Updated 4pm with Azzopardi's request

A government agency has rejected a bid for the development of the Chalet site in Sliema but recommended approval of a bid for the conversion and operation of the Evans Building site in Valletta as a tourist establishment.

Malta Strategic Partnership Projects said that the evaluation process for the projects presented to the government, seeking private-sector investment, had been concluded.

It said only one bid had been submitted for the chalet site and it was not being recommended for award.

"The government will nonetheless continue with its pledge to invest in the regeneration of this important Sliema site so that such investment can contribute towards an improved quality of life for the Sliema community," the agency said.

The Sliema chalet in its heyday.

The chalet site is currently nothing more than a concrete platform on the rocks jutting out of Għar id-Dud promenade in Sliema. The chalet that gave it its current name closed 60 years ago and what remained of the structure - columns supporting a roof at the level of the promenade - was removed about 18 years ago. Various attempts at the development of the site failed over the years.

The Evans Building in Valletta.

The agency said various offers for the Evans Building site were evaluated and the agency has recommended the award of the 65-year concession to Valletta Luxury Projects who had made a bid of €1.2 million annually, thus reaching €78 million over the concession period.

The Evans Building, located near Fort St Elmo at the tip of Valletta, commands excellent view of Grand Habour and is regarded as a prime site for tourism. It was originally built in 1952 to serve as university laboratories. The site is some 3,327 square metres large with a four-storey building that has a built-up footprint of 1,080 square metres per floor. It also includes the remains of the Nibbia Chapel, the Chapel of the Bones and the Anatomical Theatre. 

The agency said the facade of the current building will be retained. The project and the recommended bid will be presented to parliament for approval when talks with the bidders are concluded and the procurement process is concluded.

'Ridiculous price'

Lawyer and former MP Jason Azzopardi said he had written to the Auditor General asking him to open an investigation into the Evans Building concession. 

Azzopardi said the concession was given by the government for a "ridiculous price" instead of the tens of millions that this unique Valletta building has been estimated for. 

"In a normal country, the police would have opened an immediate investigation without being asked to do so," the former MP said in a Facebook post. 

Instead, the police were taking sick people to court, and charging them with much smaller crimes, he charged.