Opposition raises questions on deal with Ċaqnu on Luqa land

A meeting of a parliamentary committee intended to rubber-stamp a deal made between the government and Charles Polidano (iċ-Ċaqnu) over a large plot of land in Luqa was postponed following questions raised by the PN opposition over the process.

MP Darren Carabott questioned the valuation made by a government-appointed architect, Dennis Camilleri, who determined that the transfer of a parcel of public land, which forms part of a larger plot, was to be sold to Polidano for approximately €600,000.

When asked whether the architect had updated his valuation since his estimates were based on 2024 prices, the architect surprisingly said, “There was no change to the price of the plot during the last year.”

According to recent NSO figures, real estate continued to increase significantly during the past 12 months, with an average of 7% in the Property Price Index (PPI).

Carabott also expressed reservations about the draft contract’s text presented to the National Audit Office Accounts Committee.

Minister Ian Borg, who chaired the meeting, postponed the session for further clarification.

The Galdes-Ċaqnu deal

Known as Tad-Dokkiena in Luqa, the large 5,000-square-metre plot has been earmarked for social housing for at least two decades.

Part of the plot is privately owned by Polidano, who intends to develop it into dozens of flats.

However, since there was no agreement on parts of the plot, the Planning Authority refused to issue a permit.

Last year, as part of the government’s greenwashing exercise, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that the part of the plot owned by the Housing Authority was to be turned into a garden instead of social housing.

This announcement opened the way for Housing Minister Roderick Galdes to enter into direct negotiations with Polidano to solve the long-standing issues on this plot.

Galdes told Parliament that the solution found was for part of the government property to be passed on to Polidano, so that a dividing line in the plot could be established. This way, iċ-Ċaqnu could turn his part of the plot into a massive residential building adjacent to a government-funded garden.

In his valuation report, the government-appointed architect wrote that Polidano would have never been able to develop his part of the plot without a transfer of public land.