The government is looking into buying properties that are currently leased to band clubs so that they can be rented out to the clubs at reasonable prices.
On Monday Parliamentary Secretary Alex Muscat said the authorities will enter into negotiations with proprietors as part of an "unprecedented" investment that is being funded by the national development and social fund.
The NDSF manages revenue generated through passport sales. So far, €109 million have been allocated through the fund.
It is not yet clear how much money is being invested in this initiative.
"The rent will not be a commercial one, but it will also not be as low as it is today," Muscat said, adding that the initiative should provide a solution for clubs that are being evicted out of the rented property, while also upholding the owners' rights.
Band clubs have been the subject of a lengthy legal battle.
Changes to the law meant to safeguard band clubs from eviction from their leased premises as a result of legal action by landlords were declared unconstitutional and in breach of the owners’ human rights earlier this year. Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi had told Parliament last May that the government should set up a fund to help band clubs purchase their premises.
'Too early to disclose figures'
Asked by Times of Malta how much the NDSF was prepared to invest in these properties, Muscat said it was too early to disclose figures, adding that the investment was "unprecedented."
"Since negotiations haven't yet started, it doesn't make sense to release figures at the moment. What I can say is the investment will be unprecedented since these properties in the heart of our towns are often quite valuable," he said.
National Heritage Minister Jose Herrera told the media that the band clubs had great cultural value that merited this kind of investment.
"I believe that if these band clubs do not have a place to operate from, we could lose a great part of our cultural product," he said.
At the same time it was also important to respect the rights of the landowners who for many years sustained these bandclubs, at their own expense, he said.