A Dutch architect who drew up plans for Gżira Gardens last year had pleaded for more space to be allocated for a comprehensive development as part of the marine privatisation, saying it could provide more parking and also make it more financially viable.
A request for proposals issued by Transport Malta envisaged that under 1,000 square metres of the garden would be used as a marina office by the operator. But architect Erick van Egeraat proposed a very different concept last year.
Metropolis Developments, the developer of the Testaferrata Street site, had invited international architects to submit ideas for the area and design by Erick van Egeraat beat 10 other firms to win the competition in October 2016.
His proposals “wanted to illustrate the potential impact on the project and surrounding area if the marina and gardens in Ta’ Xbiex were to be enhanced and up-graded. This as part of the wider regeneration and improvement of the area,” a Metropolis spokesman told the Times of Malta when contacted, stressing it had never promoted nor communicated the marina as part of its project.
Now, with the Testaferrata Street project on hold – and with Metropolis Developments showing no interest in the marina privatisation according to its spokesman – Mr van Egeraat has no more links with Metropolis and fears his ideas seem set to remain on paper.
Keeping the water out is easy to resolve
Mr van Egeraat believes that a golden opportunity to upgrade the area might be lost as the current concession is being offered.
His plans centre around a five-metre-high central space with a footprint of 1,750 square metres as well as an adjacent auditorium, with 4,500 square metres of retail and restaurant space along the waterfront, shaded by a cantilevered roof.
It also included much-needed parking for 750 cars underground, which he said, would not be as complicated as one might think.
“I am Dutch and we do similar projects. Keeping the water out is easy to resolve,” he said.
He sees the project as being an ideal public-private partnership that could attract EU-funding and which could generate – rather than drain – funds for the local council, enabling it to offer a 12,500-square-metre, much-enhanced park that would be the natural ‘end point’ for the promenade stretching from Sliema and Manoel Island.
The project would cost €7.5 million for the underground parking and a further €7.5 million for the park and buildings above ground.
“I believe the area is not really reaching its potential. Many of the international projects I work on use cross-over financing,” Mr van Egeraat said.
“There would be some element of investment required but there are ways to ensure what you end up with is public money being used for public goals so that not too much ends up in private pockets.”