Five Years On, Proposal To Develop Pembroke Ghost Town Of White Rocks Remains In Limbo
Five years ago, the government announced that it had selected a consortium of investors as its preferred bidder to develop White Rocks, a ‘ghost town’ by the Pembroke coast that used to be occupied by British forces.
However, negotiations appear to have stalled entirely and the Economy Ministry didn’t answer to questions by Lovin Malta about whether the government is even still interested in seeing this project through.
Built in the 1960s, the White Rocks Complex was originally used to house British military forces which had colonised Malta. After the British left the island, it was converted into a holiday complex before falling into disarray.
Successive governments have suggested solutions for the abandoned buildings in recent years but to no avail.
In 2010, the then PN government proposed converting it into a sports village so as to revolutionise sport on the island and create hundreds of jobs in the process but this never materialised.
In 2013, new PL Prime Minister Joseph Muscat confirmed the sports village plan had been scrapped for good and that the government would issue a new expression of interest. It was later confirmed that this EOI would seek to convert White Rocks into a “luxury village”.
Former Economy Minister Chris Cardona
Then Economy Minister Chris Cardona said he was so determined to see it through that he was tying his own political career to its success and later confirmed that the White Rocks Development Company had been chosen as the preferred bidder.
This consortium included British property developers Richard and Ian Livingstone, as well as several renowned Maltese investors – including from the Bianchi Group, Bonnici Brothers, Mizzi Holdings, Elbros Construction, and the Alpine Group, founded by Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association president Tony Zahra.
They planned to build a seven-star hotel on the Pembroke land, as well as residential and commercial units and a huge heritage park for the general public to enjoy.
In 2018, representatives from the consortium told The Malta Independent that they had reached an agreement with the government, with the total envisaged investment estimated at around €400 million.
“The views currently enjoyed by residents in the area and motorists using the coast road will remain uninterrupted and actually improve this view through extensive landscaping and reorganisation of the site into dedicated public spaces,” they said.
“Furthermore, we will be setting a benchmark in sustainable construction and operation by managing a self-contained site that limits disruption to the country’s daily activity.”
“Our vision for the White Rocks is to deliver a development like no other; the first real FDI project in the tourism sector for many decades, which will reposition Malta as a prime destination in Europe through a 7-star tourism and residential development complemented by unprecedented private-sector investment in top quality infrastructure.”
However, MaltaToday then reported that the government had dismissed claims of an agreement as being “well off the mark” and that the investors’ offer of €25 million for the public land was way below the government’s expectations.
No public updates have been issued since then, except for a statement by Tony Zahra last year that the investors are still interested in carrying out this project.
However, there have been no signs of movement whatsoever from the government’s end, and Silvio Schembri, who replaced Cardona as Economy Minister at the start of 2020, has yet to even talk about the project.
It remains to be seen whether the White Rocks project will actually go ahead or whether it will remain a white elephant.
Do you think White Rocks should be converted into a luxury village?
READ NEXT: Two Mellieħa Men Arrested With Half Kilo Of Cocaine In Valletta
