Plans by the secretary general of the Malta Developers Association, Paul Attard, to seize a large tract of prime public land in Qajjenza and turn it into a huge development comprising hundreds of flats are at a very advanced stage despite the government’s declarations to the contrary.

While most of the seafront land, owned by Enemalta and the Lands Authority, which used to serve as an LPG plant, is still government property, Attard already forked out €12 million to sign a promise of sale agreement with private third parties to buy a third (the privately-owned part) of the site.

The Shift is informed that the promise of sale, sealed in 2021, is being financed through a public bond issued by Attard’s Plan Group last year, which was fully subscribed.

Through this promise of sale, some 14,000 square metres of the Qajjenza LPG plant, the privately-owned part of the massive site, was acquired after the government released it from public use to be transferred to Attard.

Most of the land bought by Attard, some 8,700 square metres is on ODZ land, which according to the current rules, cannot be developed.

However, the rest of the portion he bought, which can be developed, crucially touches the rest of the plot – the remaining two-thirds of the site owned by the government.

What’s the catch?

To turn the seafront area into a multi-million-euro project, Attard needs to acquire the rest of the land that still belongs to the public.

Significantly, in the eventuality that both Enemalta and the Lands Authority decide to issue a tender to sell the public land, Paul Attard will now have the right of first refusal because of the adjacent land he already bought.

The plot of land earmarked for private development.

Rival developers told The Shift they smelt a rat a long time ago, adding that for Attard to fork out €12 million for the adjacent land, half of it in ODZ, he must have been “very well advised that he would also be able to acquire the rest eventually.”

Attard did not even wait for developments. Through a Planning Control application filed shortly after the promise of sale, he presented designs covering all the site, including the two-thirds still owned by the government.

To do this, he was given the green light from both the Lands Authority and Enemalta.

According to local plan rules, the entire area can only take three floors. Yet Attard is asking the Planning Authority to allow him to build six blocks, going up to eight floors, amassing hundreds of flats.

The architect who worked on the project’s initial plans was Nadine Micallef, the wife of Glenn Micallef, who, until a few days ago, was the prime minister’s chief of staff.

William Wait, the chairman of Malta Enterprise, is also a non-executive director on the board of Paul Attard’s Plan Group.

Government silence

Developments so far imply that Attard’s plans are supported by the government.

While the Lands Authority released its possession of the private part of the former LPG plant, allowing its private owners to negotiate and conclude with Attard, both Enemalta and the Lands Authority gave their consent for Attard to file his Planning Control application to rezone the whole area. The Planning Authority could not consider Attard’s application without the two government authorisations.

Miriam Dalli, responsible for Enemalta, is elected from Birzebbugia, has also been evasive when asked about the project.

She has refused to give a clear answer about the government’s intentions for the land in question.