Activists on Friday urged the government to reopen negotiations with the Sadeen Group to save Żonqor from development.
In a statement, Front Ħarsien ODZ argued that Żonqor was still scheduled to form part of a national park in the local plan.
If the local plan was not amended, no development could take place on this site, the activists said.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat called the motion “premature”, asserting that the Żonqor land would only be developed if the campus at Cospicua was used to full capacity.
Read: Labour council votes down motion to return Żonqor land
Student numbers at the AUM’s present campus in Cospicua have been far lower than those originally projected.
The AUM started firing staff soon after its September opening due to the lack of students.
All 15 full-time lecturers were made redundant last month, while they were still on their six-month probation period.
Dr Muscat said that although the project was still in its infancy, €20 million had already been invested in the restoration and embellishment of the American University’s Cospicua premises and he had been informed that the student complement had recently gone up to over 30 students.
Read: NGOs push for Żonqor AUM campus plans to be scrapped
Front Ħarsien ODZ noted that the proposed development in Żonqor so far mostly consisted of sea view dormitories which could well be located elsewhere.
It urged the government to finally close the Żonqor matter in full dialogue with all stakeholders, with the aim of protecting ODZ land and including all of Żonqor in the Inwadar national park.
In a separate statement, the Civil Society Network (CSN) said it was determined to cooperate with all persons of good will to ensure that the land at Żonqor Point was transferred back to the Maltese public and used for the common good.
It said the government had a moral duty to the people to accept reality and ensure that the vast area of ODZ land at Żonqor was not sacrificed for what increasingly looks like a white elephant.
CSN said it was academic criteria and sustainability that dictated the success of a university, and not panoramic sea views.