8 Things Malta Can Actually Use Reclaimed Land For
The Maltese government has all but confirmed that the island is about to start using its construction waste to create artificial land.
Land reclamation, while usually a costly and technical affair, can be a serious boon to small island nations – it is estimated that Singapore has increased its land size by up to 25% due to land reclamation over the last two centuries.
We could be about to see the same happen in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq
However, Malta is wont to turn a good thing into a bad thing, and as many advantages as there are to reclaiming land, there are just as many ways to mess it up.
That’s why we’ve created a list of just some of the things reclaimed land in Malta can be used for. Leave a comment below with any of your suggestions, and let’s make sure that any and all land reclaimed in Malta is not turned into just another hotel.
1. Affordable housing
Imagine a socialist Maltese government using all the profit its made from a booming economy to create affordable housing for its most vulnerable.
Just imagine that, huh.
Pictured: Affordable housing in Nanaimo, Canada
2. Motor racetrack
Malta’s racing community have long been calling for a dedicated motor-course and racetrack.
An issue with building a dedicated racetrack on an island full of people is that no one wants to live with a daily Maltese remake of The Fast And The Furious next door to them.
So, take Magħtab, flip it, toss that mess in the sea (in the correct way of course), and build the Mediterranean’s first marine motor-course.
It’ll still be Maltese, but far away enough that no one is annoyed, and it definitely beats PD’s idea of sending Maltese motor-course fans to Sicily on subsidised tickets.
Pictured: A racetrack near the sea in Australia
3. New film studios
Rinella studios are cool and all, but they are in a pretty poor state, and considering just how many major films are currently being drawn to Malta, the least Malta could do is offer some awesome studios.
Malta already has the biggest tanks for filming in the Mediterranean; a modern, up-to-date film studios (along with the attractive tax incentives already in place for foreign filmmakers) ready to be used in international productions could strengthen Malta’s position as the place-to-be for filmmakers.
Pictured: Rinella film studios
4. Trees
Malta kind of just needs more trees in general.
Pictured: Trees in Malta
5. A pedestrian area
How many times are you going to walk the Sliema front on a Sunday?
A wholly pedestrianised area with, say, trees (see above) right on the sea could be quite picturesque. We could build a grassy knoll, allow a few kiosks to be set up (as long as they are in sympathy with the rest of the area) and do all sorts of quirky shit there.
Also, it would be the bare minimum done to counter the sheer amount of construction happening on your street, my street, and everybody’s street.
Pictured: Buildings
6. An eco-marine park
No one likes cruel marine parks, but everyone loves a good manatee bathing, assuming you are where manatees naturally bathe.
Malta could be a forerunner in sustainable, eco-marine parks, allowing Maltese families to learn more about marine animals while the animals are kept in their natural habitat.
Family-friendly fun, xeba nature, and maybe a rare Sunfish sighting every now and then – nice.
Pictured: Ocean Park Aquarium, an eco-friendly marine park, in Australia
7. Malta’s answer to the Sydney Opera House
Considering how few artists and cultural operators actually use the Pjazza Teatru Rjal (due to either the high prices to rent it, the fact that it is an open air theatre, or a general dislike of Jason Micallef), Malta needs a serious cultural performance centre to be proud of.
An awesome building built on reclaimed land could be that exact centre. Massive, iconic spikes are optional.
Pictured: The Sydney Opera House
8. A nature reserve (covered with CCTV camera)
Malta already has a number of nature reserves focused on birds, but we need a nature reserve where funky animals like rabbits, deer, and even zebra (let a man dream) roam freely.
It’s kind of like the current situation with stray cats in Malta, except we’ll have actually planned it to be like that.
Of course, considering someone literally just broke into the Għadira nature reserve to shoot and kidnap a flamingo – a protected species – the entire nature reserve would need to be CCTV’d up.
Pictured: Għadira Nature Reserve
BONUS: A very large theatre hall so Malta can host the Eurovision when we finally win it
If you believe, it will happen, one day.
What else do you think Malta could use reclaimed land for?
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