Why on earth has Transport Malta (TM) built a quayside restaurant in Ta’ Xbiex out of taxpayers’ money on land designated a public open space? The simple answer is ‒ to hand it over to Robert Abela’s close friends, Paul and Mark Gauci, tal-Gedida, so they’ll get even richer.
Meanwhile, Abela moved his luxury yacht from Vittoriosa to a new berthing space in the same Ta’ Xbiex Gardens marina run by the Gauci brothers. That marina was leased to the Gaucis for 25 years in 2018. Abela’s friends have now kindly provided the prime minister with a far more discreet berthing space. The one at Vittoriosa was far too exposed. Everybody knew whenever the prime minister took off on his luxury yacht for another Mediterranean cruise. Now they won’t.
A berthing space at the Gaucis’ marina costs over €15,000 annually. Abela was asked whether he’s paying anything for his berthing space or whether his friends, the Gaucis, simply gifted it to him. The ever-transparent Abela failed to reply. He hasn’t produced receipts of payment or evidence of bank transactions proving the berth isn’t some payment in kind from the Gaucis for his generosity.
No wonder Abela keeps defying the standards commissioner by concealing his declaration of assets, which he should have tabled in parliament last March.
Labour bulldozed over residents’ petitions, hundreds of objections and vociferous public opposition to start developing that restaurant in Gżira’s last remaining open space. Labour violated the Strategic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED), which stipulates that “existing recreational resources are to be protected, enhanced and accessible”.
Labour ripped apart the north harbour local plan, which clearly designated the land on which Labour is building the restaurant as a public open space on which no development can take place. Labour ignored the appeal lodged by FAA (Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar) against the development and ordered construction to start before the appeal was decided.
In 2023, Abela bragged that he would enact legislation to ensure construction would stop while appeals were underway to prevent abusive illegal development by contractors. But since it’s his close friends who are benefitting, Abela is hardly going to stop any development. When there’s a berthing space at stake, nothing will stop him.
Transport Malta falsely claimed there was a development permit for the restaurant and offices when it issued the original tender for the Ta’ Xbiex marina concession in 2017. There was no permit. In fact, TM hadn’t even applied for one. The original permit (PA5468/10) from 2010 only granted the marina a small floating office.
When TM was caught lying it submitted a new application. It planned to take the children’s playground and build a restaurant, an office and a shop instead – all to be handed over to Abela’s friends, the Gaucis, on completion.
There was widespread outrage at Labour’s obscene plans. Those gardens were first set up by the British colonial administration between 1889 and 1900. Labour planned to deprive the local community of its children’s playground to satisfy the demands of Abela’s wealthy friends.
In November 2021, TM withdrew that application. FAA and the local community breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they had won the battle and could continue to enjoy their open space.
TM had other plans. It lay low for nine months, then submitted a new application. It wouldn’t build over the children’s playground but just a few metres down the promenade on designated public open space.
Why was TM in such a rush to start constructing that restaurant before the appeal was decided?- Kevin Cassar
TM’s application (PA680/22) was approved less than a year later, in July 2023. Labour ignored the objections and protests of the public and ploughed on. It claimed offices were needed for the marina. That was just an excuse. Offices didn’t need to be at the water’s edge. There are plenty of empty unused buildings in Ta’ Xbiex just across the road.
Besides, only 89sqm are allocated to office space. The rest of TM’s plan, 348 sqm, are allocated to an indoor restaurant, an outdoor dining area and a small shop. The bulk, 335sqm, will be the Gaucis’ restaurant.
The Planning Commission that approved that application was made up of Stephanie Baldacchino, Anthony Camilleri and Lorinda Vella. Camilleri had the brass neck to defend the project. He sounded like a paid agent of the Gaucis. “The marina needs upgrading,” he insisted, “parking will be more organised, there will be more access for the public.” He was lying.
How does stealing public land translate into more access for the public? Why was a member of the Planning Commission defending that obscene application? Architect Antoine Zammit, who submitted the application, came up with more false claims: “The project will see 1,400sqm of new public space.” How does building on hundreds of square metres of public land lead to 1,400sqm of new public space?
The last thing Ta’ Xbiex needs is another restaurant. It’s evident that building on open space doesn’t increase public space. An outdoor dining area means only one thing – the public will lose access to that space. That’s more tables and chairs the public will need to navigate around.
TM has no business building restaurants for the prime minister’s friends. TM CEO Kurt Farrugia, Joseph Muscat’s former sidekick, knows it. He was too embarrassed to reply to basic questions: Why is TM paying for the restaurant? How much will that chic restaurant cost TM or, rather, cost us, the taxpayers? Why have B&B contractors (tal-Bona) been given a direct order to construct it? Why wasn’t a public tender issued?
Why was TM in such a rush to start constructing that restaurant before the appeal was decided? Because TM knew they would lose and Abela wanted it finished.
Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti has now annulled that permit, declaring that TM had a massive conflict of interest and confirming the project would take up public land without compensation.
FAA rightly demanded “the immediate dismantling of the Capitanerie building, stretching across the promenade, which is structurally almost complete”. That’s not going to happen. It didn’t happen with Ian Borg’s swimming pool, it didn’t happen with Joseph Portelli’s illegal developments and it’s certainly not going to happen with the restaurant built for Abela’s friends.
Abela will simply defy the courts, again. He’ll probably get it sanctioned since it’s now almost complete.
The Ta’ Xbiex garden survived 125 years since our British rulers created it. Now it meets its fatal end at Abela’s hands and, with it, the rule of law.
Kevin Cassar is a professor of surgery.