Abela: Portelli's Fort Tigné hotel plan is 'obscene'

Updated 5.20pm with MIDI statement

A hotel inside Fort Tigné would be "obscene," Robert Abela said on Tuesday as he indicated the government opposed MIDI’s transfer of the historic Sliema fortification to Joseph Portelli.

“It would be obscene if a hotel were to be built there. We will do all we can to protect the national interest," he said.

MIDI announced last week that it had entered into a promise of sale agreement with J Portelli Project Ltd to transfer its Fort Tigné lease against a €2.5 million payment.

The fort belongs to the state but MIDI acquired a 99-year lease on the site in 2000 as part of its broader agreement to develop Tigné Point and Manoel Island.

Portelli has said he intends to develop the fort into a high-end hotel.

The proposal drew sharp criticism from heritage groups and political party Momentum, which over the weekend said the government should step in and block the transfer.

On Tuesday, Abela hinted at doing something similar. 

"When it comes to our national heritage, the state must do all it can to preserve it," Abela told Times of Malta. "I am against developing something that can still be preserved. And not only preserved but restored and rehabilitated," he added.

Abela, however, stopped short of saying the property transfer would be blocked.

He instead said MIDI had “watertight” contractual rights on the site but that the government would be doing "whatever is possible to save the saveable at Tigné.”

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi noted on social media that a 2012 law he introduced during his time as an MP allowed the government to acquire historic buildings to make them available to the public.

Asked by the media if the government intended to buy the fort outright, Abela confirmed that it was a possibility.

He said a bid by eNGO Din L-Art Ħelwa to match Portelli’s €2.5 million bid was not necessarily the solution to the problem, as other options exist.

Instead, Abela said he was keen to see “synergy” between the government and eNGO to jointly restore the fort.

“I will be making an announcement on this in the coming days,” Abela said.

MIDI had restored the fort as part of its 2000 agreement with the government and has previously claimed it spent over €21 million in restoring it and various other fortifications at Tigne and Manoel Island. 

Momentum committee member Matthew Agius said the party was very satisfied to see the government and Opposition back the party's position. 

"Whilst always acting according to law and respecting contractual obligations, the Government could hand over the Fort to an experienced NGO like Din l-Art Helwa, who would run the Fort as a public space for public enjoyment," Agius said. 

MIDI: We offered fort to the government

But in a statement later on Tuesday, MIDI plc said that it had held talks with the government and Heritage Malta about returning the fort to the state before it sought private investment. 

The government was still in a position to reclaim the fort, it added.

MIDI also noted that the development brief for the site contemplated commercial development inside the fort, with public access along "defined heritage routes."  

"It was always clear that the sustainable development of the Fort requires the existing buildings within the Fort to be repurposed for commercial use while preserving their heritage value," the company said.

Tigné a 'total mess'

The prime minister said the Tigné area was an example of how not to do sustainable development.

MIDI has over the years developed the area into a commercial and residential hub of high-rise offices, apartments and a shopping mall.

Abela said the “total mess” was the result of previous governments allowing “excessive” building volume in the area, with no controls. MIDI acquired a lease on the site under a Nationalist administration, he noted.

Alex Borg: Take back the fort

Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg said on Tuesday afternoon that the Opposition would be backing the government if it moved to take back the fort without breaching commercial obligations. 

"The Tigné area is no longer in the state of abandonment it was in 25 years ago," he said. "There's a time and place for everything." 

 "Given our need for more open public spaces, it would be fitting if the government intervened in line with all commercial obligations and took back this piece of national heritage," Borg wrote, adding that any such move had to respect whatever private investors were owed.   

Din l-Art Ħelwa welcomes Abela's statement

In a statement, Din l-Art Ħelwa welcomed the prime minister's remarks. 

"Din l-Art Ħelwa acknowledges Prime Minister Robert Abela’s clear public statement opposing the inappropriate hotel development within Fort Tigné and affirming the State’s duty to preserve national heritage. We commend this as a necessary and welcome first step. Our offer to raise the funds to match the commercial terms of the promise of sale and to repurpose the fort exclusively for public cultural, educational, and community use remains on the table. We are ready to collaborate with the Government without delay to secure this historic site for posterity and we look forward to a swift and constructive path forward," the NGO said.