malta, plans to host 4,000 students and is expected to have its first intake in October 2016, using Smart City as a temporary facility.

Dr Deguara insisted the single most important condition for Sadeen was that all buildings and amenities would be situated on one campus. “The proposed university would have ample open spaces and numerous facilities, which necessitated the amount of land being proposed.”

He said the size of the land area was “crucial” for the investment because it determined the type of facilities offered, the number of students accommodated, the open spaces, sports facilities and other open air amenities.

“Tell me how you can achieve this if you continue reducing the footprint,” Dr Deguara asked.

Location ‘has impact on feasibility’

Sadeen wants to build the university on a tract of pristine land behind the former national swimming pool in Marsascala. The area is an outside development zone and, in 2006, was earmarked as part of a natural park along with the whole stretch of coastline between Marsascala and Xgħajra.

The proposed location was met by a chorus of disapproval from various environmental groups, the Opposition and Alternattiva Demokratika, which have called for an alternative site to be chosen within existing development boundaries.

But when asked whether Sadeen was willing to consider other sites if the basic condition could be met, Dr Deguara said the choice of any location had a direct impact on the project’s feasibility and timeframe.

“While changing location is not impossible, this will undoubtedly delay the project and increase expenses,” he said, adding a university only had a one-time window opportunity to open every year.

“If you miss that window it means you are now facing an entire year’s delay and, like every business, there is a breaking point when a project doesn’t remain viable anymore,” Dr Deguara said.

Asked about the height of the proposed buildings at Żonqor Point, Dr Deguara said this would be decided by the project architects and engineers together with the planning authority.

But he reiterated there would be no high buildings and the university would be designed and built with “respect to and in sync with its surroundings”.

No plans have so far been made public and the choice of the site was made by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, exposing it to criticism by the Opposition that it was no longer impartial when deciding on the permit application.

Apart from the environmental aspect of the university’s location, some have also criticised the concept, fearing it would eventually be turned into a real estate venture. The government has insisted the investors would be bound to use the location solely as a university.

However, a question as to whether the Sadeen Group was convinced of the university’s success was met by another question. “Would you invest over €100 million as a direct investment into a foreign country unless all the market research and feasibility studies proved that this would be a success?”

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kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com