The American University of Malta has filed an appeal to overturn November’s rejection of its campus extension plans.
Documents available on the Planning Authority website show that Jordanian investors Sadeen Education Investment Limited, which forms part of the Sadeen Group, paid almost €2,200 to appeal the decision taken by the PA last November when it unanimously rejected the AUM’s plans.
Through its application for the extension of the Cospicua campus, the AUM was planning to build a four-storey dormitory block and an underground parking facility in a public car park off Senglea Gate. The developers were also seeking to restore the dilapidated but historic Knights building along Dock 1 while adding an additional floor.
The project included a new modern block in a public open area next to the Knights building, and a new administration block on the other side. The site earmarked for the administration block is a public open space that was embellished a few years ago through EU funds.
The plans were fiercely opposed by a group of Cottonera residents and various NGOs on grounds they would destroy the few remaining public open spaces in the area and ruin a historic skyline without contributing anything to the community in the surrounding area.
The decision was hailed as a big victory by residents and NGOs who on Friday took to Facebook to vent their frustration that the university had appealed the decision.
The project was originally recommended for approval but all the Planning Authority board members expressed their intention to vote against it in September.
According to official data supplied by the AUM, there are 143 registered students, 59 of whom joined at the beginning of the current academic year - a fifth of the 710 students promised when it was granted a five-year licence in 2016.
Prior to the vote, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo had said the AUM should not be granted any more public land until it showed it had enough students. The low numbers raised even more questions about the AUM’s insistence on the need to expand its existing campus at Dock One in Cospicua, a move that has been met with fierce resistance from residents.