A piazza that was set to be the site of the new Gozo Law Courts will instead house a commercial centre, according to recently submitted plans.

On Sunday, the Gozo Regional Development Authority applied to build a roof-garden topped commercial centre in Pjazza l-Assedju ta' Ghawdex in Victoria. 

The development will also house a four-storey underground car park and an Enemalta substation, the Planning Authority (PA) application (PA/06157/24) shows.

The plans mark a change in direction for the square, which as recently as June was being prepped to house a new court building and, like the new proposal, a multi-storey car park.

The move is a stumbling block in an ongoing saga to find new premises for Gozo’s law courts, which have poor health and safety standards and have maintenance and accessibility issues.

According to the Gozo Regional Development Authority, the “main objective of the proposed project is to address the lack of parking spaces and open spaces in Victoria.”

The commercial centre will feature underground parking and a tree-topped roof. Photo: Planning Authority/Gozo Regional Development Authority.

A tender document for the development of the piazza says a “significant increase in economic activity” had led to increased urbanisation, population growth, traffic and parking shortage – which the authority hopes to solve with its new car park and “some commercial space."

The tree-lined square, which at present is also used as a car park, will be cleared, excavated and see its trees felled to create the new parking area and “green space.”

According to the authority, the proposal is in line with the Gozo Regional Development Strategy which includes 'providing further green spaces’, ‘rethinking mobility’, and ‘transforming streets towards people centred’ (sic).

The development of the square will be fully privately funded, the tender document shows.

But the decision puts the future of the Gozitan law courts – which for years have proven a point of contention – back in limbo.

Last year, the government said it was considering eight bids from private individuals offering a site or building to house the new Gozo law court.

The hunt for a new location for the courts kicked off in 2022 following years of complaints of humidity, flaking walls, ageing workstations and a lack of fire detectors, alarms and exit routes, among other issues.

The current courts are also seen as too small, with Gozitan lawyers having gone on strike in the past over the conditions of the building where they spend most of their days.

According to Avukati Għawdex, the current court building is inaccessible and small for the number of cases instituted in Gozo, where, sometimes, even the room designated for use by lawyers was taken over to hold sittings.

In June 2022, the police issued criminal charges against two senior government officials over their failure to ensure minimum health and safety standards at the Gozo courthouse.