Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1534344
11 ANALYSIS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 APRIL 2025 church.mt PLOT OF LAND FOR SALE QRIB SANT'ANTON, Ħ'ATTARD The Administrative Secretary of the Archdiocese of Malta will receive offers for the sale of the above plot lying within an established residential area inside the development zone. The plot is situated on Qrib Sant'Anton, Ħ'Attard and has a developable area of around 1,000 sq. metres. Further details related to the plot may be obtained by sending an e‑mail to the Head of Property at vestru@church.mt. Offers marked "Ta' Vestru Offer" must reach the Head of Property through the tender box on the first floor at the Archbishop's Curia, St Calcedonius Square, Floriana FRN 1514, by not later than noon on Monday, 12 May 2025. The right is reserved to refuse all offers, even the most financially advantageous one. saga: A never-ending story scribed land reclamation as "nec- essary in a small country with very limited territory", doubling down on its earlier commitment. In May 2022, then Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia told parliament that Malta would finally launch a land reclamation project within the legislature. "It will no longer remain a sentence in an electoral manifesto but will become reali- ty," Farrugia pledged. Around the same time, ERA confirmed that its draft report had been submitted to government, with a cross-government consul- tation still ongoing. 2023–2024: Budget shrinks and enthusiasm wanes Despite Farrugia's earlier dec- larations, budget allocations in subsequent years told a differ- ent story. While €500,000 was earmarked for land reclamation studies in 2023, only €9,500 was spent. The 2024 budget allocated €100,000, and this year's budget reduced that further to €10,000. In an interview with LovinMalta, Finance Minister Caruana cooled expectations, describing land rec- lamation as "very expensive" and suggesting that it would require "a massive tower" to justify the in- vestment – something he doubted the public would support. "I think the country has other interesting issues to look at before discussing things like this," he said. The ar- gument had gone full circle with Caruana repeating the conclu- sions of studies carried out by the Gonzi administration in 2005. 2025: Vision 2050 revives the idea again And yet, the idea resurfaced again in Malta's Vision 2050 strat- egy. This long-term plan proposes that Malta "cautiously explore" land reclamation projects, pro- vided they are backed by solid environmental and economic as- sessments and deliver "long-term public value". A more modest proposal also foresees extending Freeport capacity through out- ward reclamation. Only time will tell whether the idea will take off the ground or whether this very article will be re-written some years down the line with a new entry stating that land reclama- tion has been revived once again. A study conducted by ERA in 2019 identified six possible areas around Malta and Gozo where land reclamation projects could take place with the least environmental damage The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai is possibly the world's most renowned land reclamation project, comprising hotels and residences for millionaires. Government's Vision 2050 proposes the exploration of land reclamation projects