A surprise call by the Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA) – a satellite agency of the Gozo ministry – to turn a plot of land once earmarked to host a much-needed courthouse into another car park in Victoria has attracted little interest from the private sector, with just one submission.

PN MP Chris Said asked Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri in parliament for an update on the call, which closed last September. The minister admitted that the GRDA received one submission but declined to provide the name.

The call is deemed controversial.

The same plot, currently already used as a makeshift car park in Pjazza l-Assedju ta’ Għawdex, was, until a few years ago, the site earmarked for a new Gozo courthouse.

Then, Gozo Minister Anton Refalo filed a development application to build the courthouse, which was granted a Planning Authority permit in 2016. But following a change of minister and tens of thousands spent on its design and studies, Minister Clint Camilleri scrapped the project without providing a reason.

The government refuses to state whether an alternative site has been identified for the needed courthouse in Gozo.

Instead, the GRDA issued a call to turn the same plot into an underground car park, with a top floor dedicated to commercial facilities, mostly shops. The area is already surrounded by shops.

According to the GRDA, this was to be granted through a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) to a developer, who would operate the commercial entity through an agreement with the government.

Sources said that since this proposal did not attract much enthusiasm, it will likely be dropped.

Meanwhile, a large carpark at Tax-Xħajma, next to Gozo’s horse racing track, which had to open some four years ago and was built using millions of EU funds, is still not ready.

The car park, the design of which has been described as an eyesore in the middle of a rural area, is still being built. No date has been given for its opening for public use. Construction works on this project started in 2017.