Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540561
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 OCTOBER 2025 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 "We want to do things properly, and these delays are understanda- ble, especially when one considers that in terms of scale, this is prob- ably the largest project ever to be assessed by the relevant authori- ties," Micallef said. Micallef also explained that other components of the project including the drag racing track re- main on track. Moreover, the ex- tensive area identified for the new circuit track has been cleaned up while the government is carrying out infrastructural works in the surrounding area to facilitate the project. "We should not forget that in the past few years, more work has been done than in the previous 50 years. But as happens all over the world with projects of this scale, bureaucratic delays can be ex- pected," he said. Moreover, Micallef said he re- mains optimistic that the studies will be completed soon, which, according to him, would put the application back on track. "The original target was to get planning approval for the project by the end of the year. We are do- ing everything possible to respect this target, but one has to consider unforeseen circumstances which are hard to predict with a project of such a scale," he added. The promise to develop a mot- orsport track has featured in the electoral manifestos of both major political parties in the past three general elections. In September 2022, government sources had told MaltaToday that the race- track would be "nearing comple- tion by early 2024". However, in his 2023 budget speech, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana gave more latitude, promising that the circuit would be "built and completed in this legislature". Furthermore, on 12 October 2025, Prime Minister Robert Ab- ela announced that the surface of the quarter-mile drag racing track at Ħal Far, which has already been granted a permit, will be complet- ed by the end of 2025. He added that the full project is expected to be ready by the end of 2026. The application presented in 2022 was still at screening stage before being withdrawn. It is not uncommon for screening appli- cations to be withdrawn due to unforeseen delays, only for the Planning Authority to re-acti- vate the application under a new number after the requirements are met. This is because screen- ing letters include a deadline for the submission of all the studies or plans which are required. It is only when all these requirements are met that an application is val- idated and issued for public con- sultation. Two similar cases involved the development of a new church school in Ħal Għaxaq and a land reclamation project by the St Ju- lian's Waterpolo Club. The Environment and Resourc- es Authority (ERA) had exempt- ed the motorsport project from a full Environmental Impact As- sessment (EIA) but requested an Appropriate Assessment (AA) to evaluate the impact of the race- track on the protected cliffs and bird colonies including the Sco- poli's and Yelkouan shearwaters. The track is being proposed at a distance of more than 700m from the cliffs but only 200m from the boundary of the Natura 2000 site. ERA also required a detailed in- vestigation of noise emissions and vibrations during racing activi- ties—modelling different scenari- os with and without mitigation— using a methodology approved in advance by ERA. Additionally, the authority asked for a lighting plan to ensure that illumination during both the construction and oper- ational phases is fully contained within the site to prevent light pollution in the surrounding en- vironment. The motorsport saga The 2022 application concerns the development of a complete- ly new circuit racing track in Ħal Far alongside a drag racing and go-karting tracks and their facil- ities have already been approved. As proposed, the track—de- signed by German specialists Til- ke GmbH & Co. KG—covers an area of 82,900sq.m and includes a 2,000-metre-long circuit with 12 turns (six right-hand and six left-hand), a 472-metre start-fin- ish straight, and over 4,800sq.m of paddocks, grandstands, and ac- cess roads. Previously, five other sites had been considered for the racetrack: Bengħajsa (Birżebbuġa), Ta' Ħlan- tun (Ħal Safi), Magħtab (Naxxar), San Niklaw (Siġġiewi), and Ta' Qali (Attard). These were exclud- ed either due to greater ecological impact or their proximity to resi- dential and recreational areas. According to the project de- scription statement, the cho- sen site—mainly industrial and government-owned land in Ħal Far—was deemed to have "a low social impact on surrounding res- idential development" given the limited number of nearby dwell- ings. However, it acknowledged proximity to the Ħal Far refugee centre, which accommodates asylum seekers and irregular mi- grants. The PDS even suggested that these facilities should be re- located. In 2023, MaltaToday revealed that the racetrack was fur- ther expanded by an additional 20,000sq.m of industrial land fol- lowing design changes to address safety issues. "Without this additional land, we would have been at a stand- still," Micallef had acknowledged at the time, thanking the govern- ment for resolving the issue by al- locating more public land for this purpose. Another application to up- grade the drag racing track was approved in February last year. That application included the re- construction of spectator stands, a 705sq.m retail shop, and a four-storey block comprising ad- ministration offices, two catering outlets, a multipurpose hall, and a VIP hospitality box. At the time, environmental NGOs such as BirdLife Malta warned against a piecemeal ap- proach to development in the ar- ea and called for all components of the project to be assessed under one holistic application. The cur- rent decision to assess the cumu- lative impact of all components partly addresses this concern. As originally proposed in the masterplan for the Hal Far area, the circuit racetrack was 2,000m long. A new masterplan is now being drafted to incorporate the additional land Works on the drag racing track at Hal Far are currently underway after the Planning Authority approved the permit. (Inset) Motorsport Federation President Duncan Micallef Hal Far circuit racetrack: Studies will be concluded soon, motorsport chief says